Sleep deprivation causes students extra stress

Being sleep deprived is almost synonymous with being a college student. With so many things to do and not enough time to do it in, a lot of people cut sleep out of their schedule.According to the National Sleep Foundation only 37 percent of Americans get eight hours of sleep a night. College students are among the overall population that is especially sleep deprived.

Some reasons students do not get enough sleep are explained by Art Rathun, a biofeedback specialist counselor at Kansas State University. "We've created a culture in which it is easy to become sleep deprived," he said. "There's an expectation that people will do more. We haven't dropped activities, just added more."

Between loaded school schedules, part time or full time jobs, sports, homework and socialization, there isn't much time for sleep.

Sleep is vital to good health. Lack of sleep can lead to a low immune system making the body more susceptible to getting sick. A lack of focus or concentration can also result and increased moodiness is another common side affect. Retaining new information is decreased and the ability to manage stress is challenged.

Not getting enough sleep often has a negative impact on school studies, relationships and a student's overall well being.

The Counseling and Mental Health Center at the University of Texas at Austin reports: "With any activity a lack of sleep can cause loss of focus especially while driving. The No. 1 cause of human error in major industrial and automotive accidents is fatigue."

Driving while tired is very dangerous; it slows reaction time, decreases awareness of dangers or other cars and impairs judgment. According to the Police Accident report there were an estimated 56,000 crashes annually on U.S. highways where driver drowsiness was cited during the period of 1989 to 1993.

Brown University's Health Center says: "Driving while tired is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated-more than 40,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths each year result from traffic accidents involving sleepy drivers. This information was also found in a July 2002 article of sleep in Newsweek magazine that reported sleep deprivation for more than 24 hours "affects performance as much as a blood alcohol level above the legal limit."

Dr. Bruce Wilbur, director of the California State University, Stanislaus Health Center warned: "Many students don't get enough sleep because of their busy schedules. Between academics, work schedules, sports and a social life, sleeping when you can becomes an expectation in society. It is usually recommended to get an average of eight hours of sleep a night, but it is true that the hours needed are based on an individual's unique body. Some people need six hours others might need nine hours. It depends. The amount of sleep you really need is the amount of hours you sleep until you feel refreshed and alert in the morning."

Kellie Marshall, health and safety specialist at CSU Stanislaus said, "With school, a full-time job, and a social life we want it all and something's got to give. In order to do it all we forego sleep but sleep is just as important because without it, a person is less alert which can increase the risks of an accident."

The National Sleep Disorders Research studies indicate that getting less sleep per night is associated with physiological changes such as insulin resistance and increased sympathetic activation which means the body goes into a high stress mode also known as "fight or flight," where blood pressure increases, heart rate is up, and if any body is subject to the symptomatic mode too long or too often exhaustion sets in.

Not getting enough sleep could be due to insomnia. Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep, waking up too early in the morning, or a non-refreshing sleep.

Insomnia may be caused by many factors including stress, depression, anxiety, physical illness, caffeine intake, irregular schedules, drugs (including alcohol and nicotine) or occasional or chronic pain.

A few recommended guidelines to help reduce sleep problems include getting up at about the same time every day, going to bed only when you're sleepy, exercise regularly, maintaining a regular schedule, and avoiding smoking, caffeine, exercise, alcohol, naps or pills before bed time.