Students trying to get A’s while losing Z’s

SHATOYA HOWARD STAFF WRITER SRH725@CABRINI EDU

Everyone is overjoyed that classes are ending and summer is fast approaching but by the end of the semester students appear to be not only stressed about finals exams but sleep deprived according to about.com. As exams approach students seem to have papers, project and studying piled upon them like a ton of bricks they can’tchisel through. But as college students are pushed to what seems like the breaking point, sleep is the last thing on their minds and as you walk around this campus you can see the consequences of sleep loss on the drowsy faces of fellow cavaliers.

According to a University of Texas study “Over 50 percent of adults report past or current sleep difficulties. Common problems include sleeping too much, trouble falling asleep, and waking up in the night.” However this same study found that college students seem to lessen the effects lack of sleep have on work, relationships and just how to be able to function daily.

In a July 2002 article, Newsweek magazine reported that sleep deprivation for more than 24 hours affects performance as much as a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. The experts also say that sleep deprivation can cause increased moodiness, lessen your ability to concentrate, decrease your knack to remember new information, make it difficult for you to deal with stressful situations and lessen your body’s capacity to fight off illness’according to the University of Texas’s Mental Health center. Thus good night’s rest is more essential than it may appear.

The University of Texas also gave numerous tips for improving sleep like winding down 3060 minutes before bed time, lessening your caffeine intake, limit alcohol before bedtime, do not have a visible alarm clock, and only eat light carbohydrates before bedtime.

MaryJo Rose a registered nurse in health services, said “everyone (all the students) look tired on Fridays but I don’tsee a certain year or sec coming in here for sleep deprivation.” Rose also stated that towards the end of the year she sees more students looking sleep deprived and it gives them more accessibility to colds and viruses. Rose said “eight-10 hours of sleep is healthy but 10 hours is ideal and less than that will cause you to get sick or just feel worn-out.” Only one student, Jennifer Brace, a sophomore psychology major, stated that she usually gets eight hours of sleep and the latest she goes to bed is 2 a.m. but that she tries to go to bed around 12 a.m. during the week and on the weekends as well except that she sleeps in longer. The other six students interviewed stated that they usually get a minimum of 5 hours of sleep during the week and only about seven hours or longer on the weekend. Sophomore psy- chology major Mario Gibbons stated that he only gets about four or five hours a night’s sleep during the week and between six and seven hours on the weekend. Sophomore sociology/criminal Justice major Samantha Hartling stated that she gets from between five to seven hours of sleep a night and it ranges because it depends on the night due to parties and if her boyfriend is up; however on the weekends she usually sleeps in later and gets about eight to10 hours of sleep.

Junior elementary/special education major Jessica Bailey summed up the main responses of Cabrini students when she said “living on campus its hard to get the recommended about of sleep but I try to get at least seven or eight hours to be able to function the next day and at home its at least eight to 10 hours of sleep because its peaceful and quiet.”

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