Mental Health: Sleep

Students who know how to get healthy sleep can use it as a genuine performance enhancer in the classroom – which may be why students who sleep better have higher GPAs.

But using sleep to optimize academic performance takes more than just getting enough sleep. Equally important is getting plenty of uninterrupted sleep on a consistent schedule.

A cup of morning coffee or an afternoon latte is a daily ritual for millions of people.

Caffeine – the world’s most popular drug – can give an energy boost and help provide focus during a long drive or study session.

Too much caffeine, though, can make you feel anxious and jittery and even cause a racing heart; also, caffeine too close to bedtime interferes with quality sleep.

It’s important to know how much caffeine is in coffee, tea, and energy drinks and supplements, and to know what amount of caffeine is safe for you to consume on a daily basis.

When you’re sleep deprived, you’re much more likely to hurt yourself and others – whether on the road, in the lab, at work, or on the playing field.

Besides slowing your reaction time, sleep deprivation clouds your judgment, making you more likely to put yourself into risky situations and to make unsafe decisions.

Sleepiness impairs the brain’s performance in the same way as drinking alcohol- and is just as risky when you’re behind the wheel of a car.

College students are at particularly high risk because in young adulthood the brain most easily transitions from wakefulness to sleep, sometimes instantaneously.

It’s surprisingly easy to get into the car feeling wide awake and start nodding off five or ten minutes later. Sleepiness also slows reaction time, making it harder to slam on the brakes in time.

Getting good sleep is critical not just for staying mentally sharp, but also for many aspects of physical and mental health.

When people get too little sleep on a chronic basis, sleep deprivation may occur, increasing the risk for many health problems. These include heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, and maybe even a shorter lifespan.

Depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts are associated with sleep deprivation, too.

Even over the short term, too little sleep can weaken your immune system making colds and other illnesses more likely.

70% of college students don’t get enough sleep, and 20% of college students say they have pulled an all-nighter at least once in the past month.

Trying to squeeze sleep in around studying, social life, and other work and school obligations can seem like a real challenge, but it’s important: students who have poor sleep don’t do as well in college.

Keeping a consistent sleep schedule, optimizing your sleep environment, and performing a “digital detox” before bedtime can make it more likely that you’ll get a good night’s sleep.