Recent studies show it’s difficult to bounce back from lack of sleep.
Photo By Clemson University Libraries
Sleep and student schedules are sometimes at odds. If you’ve ever spent a night cramming for a test, or pulled an all-nighter to finish a paper, then you’ve likely had a first-hand experience of the unpleasant effects of sleep deprivation the following day.
According to Kathy Somers, who runs the Better Sleep Program with the Stress Management and High Performance Clinic at University of Guelph, the negative effects of sleep restriction include: “Having an impaired ability to work, decreased productivity because there’s a negative impact on concentration [and] memory, and inability to do everyday tasks effectively.”
Sleep deprived individuals may notice changes in their moods, feeling more irritable, depressed and unable to enjoy life. There are also health concerns – sleep restriction will lead to decreased immune function, impairment of glucose tolerance (so the body is functioning similar to that of a diabetic), and lower levels of growth hormones. Somers also noted that people will have lower levels of the chemical leptin, which will lead to carbohydrate cravings, “so it’s hard to maintain a healthy body weight when you’re sleep deprived.”
According to some studies, even mild sleep restriction can have negative effects.
A study published recently in the American Journal of Physiology examined the effects of mild sleep restriction occurring over one work week, and analyzed sleepiness and alertness, inflammation, and stress hormones. The study aimed to investigate whether the negative effects of sleep restriction could be “undone” by making up for these lost hours of sleep over the weekend.
Healthy adults were given a sleep routine consisting of six sleep restriction nights at six hours per night, followed by three recovery nights at 10 hours per night. The study found that “subjective and objective sleepiness” returned to baseline after recovery. However, “performance” deteriorated significantly after restriction and did not improve after recovery nights.
The study acknowledged that the increasing demands of work routines and lifestyle changes have resulted in many adults sleeping less than seven hours per night, which is generally the recommended amount to maintain “optimal daytime functioning.” Many individuals attempt to recover from the negative effects of losing sleep during the work (or school) week by sleeping longer on the weekends, in an attempt to recover from missed hours of rest.
While these weekend “recovery” days may help alleviate some symptoms of sleepiness, they do not completely reverse the detrimental effects caused by mild yet consistent sleep restriction over the work-week.
Numerous studies and articles have examined this problem – some even going so far as to suggest we’re living in a sleepless society. An article published in the National Post titled “Welcome to the age of insomnia” refers to our “24-hour culture” which keeps us collectively awake when we should be seeking the rejuvenation that results from a good night’s rest. Instead, we’re kept awake as grocery stores are open all hours, the Internet is always just a click away, and we’re virtually inseparable from our cell phones and thus always available, around the clock.
These societal conditions and habits prevent us from getting adequate sleep. The article emphasizes the restorative benefits of following a nightly sleep ritual, and the satisfaction that can result: “In our grandparents’ days, once it got dark outside, and the last embers of the fire had petered out, where better to wander than into the silent halls of sleep? One would at least be warm, and in thrall to the free hallucinogens that the brain pumps out overnight, the surrealist cinema that unfolds behind the eyes.” This perspective on sleep is one of reverence for the “mysterious, renewing trance that permits us to survive.”
Sleep is undeniably an important part of maintaining good health, but students are often susceptible to losing sleep due to hectic schedules, erratic hours, and reliance on technology; the student demographic definitely belongs to a “24-hour culture.”
Somers offered some tips for how to ensure that you get the rest you need. The key is to cultivate a relaxing environment, and avoid mentally pressuring yourself to fall asleep quickly, which can be counterproductive. “That creates a performance demand that our body gears up to meet, which means instead of sleeping we’re getting more mentally and physically activated and pumped up,” said Somers.
Instead, students should focus on relaxing both the body and the brain. Somers uses the acronym BMW (breathing, muscles, warmth) to help people remember relaxation techniques. Somers advises people to slow down their breathing, rest their muscles, and be aware of warmth, because “thinking about warm and cozy things is very calming, so it calms our minds, our emotions, our body.” Somers will be leading three free presentations on “Overcoming Sleep Pitfalls at University” on campus on Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov.14, with more tips and strategies to achieve better sleep.
There will always be times when you it’s not possible to achieve a good night’s rest. Hectic schedules may interfere with achieving a good night’s sleep. But as research indicates, the importance of good quality rest will impact every other area of your life, so it’s worth making it a priority.