A College Epidemic: Sleep Deprivation

[0:00]Imagine the following scenario. It's 4:00 a.m., 8 hours before the start of the big test, and you don't feel ready in spite of studying all night. Now you're faced with a choice, do you brew another cup of coffee and keep studying, or do you go to sleep? Today I'm going to tell you about sleep deprivation and how it affects students physically, mentally, and academically. By doing so, I will also answer the question I have just posed to you. After reading the surveys, I know that 80% of us in this room don't get 8 hours of sleep a night. The average college students should be getting according to the book a good night's sleep. Given this information, a majority of us are actually sleep deprived to some extent or another, and this information is highly relevant. After pulling an all nighter myself recently and being virtually unable to function for the following couple of days, I wanted to learn more about how sleep impacts the student's mind. I've since satisfied this curiosity through a number of academic websites and other extensive research, so I'm credible to speak on this topic. Today, I'm going to tell you why sleep deprivation is such a serious problem. What can be done to solve this problem, and finally, what you can do to improve the amount and quality of sleep that you get? Sleep deprivation is a serious problem because it creates health hazards and hinders academic performance. Many students suffer from sleep deprivation. According to a study by Brown University, 73% of students report sleep-related problems, and 48% say they suffer from insomnia. To this end, only 11% report regularly getting sufficient good quality sleep. Given these statistics, nearly three out of every four students you meet on campus are likely to be tired, grouchy, or just not all there. So now that you're aware that sleep deprivation is a problem, I'm going to tell you why it is so damaging. Sleep deprivation affects both physical and mental health. According to the website healthysleep.edu, industrial disasters such as automobile accidents, medical errors, and even high-profile incidents, like the nuclear meltdown at the Chernobyl plant, are increasingly being attributed to sleep-related impairment. A lack of sleep also leads to numerous physical and mental health issues, including a weakened immune system, obesity, diabetes, fatigue, depression, and yes, even death, as shown by a series of studies by the Sleep Research Society. According to these studies, people who get less than regularly get less than eight hours of sleep a night are 12% more likely to die prematurely than those who get more than eight hours of sleep a night. So now that you're aware of some of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation, I will tell you how this affects you. Many students report that their academic performance declines as a result of less sleep. Imagine studying diligently all night for a test before going into the exam feeling confident and prepared. But as you attempt to answer the questions, your brain feels foggy. Answers don't come easily, and you find yourself tense and rushed for time. When you get the test back, you are shocked to find you received a letter grade and a half lower than you anticipated. One website from the Institute of Medicine says that sleep deprivation leads to the impairment of our concentration, working memory, and logical reasoning. All valuable cognitive skills that we rely on as college students. Again, from the surveys, 80% of us feel that we don't get sufficient sleep. That means that a vast majority of us in this room are already at risk for many of these symptoms. So now that I told you why sleep deprivation is such a serious problem, I'm going to tell you how it can be fixed. Students simply need to realize that sleep is vital to their health, and therefore get more of it. But how do we come to this realization? In the Cornell Chronicle, Dr. James Moss, expert in sleep psychology, says that the best way to inspire change is by confronting students with data and hard results. According to Moss, many students harbor this mentality of, oh, I'm not going to change my sleep schedule unless you can prove it will make a significant difference in my grades. Moss then conducted a study in one of his classes where he required the students to keep sleeping logs. Not surprisingly, the students who slept the most also had the best grades in all their classes. Following this experiment, one of his students said the following, I used to consider sleep a luxury, but now I realize that when sleep becomes a priority, everything else just falls into place. Recognizing the importance of sleep has worked elsewhere too. According to the Washington Times, boarding schools that have taken steps to ensure their students get more sleep are seeing record high GPAs. Consider for instance, Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. After Dr. Moss spoke on sleep deprivation in front of the student body, the school pushed morning classes back by 30 minutes, and set a 10:00 p.m. curfew in place, all to encourage their students to sleep more. Following these changes, student visits to the health center decreased by 20% and GPAs skyrocketed, setting new records for the school. If getting more sleep helped the students at Deerfield, then it can help students everywhere. Given all this, the solution to sleep deprivation is quite simple. We just need to get informed and get more sleep. So now that I've told you how sleep deprivation can be solved, I'm going to tell you how getting more sleep will improve your life. If you get your nightly 8 hours, you will see numerous benefits in your life, including an increase in mental alertness and a decrease in your stress levels. A well-rested mind is more mentally sharp and alert, grasping new concepts faster and remembering them longer. According to the website, WebMD, our memories are consolidated by brain events that occur when we sleep, transferring new information from the brain's hippocampus, where short-term memories are stored, to the brain's neocortex, where long-term memories are stored. Think back to our hypothetical situation of whether to brew another cup of coffee or go to sleep. Given this information, we would be better off sleeping to consolidate new information into our long-term memories, rather than trying to cram more into our short-term memories where it will just be forgotten shortly before or after the test. Another benefit of more sleep is that you will experience less stress. According to healthambition.com, a well-rested body produces fewer of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Although this won't make your assignments disappear, imagine being able to tackle them with a clear and focused mind, unclouded by distracting sensations of tension and stress. Because sleep deprivation is so harmful to our health and academic performance, I will now encourage you to take the necessary steps to get a good night's sleep. The first thing you can do is buy a blackout blind or eye mask to ensure that you're sleeping in total darkness. According to mercola.com, the smallest bit of light interferes with the production of hormones melatonin and serotonin that help you sleep. Another thing you can do is put aside all work and electronics before one hour before bed. It's important to give your brain a chance to to wind down before going to sleep. The last thing you want when you're trying to sleep is your mind whirling with thoughts of tomorrow's deadlines or the season finale of The Walking Dead. Also, put aside eight hours for sleep in particular and make this non-negotiable. Altogether, this will be 9 out of 24 hours, a seemingly large sacrifice. Just know that in giving up these nine hours, you are maximizing the productive capacity of your remaining 15 hours. Finally, normalize your sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. By going to bed at the same time every day, your body will soon fall into a natural rhythm where it becomes sleepy near near your bedtime and alert upon waking up. So today I told you why sleep deprivation is such a serious problem, and what needs to change for students to get more sleep. I've also told you what you can do to get a better night's sleep and therefore contribute to the resolution of this problem. In light of all this, I urge you to consider implementing some of the steps I have offered. Even if you only choose one, I know that you will see a positive difference in your sleep, and as a result, every other area of your life. Thank you.