Sleep Matters

Everyone loves the feeling of their head hitting a nice soft pillow at the end of an exhausting day. However, more and more individuals are putting sleep at a lower rank of importance, causing them to become sleep deprived. This occurs especially in college. Overloaded schedules and club activities lead to less free time, and socializing is chosen over sleeping.

            How does this begin to affect students? Sleep is needed for thinking clearly, being in a better mood, and recalling things to memory. The University Health Center at the University of Georgia says, “The very qualities you need to maximize in order to do well on tests, such as recall, concentration, and alertness, are decreased when you are sleep deprived”.  Thus receiving less than six hours of sleep has been associated with a lower GPA and more anxiety and depression.

            According to webMD, in order to be able to recall a memory it must be consolidated, a stage in the memory making process that can only happen when a person is asleep. To remember important information for a test then, students must sleep so that the information can be absorbed and recalled when needed.
          Sleep is vital to students doing well in college. It helps them stay healthy, be in a positive mood, and remember information they have learned. The University of Georgia has outlined some ways that can help sleep be better quality. This includes avoiding food, caffeine, or alcohol within two or three hours of going to bed, and maintaining a normal sleep and wake time.