It’s midterms and you probably cannot remember the last time you’ve had a full eight hours of sleep. This is the case for most college students as we tend to not get a healthy amount of sleep. Staying up studying, getting home late from school, and life outside of school takes a toll on how much sleep a student gets. Sleep is critical for your mental and physical health as sleep does not just affect the way our brain works, but also the way our body functions. Often times we neglect how important sleep is and then we see just how much power it actually has over us.
Getting a full night of sleep helps to reduce stress. When your body doesn’t get sufficient sleep, it’s natural reaction is to produce a surplus of stress hormones. These are a natural result of a faster-paced lifestyle, as many college students have. By getting a deep and regular amount of sleep, you can help prevent this increase in stress that your body would experience with a lack of sleep.
Have you ever woken up after a peaceful night’s rest feeling refreshed, and the rest of your day seems brighter than the one before? This is because when you sleep soundly, it helps your ability to stay calm throughout the day, whereas lack of sleep can make you more anxious.
Sleep also helps to improve memory function, which every college student needs. When someone is really tired, it is hard to not only stay focused on the lecture being taught but to retain the information being learned. Imagine just waking up and feeling prepared for your school day, because you’re refreshed and remember everything you’ve studied the night before. Getting better sleep helps your brain to rest so when it is going throughout the day it can process and retain information.
In my experience, I tend to notice how much more susceptible I am to getting sick when my body is exhausted and stressed. I found that this is because your body is telling you to slow down and rest. While you are sleeping, your body produces extra protein molecules that strengthen your ability to fight off infection. This is why when you start to feel sick or not at your best. You should lay down and rest so your body can heal itself before you become very ill.
Not getting enough sleep can also lead to health complications later on in life. Studies have shown that not getting enough sleep can lead to type two diabetes and heart complications. A lack of sleep may lead to type two diabetes because it affects the way your body produces glucose. Appetite is regulated with a regular sleep schedule. This helps to alleviate issues with weight maintenance. Also, a healthy amount of sleep lowers the level of inflammation of your cardiovascular system. This reduces your chances of a heart condition or stroke.
Even taking a small nap of about 30 minutes throughout the day can make your body feel and function better. It is hard for students to get enough sleep due to all the brain strenuous activities and physically exhausting activities being done throughout the day.
Without enough sleep students are not able to function at their full potential. With enough sleep, students can take on the day with a more positive outlook than if they did not get enough sleep and are groggy. Even though it is hard to push some assignments to the side in order to get enough sleep, getting enough time to rest should be a top priority for students so their bodies can be healthy and their brains can be used to study without added stress.
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