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Sleeping: a luxury for college students |
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Tuesday, 06 March 2007 |
People are counting fewer sheep every year, yet it has nothing to do with sheep.
“Sleep: As Important as Diet and Exercise (Only Easier!),” is this year’s theme for National Sleep Awareness Week, which takes place this week, sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation.
However, I beg to differ.
Sleeping is difficult for college students. Between tests, having a social life and avoiding the inevitable
weight gain, few college students are getting the recommended amount of sleep.
I can’t even put a number on the amount of times I’ve heard friends and
classmates talk about pulling “all-nighters” just to make sure they
finished their “to-do” lists.
Pulling an all-nighter cannot be good in any way, but I’m guilty as charged.
Every night before I get off the phone with my mother, she says,
“Julia, you should go to bed early – you sound tired.” To which I
generally reply with something along the lines of, “OK Mom, after my
paper/homework/quiz/movie is done.”
I can’t see how it is a possibility to get the seven to nine recommend hours.
A good night of sleep for me means somewhere between five and seven hours.
Often times, homework, my jobs, studying, pumping out articles and
maintaining a respectable social life get priority over sleep.
Those things seem more necessary for my future. I’m pretty sure that no
job application or interview will have a question that asks if I get
enough sleep.
So where does the National Sleep Foundation get off saying that sleeping is easier than eating right or exercising.
All three things require immense amounts of dedication.
I make it to the gym almost daily. That’s more than the suggested amount. I tend to eat healthy as I
am a vegetarian and avoid fatty foods. Both of those things seem almost effortless and habitual.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing I love more than curling up with a
good book only to fall asleep and wake up at noon to hazelnut coffee.
But I can only count on that on the occasion that my social life isn’t calling on Friday nights.
I find the difficulty of making time to sleep unfortunate.
Sleeping is one of the best things to do for your body. While you are asleep, your body restores and regenerates.
“When we sleep well, we wake up feeling refreshed and alert for our
daily activities,” according to the National Sleep Foundation. “Sleep
affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis, and can have a
major impact on our overall quality of life.”
If sleep is so wonderful, why do college students continually forsake it?
The national average of hours slept in one night is 6.8 hours,
according to the 2005 Sleep in America Poll, which is 0.2 hours less
than 2001. Both figures are below the recommended amount.
There is only one solution for this chronic problem.
Students of Appalachian State University, we must uninvolve ourselves.
Drop a class, get out of your fraternity or sorority, lock yourself in
your room, ditch your friends and forget going to the gym.
Unfortunately, this will most likely result in unemployment and possible suicide.
Success or sleep? Take your pick.
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