I know many of us students constantly hear people say that we need to get more sleep. I also know that we reply to these people with a little nod or “yeah, I will” indicating that we understand, and will work on it. However, speaking from experience, I know a lot of us do not take this message seriously and sacrifice our sleep on many nights.
I know you are thinking that the reasons you do not get a full 7-8 hours of sleep are valid, such as when you are studying. Now, I understand that during midterm and finals season, there is typically catch up for school that needs to be done, and you have to work late some nights. But does anyone really understand how a good sleep schedule benefits us?
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that university students should be getting anywhere between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. This specific range of time slept provides the time needed for extremely important processes to occur. These processes are especially beneficial for students as they include memory consolidation, improved physical health, increased cognitive functioning, and emotional regulation. These four functions are commonly recognized, but sleep also improves our mental health as it boosts our energy levels and decreases stress.
Another important aspect to consider when we think about the significance of sleep is the way our body is designed. More specifically, humans have a circadian rhythm, which can be described as our bodies’ natural and biological clock, which regulates our mental, physical, and behavioural processes. It controls our sleep-wake cycle over 24 hours, and if we align ourselves with this cycle, our bodies will be functioning optimally.
Our circadian rhythm controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that plays a role in letting the brain know that it is time to sleep. The release of melatonin occurs at 9:00 pm and we are supposed to be in our deepest sleep at 2:00 am. At 7:30 am, our melatonin secretion ceases. Therefore, you can imagine how being awake past 2:00 am severely throws our bodies off the natural timing of our biological clocks and reduces the benefits gained from corresponding with the clock.
Another note is that I often take 15-minute power naps throughout hours of studying, as opposed to a 10-minute phone break. This is something I would recommend to those of you who are struggling to get a restful sleep through the night and feel tired throughout the day because power naps increase energy and alertness without the groggy feeling you experience when you wake up in the morning.
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