Sleep solves everything

By Sammi Carpenter
Staff Writer

Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.

According to the Sleep Foundation, college students should get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. College students might not always get that amount due to their schedules.

Sleep is such an important thing for your body and when you do not get enough of it, it can have consequences. Sleep deprivation can lead to memory loss, mood changes, weakened immune system, poor balance, high blood pressure, and trouble thinking and concentrating. 

Many college students take at least 12 credit hours per semester and have other activities outside of classes, like sports, work and clubs. Students do not always have time to fit what they need to do during the day all in that day without working on it at night. 

An average college student’s day looks like waking up to go to classes, then after classes either go to sports or work or both, then students eat dinner, shower, and then they do their homework. By the time they start on homework, it can be around 10 p.m.

An average day for Keesha Humble, a sophomore from Greensburg, is when she wakes up around 7:30 a.m. to get ready for her classes. After her classes, she has to attend sports practices for athletic training. On a normal day, she gets done around 5-6 pm. Outside of classes and athletic training she participates in volleyball and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Reno County. 

“I am taking 18 credit hours this semester, so my workload is a lot.” Humble said, “I try to get around 7-8 hours of sleep. When I don’t get enough sleep it causes a lack of motivation when it comes to school work.”

Being a student-athlete can affect a sleep schedule even more. 

Jacob Hadden, a sophomore from Georgetown, Texas, is on the baseball team. 

“On a good, normal day I would say I get around seven hours of sleep, but it all fluctuates. During the spring baseball season it will become even more hectic and my sleep schedule will decline,” Hadden said. “Throughout the day I will drink a coffee or energy drink to try to stay awake, especially on those days where I get less than seven hours of sleep. I try to limit myself to one cup a day.”

Students need to get a good amount of sleep each night because sleep can allow your brain to fully comprehend information better. Sleep can also reduce stress and repair the body. 

For Jaden Kretzer, a freshman from Buhler, a normal school day looks like waking up at 8:30 am for classes then going to bed around 1:30 am. 

“I do not play any sports for the school, but I do play basketball every day and I also play golf a lot,” Kretzer said. “After classes and before I do homework, I always try to take a nap so I have energy to play basketball and do homework because if I don’t, it will feel like i’m dragging on the rest of the day.”

The priority list for students often seems to be school first, then sports or job or other activity, and then sleep.

Students were taught from a young age that school work is one of the most important things to do so then students started to prioritize that more than sleep.

Caffeine is a way for students to try to stay awake during the day but in the end it can have more negative side effects than positive. Drinking too much caffeine can ruin your sleep schedule because it can make it harder to fall asleep and to stay asleep at night. 

Sleep is an essential part of life and it cannot be substituted by caffeine or anything else. Adults should take a second and realize that students need more sleep and should find a way to help fix that issue. 

Actor Thomas Dekker once said “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”

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