Six hours, five hours, four hours, and sometimes none. This is the weekly sleep schedule of most college students, not including the necessary nap during the day. But how does sleep affect college students’ academic performance? Everyone knows that in college, an occasional all-nighter may be necessary for a grade-deciding test. However, only getting a couple hours of sleep every other night of the week is not healthy for the students’ mind or body. College students suffer a decreased level of sleep quality compared to the “normal” adult population (Buboltz). Sleep is an important part of life and many college students seem to forget that quite often. Sleep allows the body to recover and has an active influence on our brain and behavior. 

College students’ Grade Point Averages are influenced by intelligence, motivation, work ethic, personality, socioeconomic status, health, the school system, course load, academic program, and test-taking abilities (Chervin). All of these factors can be manipulated by sleep and how your brain is working. College students’ academic performance is negatively affected by sleep because students suffer from sleep disorders, do not know how to prioritize, and do not know how well sleep benefits their brains.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, at least 40 million American suffer each year from chronic, long-term sleep disorders (Myers). College students’ may suffer from not one, but many sleep disorders that they never knew they had. Nearly a third of all college students are at risk for at least one sleep disorder (Stong). The most

common sleep disorders are insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea. Students with these disorders most likely have a Grade Point Average under a 2.0 (Stong). Treating these disorders is directly followed by improved grades and a better quality of life also. Students also have sleeping difficulties. This includes taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, morning tiredness, not being able to fall asleep more than three times a week, and waking up too early (Buboltz). These difficulties can lead to sleep-deprivation. Most students are sleep-deprived without knowing it as well. They may know that they have trouble sleeping or that they are tired, but they do not know when they are actually sleep-deprived. Sleep-deprivation has shown a significant decrease of performance in cognitive tasks assessing inference, recognition of assumptions, and deduction (Chervin). An all-night “cramming” session usually will not help you get an A on that huge exam. Cramming may be a temporary fix, but staying up all night to study will not help you retain information and actually may impair your ability to consolidate new information (Buboltz). Sleep is also necessary for our nervous system to function properly (Myers). This can cause our bodies to be even more stressed about exams and schoolwork instead of being calm and focused.

The two stages of sleep, slow-wave sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, have different functions. Slow-wave sleep contains neurons constantly firing at a slow rate in the neo-cortex, which plays a role in memory, thought, language, and consciousness. Slow-wave sleep plays a large role in the consolidation of memory and transferring information from the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that is thought to be the center for memory, emotions, and nervous system. In REM sleep, the neuron firing is much faster and contains more activity than when we are awake because this is when we dream. REM sleep is found to be linked to processing information, problem solving, and encoding memories. REM sleep also 

allows the brain’s memory processing systems to re-balance, enabling effective responses to experiences the next day (Monaghan). These two stages help us understand what happens to our brain while we sleep and what happens to the information in our brain that we learned during the day. This also helps us understand how our memory develops and improves.

 Researchers say students should get over eight hours of quality sleep. Yet, 70.6% of college students obtain less than eight (Chervin). Getting eight hours is important, but getting eight hours of quality sleep is more important, according to the dual process theory. Research has indicated that the quality, not quantity, of sleep is related to overall well-being and health (Buboltz). You must go through both stages of the sleep process to have a quality night of sleep. REM sleep is an extremely important stage of sleep and is directly connected to learning, so it cannot be skipped. Students who receive less than eight hours of sleep miss the last two hours of REM sleep, which is the most important part for integrating new information (Buboltz). The dual process theory suggests that certain types of memory are dependent on specific sleep states. Therefore, you must get the full amount of sleep your body needs in order to aid your memory. (Chervin). 

Distractions can get in the way of this adequate amount of sleep. If college students learn how to put sleep over other activities, then they will be happier and healthier. On an average day, college students will most likely not study as long as they need to or they are not focused on studying because they would rather be doing other activities, especially on weekends. This is a significant problem because it causes college students to fall behind in classes, resulting in a lower Grade Point Average. If college students got enough sleep, they would be more attentive and alert to get their studying done, and then they can enjoy their free time. Yet, college gives young adults the opportunity to make their own schedules. In addition, drinking too much 

alcohol or caffeine (when going out or trying to stay awake) will only hinder your memory. Alcohol may increase the risk for obstructive sleep apnea and caffeine may increase sleep latency and suppress REM sleep, which is one of the two most important stages for retaining information and preserving your memory (Chervin). College students will think that they have “all day” to study when in reality they will do other activities and then all of the sudden the day is over and they have to stay up all night studying. Procrastination is a horrible trait that almost all college students have. College students need to learn how to prioritize and realize what is really important.

Approximately four out of five college students drink alcohol. This is extremely bad for your brain because alcohol shortens sleep latency, which may be good for some people with sleep issues, but then it promotes fragmented sleep in the latter half of the night (Chervin). Alcohol also impairs your memory greatly and increases your risk for sleep apnea.

Many believe that sleep is not the main issue of lower test scores among college students. Cell phone usage in the classroom is the bigger issue in teachers’ eyes. They trust the idea that college students learn and retain the most in a classroom when they are free from distractions. College students do not realize how often they go on their phones during class, so when they stop paying attention for even a couple minutes during class, they disconnect themselves completely without even realizing it. Chris Bjornsen conducted an experiment on his class at Longwood University, proving that even when students with higher Grade Point Averages use their cell phones in class their test scores are significantly lower than when they do not. College students should think twice before they text or read a Facebook post in class because their test scores will suffer (Bjornsen).

While cell phone usage is a large issue among college students and how they perform in class, the bigger issue is the amount of quality sleep they are getting, regarding their academic performance. Without getting the right amount of sleep, college students may fall asleep or lose even more focus than if they went on their phones for two minutes. In college, you do not learn all of the material you need to know in the classroom. To be a successful college student, you must work harder outside of the classroom than in it. This is why I think that being on your phone during class may not affect a student’s academic performance as much as not getting the correct amount of sleep may have on them. Sleep deprivation is a much more significant issue towards college students’ academic achievement and long-term memory than distractions in the classroom.

 In the past, many have tried to come up with solutions to fix the issue of sleep for college students by conducting studies and giving college students with disorders special treatment. Some colleges have decided to give students with sleep disorders the option to take a test somewhere else, so they can have more time, and/or have more time on schoolwork. An experiment was also conducted at the University of North Carolina Charlotte to see if students with low Grade Point Averages actually had a sleep disorder that they did not know about. The researcher was given a list of students’ Grade Point Averages who attended the college and the students with the lower Grade Point Averages were asked to participate for extra credit. They were asked questions about their sleep habits and went through a series of tests to determine if they have a sleep disorder or not. Over 500 college students out of 1,845 were at risk for at least one sleep disorder, mostly narcolepsy or insomnia (Gaultney). Grade Point Average was found to be significantly correlated with the amount of sleep prior to school. The greatest solution learned from this experiment was a sleep schedule (Gaultney). Having a sleep schedule is the 

best solution to success for those with a sleep disorder so that the student’s body and brain will do the same thing every day, every week. This means waking up at the same time every day and going to bed the same time every night. This method helps with consistency, puts your body and mind on a schedule, and will help lessen the sleep disorders. Although it seems like it would work, this solution has not been very effective with college students. The number of sleep-deprived college students and students with sleep disorders is higher now than it has ever been. 

A new solution that I think college students might be more likely to follow is going to bed earlier and following a strict sleep schedule during the week. This solution is different from the previous ones because it will be enforced by the school by teaching students how to do this. If students learn more about the issue, then they are more likely to start to do it. Even students who sleep eight hours nightly but shift their sleep-wake cycle by two hours’ experience increased feelings of depression and have difficulty in concentrating (Buboltz). People do not realize how powerful a good night’s sleep is and how it can lead to more happiness and productivity. Better and smarter decision-making can be a result from getting proper rest. People spend too much time bragging about how much sleep they did not get and should spend some of that time sleeping (TED-ed). I also think that schools should educate students more about their possible sleep disorders because so many students suffer from not one, but many sleep disorders without even knowing it. To increase college students’ academic performance, they need to learn how to prioritize. Schools should teach students, in classes or individually in advisement meetings if they are having issues, about which things in their life that they need to put over others, not what they want to prioritize over others. Students need to be more educated about the two stages of sleep. Once they are more informed, they will get a better understanding of why they have been performing badly, even though they stay up all night studying. Students will get a better 

understanding of why things are the way they are and can connect schoolwork with their sleep habits. Lastly, some tips for a good night of sleep include exercising, avoiding caffeine and stimulants, and creating a sleep schedule (Myers). Exercising will tire you out and make it easier for you to fall asleep at night. These tips should also be emphasized to college students.

The best way for college students to think about changing their sleeping habits is to inform them. I recommend mandatory seminars for undergrad college students to attend in the beginning of each semester to remind them how important sleep really is. First-year college students should be a priority at this meeting, considering it is probably their first year on their own. I also think that a guest speaker, such as Arianna Huffington (TED-ed), who is an expert in this field and psychology, should come to this meeting. Students can hear all of the important statistics and may trust a professional more than a professor. This professional should be someone young, but educated so that the college students can relate to them better. When students can relate to the speaker better, they are more likely to start doing whatever the speaker is talking about. I also think that college students should be tested for sleeping disorders. Too many students obtain at least one. If a student who has trouble sleeping or has trouble in school finds out that they have one, they will be able to treat or handle it. The school may also give them special privileges because of their disability that may hinder their learning and attentiveness in class. To solve the problem of sleep disorders, these students must see a doctor to treat it. All of these solutions are reasonable to present to all colleges.

Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders among college students are a growing problem that is not being addressed as much as it needs to be. College students are continuing to stay up late and cram at the last second for a test. This is still a problem because college students make their own schedules, so they feel that they can do whatever they want. However, advisers and school 

officials should emphasize the importance of sleep more. They should make it known and obvious that improved sleep quality will increase academic performance, even though they do not realize it. Rapid Eye Movement sleep and slow-wave sleep are both directly linked to your memory and consciousness. This means that students will be more awake and aware during class too. Bad sleep habits are just the beginning. Staying up late, consuming unhealthy beverages, and not using your time wisely will all result in pulling “all-nighters”. Pulling one too many of these can lead to bad sleep habits of going to bed super late and waking up super early for class or work. Once you start developing these habits, you will feel tired all the time, and even start to become depressed. Lastly, you will not be able to sleep even more because you will develop a sleeping disorder with these bad habits. This sleeping disorder will not let you sleep and make you more tired than you have ever been. College students’ academic performance is greatly affected by sleep. Sleep can affect students Grade Point Averages in a negative or positive way. Having a sleep disorder, being distracted, and not being educated about how well sleep can help are all reasons why sleep has so greatly been affecting college students. Getting a good, quality night of sleep will help students in more ways than they know.
