Being A Student – How To Deal With Poor Sleep Habits?
“I love to sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?”
Table Of Content
- 1 Sleep Cycle of a Student
- 2 Sleep and Health
- 3 Problems Caused Due to Poor Sleeping Habits
- 3.1 Hallucinations
- 3.2 Poor Performance
- 3.3 Mood Swings
- 3.4 Inability to Think and Act Clearly
- 3.5 Fatigue
- 3.6 Memory Problems
- 3.7 ADHD
- 3.8 Lack of Sleep Affects Beauty
- 4 10 Brilliant Ways to Deal With Poor Sleep Habits
- 5 Final Thoughts
― Ernest Hemingway ―
Geisler said, “A good night’s sleep can make or break your day.” This quote is extremely true. Imagine the day when you didn’t get enough sleep and what you went through because of improper sleep.
Interesting Fact: Did you know, humans spend almost one-third of their lives sleeping.
Sleep is just as important for children as it is for adults. Right from a newborn baby to an old man, sleep plays a vital role in the development, growth, and well-being of mind and body. Students, especially, need to get enough of sleep as it helps them stay sharp and focused as well as get smart over a span of a lifetime.
Recently while teaching one of the lessons in my class, I happened to ask my students about their sleep timings. I was quite shocked by their answers. Most of the students (belonging to the age group of 10-12) ended up telling me that they go to sleep at around midnight. They had various reasons for not going to bed early, most of them being television shows. This made me curious and I searched around here and there to find some more information about the sleeping habits of a student.
Interesting Fact: Did you know, in 1964, Randy Gardner, a high school student in San Diego, California, stayed awake for 264.4 hours (11 days 25 minutes).
Sleep Cycle of a Student
Students need to get enough sleep to perform better in their academics and life. However, based on what I have come across, students are infamous and known for staying up late and sleeping in even later.
As per experts, an average child should get at least 7 hours of sleep minimum, the more the better.
The National Sleep Foundation has established certain sleep requirements recommended for children. However, this is not the case.
The reality is far beyond disturbing.
According to a 2006 survey from the National Sleep Foundation, about 87 percent of American high school students are chronically sleep-deprived.
Statistics reveal that almost 54% of boys and 62% of girls are victims of sleep deprivation. An average of 3 in 5 children suffers from sleep deprivation. Earlier this year, a study of nearly 28,000 suburban high school students, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, found that each hour of lost sleep is associated with a 38% increased risk of hopelessness or feeling sad and a 58% increase in suicide attempts.
Sleep and Health
Sleep and health are two parts of the same coin. For students, sleep has far more effects on their health.
Getting adequate sleep can be a vital factor in reducing stress about studies and personal things. Sleep also helps in lowering blood pressure.
As per some research studies, not getting enough sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes.
Sleep can also act as a natural pain killer as it relaxes your body.
Sleep helps students remain calm, composed, refreshed and controlled which plays an important role during exam season.
Sleeping also helps your body produce extra protein molecules and increases immunity.
However, sleep deprivation is far more dangerous than food deprivation and can even kill you.
Problems Caused Due to Poor Sleeping Habits
Apart from affecting health, poor sleep habits can have severe consequences on a student’s life too:Hallucinations
Improper sleeping habits can make a youngster hallucinate. Hallucination is a situation in which you see or hear or feel something that does not exist. Many students, with bad sleeping habits, hear weird sounds or see things that do not exist.
Poor Performance
Academics is highly affected due to poor sleep habits. Students who don’t get enough sleep tend to perform very poorly in exams, sports and even in their favorite hobbies. If your child is constantly getting poor grades even after studying hard and pulling an all-nighter, then you really need to check on his/her sleep schedule and make sure they get enough sleep on regular basis.
Mood Swings
Mood swings is another major problem caused by insufficient sleep. You can easily get upset, sad or angry at anyone and anything. This can also affect your relationships with your loved ones as you may end up saying or doing things, knowingly or unconsciously to hurt their feelings. Apart from this, students who haven’t slept well may also seem depressed and low.
Inability to Think and Act Clearly
Insufficient sleep can hamper your ability to think and concentrate clearly on what task you are doing. If you are reading a book, attending a class or completing your homework, you may not be able to do it properly due to sleep deprivation.
Fatigue
Students may easily feel tired and fatigued due to insufficient sleep. They may skip doing their favorite activities or playing games or participating in sports.
Interesting Fact: Did you know, lack of sleep may actually make you put on weight.
Memory Problems
The memory span of a student is also affected by the amount of sleep the student gets. Sleep is vitally involved in memory encoding and working memory in children and adolescents. If a student doesn’t get enough of sleep, their memory span maybe extremely short. It may cause forgetfulness and difficulty in remembering things.
ADHD
In extreme cases, students with improper sleeping habits have also shown signs similar to ADHD. They may act hyperactive and restless quite often. As per statistics, as many as 50% of children with ADHD suffer from sleep problems.
Lack of Sleep Affects Beauty
A good night’s sleep is always associated with good skin health. Dark circles, breakouts, dull skin, etc. are just some of the ways lack of sleep can affect your looks and beauty. This is because when you don’t get enough of sleep, your body makes more of the stress hormone cortisol. Moreover, youngsters can look aged as the ph level of skin is also affected.10 Brilliant Ways to Deal With Poor Sleep Habits
10 brilliant ways to deal with poor sleeping habits:
1. Maintain a Schedule
Maintain a sleeping routine or schedule and follow it on a daily basis. When I was a child, my mother had made it a habit for us to get to bed by 10 pm sharp. All lights would be turned off by 10 pm. This routine still helps me get to bed early and get a good night’s sleep. If you are unable to follow a routine, ask for someone’s help to help you stick to it.
2. Say No to Gadgets and Phones
One of the reasons students don’t get enough sleep is their gadgets. Students spend late nights chatting with their friends on smartphones or playing some games of some other gadgets. To improve your sleeping habits, keep your phone and gadgets far away from you. If you sleep in the bedroom, leave all your electronics in the living room.
3. Binge During the Day, Not Night
If you like watching TV shows or reading certain novels, do it during the day time. Avoid or reduce the amount of TV shows that you watch especially after 9 pm.
4. Don’t Nap Too Much
Too many naps during the day may keep you awake at night. Hence avoid napping too much. Keep your naps short and sweet. Use an alarm to get up or ask someone to wake you up from your nap.
Interesting Fact: Did you know it should only take you around 10-15 mins to fall asleep. However, if it takes you less than five minutes, chances are you are sleep deprived.
5. Be Comfortable
Make sure the room you sleep in is comfortable. A cool and well-ventilated room with a comfortable bed can help you sleep better. Always wear loose and comfortable clothing’s at night while going to sleep. Remove any tight clothing’s (including inner garments) that make you feel uncomfortable.
6. Relax and Meditate
Listen to calming music before sleeping. Music affects your heart rate and helps you feel relaxed. Follow simple breathing exercise as you lay in your bed. Meditation also helps you to get rid of stress and get a good night’s sleep. Personally, I would recommend you to listen to Weightless by Macroni Union while meditating as the song is scientifically designed to help you relax.
7. Minimize Lights and Sound
Dim or turn off the lights and tune out all the loud sounds. If you live in the midst of a noisy area, close your windows before sleeping to shut out all the music.
Interesting Fact: Did you know, your sleeping position says a lot about your personality.
8. Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine is not recommended for young children at all. But if you are someone who drinks tea or coffee, limit the intake. Instead, simple almond, turmeric and milk mixture will help you get better sleep.
9. Avoid Late Night Studies
Some are day time learners; some are night owls. If you are a night owl, make sure you don’t stay up too late. Keep checking your watch and set a particular time to close your books and go to sleep.
10. Avoid big meals
Lastly, avoid big meals. Stay away from oily food and junk food during the night. Have simple and light dinner. If you feel bloated and heavy, walk it off for some time before going to bed.
Final Thoughts,
I would like to conclude this article with a small yet strong saying that my mother would always tell me when I was a kid and would avoid sleeping.
“Sleep peacefully when you get a chance to sleep. Get enough of sleep when you are young. Because once you become a grown up, the only time you will be able to sleep peacefully will be in your grave.”
Hope these simple tips will help you improve your sleeping habits. For more such content subscribe to our website and follow us on our social media channels. Also, do share your thoughts on this article in the comment section.