Newspaper Page Text
•The West Georgian-Thursday, January 19, 1995
6
Don’t ignore the Sandman - everyone needs sleep
By Melissa Ramsdell
College Press Service
The dock on the computer
center wall seems to speed up as
you try writing about T.S. Eliot’s
influence on paradigms of
deconstructionism. Next thing you
know, the sun’s coming up over
the clock tower. You print your
paper out and reach your
professor’s office just as the bells
chime nine times.
That day in class, your psych
TA catches you snoozing in the
back row. Or worse, you skip the
rest of your classes in favor of a
well-earned 12-hour nap.
Yes, the all-nighter is a fact of
college life. But researchers say
sleep deprivation is bad for you.
“At some point the sleep debt has
to be paid,” said Dr. Max
Hirshkowitz, a sleep researcher at
Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston. “Eventually, the brain
will demand sleep.”
Problems associated with lack
of sleep range from decreased
productivity and reduced mental
sharpness to increased risk of
accidents. The National
Commission on Sleep Disorders
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and Research estimates that
sleep-related accidents cost a total
of $46 billion each year.
Research shows that college
students are chronically
sleep-deprived.
For example, Bryan Marenstein,
a University of Washington student,
says he usually makes it to bed
between 3 and 4 a.m., averaging six
or less hours of sleep per night.
“Earlier in the quarter, I got a lot
of sleep in the library—on the
couches, die chairs, the ground—
anywhere I could find a place to lie
down,” Marenstein said. “I got so
much sleep at night that I was really
tired during the day.”
Most research experts agree that
young adults need an average of
seven to nine hours’ of sleep a night.
“But for whatever the reasons,
maybe a combination between
academic, social and work demands,
students end up getting five or six
hours on the average,” said Michael
Vitello, associate director of the
University of Washington Sleep and
Aging Research Program.
He cautioned against using
caffeine, sleeping pills or alcohol as
a crutch. “If you have a double
espresso each morning, in a couple
hours you may find yourself lower
than before,” Vitello said.
Follow these pointers from die
University of Montana’s Health
Services to get a good night’s sleep:
• Go to bed
and rise at
about the same
times every
day.
Establishing a
schedule helps
regulate your
body’s inner
clock. Also try
to establish a
“sleep routine”
by following
the same
bedtime
preparations
each night,
thereby telling
yourself it’s
“Earlier in the quarter, I
got a lot of sleep in the
library—on the couches, the
chairs, the ground—
anywhere I could find a
place to lie down. I got so
much sleep at night that I
was really tired during the
day. ”
-Bryan Marenstein
University of Washington
bedtime before you get in bed.
• Make sure your sleeping
conditions, including your bed, are
as comfortable as possible. If you are
sharing your bed witii a snoring,
cover-stealing or restless partner,
make separate, temporary sleeping
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arrangements until you re-establish
a satisfactory sleeping pattern.
•Wear loose-fitting nightclothes.
The more comfortable you are, the
better you will sleep.
• Keep your bedroom darkened.
If street lights
shine in your
room or if you
must sleep
during the day,
buy
room-daikening
shades or
blinds.
• Keep
your bedroom
as quiet as
possible. If you
can’t block
outside noise,
“cover” it with
a familiar
inside noise
such as the
steady hum of a fan or other
appliance.
• Avoid alcoholic drinks—
including beer or wine—before
bedtime. When alcohol wears off
during die night, you might wake
up.
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• Avoid too much mental
stimulation during the hour or so
prior to bedtime. Read a “light”
novel or watch a relaxing TV
program; don’t finish homework
or office paperwork or discuss
finances with your family, for
example.
• Avoid using your bedroom
for working or watching
television. Learn to associate that
room with sleep.
• If you can’t sleep, get up and
pursue some relaxing activity—
such as reading or knitting—until
you feel sleepy. Do not lie in bed
worrying about getting to sleep.
• Avoid daytime napping,
which tends to fragment sleep at
night.
• Avoid all caffeine-containing
beverages after lunch. Remember
that many soft drinks, as well as
coffee and tea, contain caffeine.
• Try to get some exercise each
day. Regular walks, bicycle rides
or whatever exercise you enjoy
may help you sleep better.
However, avoid vigorous exercise
later than three hours before
bedtime.