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Who Really Needs Sleep?

February 2022 - Read this article highlighting something we probably all need more of- and what kind of effects it can have when you don't get it

Written by: Carolyn Wallace

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Sleep: A necessity for life, and something that many people complain about. Whether complaining that they slept through their alarm or that they didn’t fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, many people- especially students- have something to say about their sleep patterns. Is this just students complaining because they feel like it, or are there actual issues that either cause or are caused by lack of sleep that is common to so many students?

There are many things that can cause issues with sleep, which, according to the Sleep Foundation, includes stress, poor sleeping habits, or various health issues. The life of a student is a particularly stressful one, especially for those who have many extracurricular activities or those who have many hobbies. School takes up a large portion of the day, and the rest of the student’s day may be taken up by extracurricular activities if they happen to be involved in, for example, sports. On top of that, some students also have a job. 

The stress that students experience on a day-to-day basis is a likely candidate for why students have trouble getting the correct amount of sleep at night. It isn't the sole reason, though. As a student who doesn’t always fall asleep at a reasonable time, I believe that wanting to get more things done in a day can be a big push for students to go to sleep later, thus waking up tired. I personally like having some fun before the day is over, but I also am not very good at keeping track of time, so playing games around 5 o’clock can easily turn into looking at the clock and finding out it’s 2 in the morning. There are likely many students who follow a similar pattern, but it can be for different activities, such as getting lost in a book or drawing a masterpiece.

Is there a fix for this lack of sleep? There is likely no fix for this unless the school system changes or students change their habits, neither of which are going to happen any time soon.

- Information found in the article can be found here.