For college students, December isn’t necessarily a time to deck to the halls, but more so a time to hit the books. With the end of the semester upon them and finals weeks, students spend every waking moment possible studying in hopes of securing that final A plus.
Although that 4.0 GPA may feel great, the sleep deprivation and stresses added to students to achieve this goal is unhealthy for the body. According to an article on medicalnewstoday.com, stress about school and life keeps 68 percent of students awake at night - 20 percent of them at least once a week.
Cardiovascular and immune system issues, as well as weight gain, are some of the effects of sleep deprivation.
With our own finals weeks currently taking place at Howard, I asked a couple of students how their sleeping habits, or lack thereof, have been.
“Normally I try to get like six or seven hours of sleep but last week I got like two or three a night,” says Candace Smith, a junior, broadcast journalism major.
According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, the average sleep necessary for young adults is 8 hours. However, research shows that only 30 percent of young adults actually meet this requirement.
“Sleep? What’s that?” laughs Jarrod Richardson, a senior, engineering major. “I live in the library. I think the last time I got a real night’s rest was about two weeks ago.”
Out of the five students I spoke with, all of them admitted to skipping out on sleep in order to prepare for finals. Personally, I have been guilty of staying up until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning this past week cramming in as much information as possible for an upcoming final.
In order to help them stay awake, students explained the heavy use of energy drinks to help them remain alert.
“I drink 5 Hour Energies and Red Bulls all the time,” says Zack Johnson, a junior, administration of justice major. “Last week I probably rank a total of 20 Red Bulls to finish up a project.”
Once again, I find myself guilty of indulging in an energy drink here and there to shake off sleepiness. However, what students sometimes fail to realize are how unhealthy the constant consumption of these supplements can be.
Heart disease, high blood pressure, anxiety, and infertility are just some of the side effects associated with energy drinks.
Although it is important to ace your final this year, it’s more important to be healthy enough to see the next semester. As a result, students should be more cognizant of the effects of sleep deprivation, stress, and energy drinks.
Picture: http://today.ttu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/tired.jpg
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