Sleep Deprivation in College Students

Pasadena City College

Sleep Deprivation in College Students

Sleep Deprivation

Mia Edminster

Psychology 1

Seligman

November 10, 2016

Sleep deprivation is something that has always been an issue and each and every day, more and more people are facing the consequences that come with sleep deprivation. Each day, people are losing sleep without realizing the harmful effects it causes when not sleeping and getting the proper amount required (Cicarelli 140). Some people believe that a couple of sleepless nights has no effect on one’s health and will not do much harm however that is false and it can in fact do harm not only physically but mentally as well (Sleepnet). Regardless if it is just once in a blue moon you lose a day’s sleep or frequently it still has an effect. The human body, depending on age varies on the certain amount of sleep one must get in order to function properly. A night that lacks the proper amount of sleep can have many effects on the brain which are important, can stop working properly and it can cause a change in body temperature, hormone levels, heart rate, etc. Other effects include fatigue, little focus, decrease in decision making, foggy and unclear thinking, etc. If a loss of sleep is continuous, certain functions can lead to a permanent effect and it could affect one’s memory and judgement which could be a huge hazard when driving for example and speaking for long term effects it could include diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure, etc.  

At least once in peoples’ life’s they have stayed up the entire night for numerous reasons. Commonly, high school and college students tend to be the ones who stay up rather than those who are out of school and work. However, someone who is a workaholic or someone that is a really responsible worker for example tend to stay up all night lacking a good/proper night’s sleep to work on their tasks required of them. Although sleep deprivation can be due to staying up working on a project, doing homework or out at a party, there are other reasons to it as well. Stress, illness and other diseases that are related to sleep disorders can affect one’s sleep and some include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares and night terrors. Sleep deprivation will continue to be a growing issue which will continue to have serious effects physically and mentally.

        In today’s society, many of us go throughout the day yawning, drinking multiple cups of coffee, struggling to stay awake at school, work or even when driving all due to the lack of sleep us individuals get. As a college student, the last thing that I think of is the effects/consequences that are going to come when getting little to no sleep. All the nights of cramming and occasional partying on Friday nights causes on to pass over those problems such as stress, weekend immune system, insomnia etc. In high school, things were simpler in the sense that when in high school your schedule was structured whereas when going to college, especially the first year, your schedule is based on what you make of it and what you prioritize. Many college students including myself struggle to schedule time to do school work, go to work, extracurricular activities, social life, and other responsibilities at home or other places. It eventually becomes overwhelming with the load of work put onto us that sleep is not something that comes to importance or a priority because we tell ourselves “I will catch up on it over the weekend” but then over the weekend we are busy trying to relax and enjoy it to the fullest so we do not make time for it.