Sleep Deprivation Among College Students
Introduction
A college student that wants to receive that good grade point average at the end of the semester does not always receive the recommended six to eight hours of sleep every night. Not only is sleep just something we need, it is a necessity and is needed to keep our bodies healthy. This, as a college student, is a very typical way to get through four years of school, a lack of rest and a lot of homework. As a college student, we tend to spend more time in the library and socializing than to even think about laying our heads on our pillows, but while trying to sleep, a thousand things race through our minds as of how much we have to do the next day. Bridget Bosworth, in her essay “Are Tarleton Freshmen Sleep Deprived, and Why?
A Survey Analysis,” states the issues of sleep deprivation of freshmen males and females, ages eighteen to fourty-one, on campus. Bosworth states “What most people do not realize is how crucial a good night’s sleep is to our bodies. In fact, sleep is a necessary factor to sustain life” (76). As well as, talking about what factors contribute to college freshmen’s lack of sleep, such as, homework, socialization, and involuntary sleep deprivation. It is a given that there are more factors that cause sleep deprivation, but these are the main reasons in college students. After reading this article, I agree with Bosworth on her reasons why college students do not sleep because it points out exactly what college students do with their free time.
The Gift that Never Stops Giving
Homework; books, essays, etc. that make your life seem never ending, and one of the main reasons why college freshmen at Tarleton are sleep deprived. In Bosworth’s article she talks about how being up late doing homework is a college student’s main reason for sleep deprivation. In her article, Bosworth states “Another reason that students are losing sleep trying to get their homework is that they work all day and only have time to do it at night” (79).I agree with this quote because students that are juggling a job, Greek life, sports, and trying to manage good grades are all most likely sleep deprived. Having multiple things going on while going to college is a difficult thing to manage, but people that have to pay for their own schooling have to work. In the article “College students’ homework and academic achievement: The mediating role of self-regulatory beliefs,” written by Anastasia Kitsantas and Barry J. Zimmerman, they explain how homework in all grade levels is time consuming. Kitsantas and Zimmerman state that “Students reported that on the average approximately 4 hours and 25 minutes of homework in length were given daily.” There are only so many hours in a day, and when students are overwhelmed with their studies and homework, there is only be so much available time to sleep. Without knowing how to manage time, students wait until the last minute to do all of their work. In college, there might be multiple things due in a week span but planning out what to do which day helps with getting everything done on time. Procrastination seems to be the biggest problem with students now days. Way Too Many Friends
Spending time with friends and not remembering to do your homework until late in the night is also at the top of the list for why college freshmen at Tarleton State University are sleep deprived. In the article, Bosworth states “Also many students don’t have time to visit with their friends during the day, so they visit at night instead when they could be sleeping.”(79) She also talks about how being social in college is forty percent of the reason why college students are sleep deprived. I agree with this quote because going to parties, or going dancing at City Limits, the nearby bar in town when you want to have a good time with friends we tend to lose sleep. Anyone would rather have fun than sleeping. In the article “Interpersonal Relationships as Mediators of Structural Effects: College Student Socialization in a Environment,” written by William B. Lacy he talks about how going out and being social tends to hurt college students in the end because not remembering about homework and staying out late can cause a drop in academics. “The interaction between students and the agents of socialization has been emphasized as the important process mediating institutional effects upon students.” He is saying that socialization is a big part of college students daily lives, and will intrude in their sleep patterns. Friends tend to come first during the day and work all night long doing homework seems to be the plan for a lot of college students. Counting Sheep
Sleep is a necessary part of our everyday life, but when our bodies will not function correctly with our sleeping patterns it is hard to get the adequate amount we need. We all try and sleep every night, but sometimes we just cannot fall asleep because we have so much on our minds. This can get frustrating. I, personally, can lie in bed for at least an hour before I fully begin to fall asleep. In the article, Bosworth states “Sometimes when people try to go to sleep they just cant. Stress about grades, financial problems, etc. weight heavily on their minds, not allowing them to go to sleep” (80). I agree with this quote because I can personally relate to this. I go through this too many nights a week. When you need to wake up for an eight AM class and you don’t get to sleep until midnight or later on a daily basis can affect your mood, grades, friendship, and most importantly your health. Bosworth also says that “Not getting enough sleep can also affect one’s health: “a lack of sleep makes the body’s resistance go down, if there are any germs out there, you will be more likely to get them”. (76) We need an adequate amount of sleep to keep our immune systems happy and working properly, so we do not become sick. That would only cause more stress on our bodies, and make it even harder to get a good amount of sleep. In the article “Semester Long Changes in Sleep Duration for College Students” by Gary Liguori, John Schuna Jr, and Arupendra Mozumdar, the authors state “These changes in social and academic responsibilities, particularly stressful in first year students, along with a greater degree of personal freedom, are likely to alter sleep patterns within a given semester”. They are stating that with all of the added pressure of a new surrounding and new responsibilities, it will seem stressful to fall asleep on occasion. While lying in bed thoughts rushing throughout our minds we tend to think of the things that we should’ve done right then rather than remembering earlier. This tends to pull students out of bed to get it done rather than just waiting to do it at another time. Conclusion
In conclusion, these factors can cause sleep deprivation, but homework, socialization, and involuntary sleep deprivation are the three main reasons for lack of sleep in freshmen at Tarleton State University. It is all about managing time better; to get a better night’s sleep. Socialize with friends
during the day, if you can, do not wait to do homework until the last minute, and don’t start studying for a test the night before. The Topics brought up about sleeping by these authors is very interesting. If everyone started to do more work and less play and start doing more of their priorities, then work would get done a lot quicker. After reading this article it seems very true; watching others, and even myself, it seems these reasons are right on the dot. At the end of the day, college students realize that they should have done the work they were supposed to do, earlier, rather than procrastinating to get them done late at night, which causes sleep deprivation.
Work Cited
Bosworth, Bridget “Are Tarleton Freshmen Sleep Deprived, and Why? A survey
analysis” The Popkin Writer 7 2013 76-81. Print 26 Feb 2013 Kitsantas, Anastacia, and Barry J. Zimmerman “College Students’ homework and academic achievement: The mediating role of self-regulatory beliefs” Springer Science & Business Media (2008): 97-110. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Lacy, William B. “Interpersonal relationships as mediators of structural effects: College students
socialization in a traditional and an experimental university environment.” Sociology of
Education 1978 51 201-211. Web. 26 Feb. 2013
Liguori, Gary, Arumpendra Mozumdar, John Schuma Jr. “Semester Long Changes in Sleep
Duration for college students” Sociology of Education 1978 481-492. Web. 26 Feb. 2013
