Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Osagie Izevbigie
Sleep deprivation is highly prevalent among college students. Its effects on cognitive
performances are unknown to students because they are only beginning to be comprehended
from a clinical and technical point of view. These effects result in lower grade point averages,
increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning, impaired mood, and increased risk of
motor vehicle accidents. Insufficient sleep also leads to slow response speed and increased
erraticism and unevenness in performance, especially for simple measures of alertness, vigilance,
and attention. Society’s pressures to succeed is a major cause of sleep deprivation, which leads to
many illnesses and decrease in academic success in college students. However, students continue
to do this because they do not realize the long-term consequences. Factors such as “having a
job,” is another major cause of sleep deprivation in students. Students get very little amount of
sleep because they must work to meet up with the cost of their tuition, and other needs. Some
students have it all provided for them and still do not get enough sleep because of social
Introduction
The college experience is of significant value, because students are provided with an
organized environment in which they can gain skills, knowledge, and freedom to forge their own
path, become employed, and contribute to society (Hershner & Chervin, 2014). However, this
experience comes at a huge cost; considering the rising cost of tuition leading to student’s large
debt, consequently, it is imperative that the years spent in college be as effective as possible. A
possible problem to maximizing and increasing success in college is the high prevalence of sleep
deprivation among college students. Sleep deprivation is caused by several reasons and have
many negative consequences, it is often termed acute sleep deprivation or chronic partial sleep
deprivation. For students, acute sleep deprivation may be termed “pulling an all-nighter”,
meaning a person does not sleep for 24 hours or longer (Pilcher & Walters, 1997). More
characteristically, sleep deprivation consists of chronic partial sleep deprivation, where a student
obtains some, but not adequate sleep (Pilcher & Walters, 1997). Several studies have shown that
students who gets good amount of sleep have better grades, and do better academically compared
to students who are sleep deprived. The studies further proved sleep deprived students found it
Sleep deprivation negatively affects learning, memory, performance and the Grade Point
Averages (GPA) of college students. It also causes severe problems with cognition and the
body’s visceral organs, but with the implementation of health promotional programs, educational
daytime sleepiness, fatigue, clumsiness, and weight gain or loss are all noticeable effects of sleep
deprivation. In addition, being sleep-deprived immensely affects both the brain and cognitive
functions. In the article “Sleep Deprivation: Consequences for Students” by Julie King
Marhefka, she discusses the effects of lack of sleep as being dangerous, unhealthy, and
detrimental. Marhefka defines sleep deprivation as “Daytime sleepiness due to poor sleep quality
affects students’ cognitive functioning by reducing academic achievement and learning, as well
as impairing behavioral performance.” Students who do not get enough sleep are tired
throughout the day, their ability to process information and learn to their best ability is
compromised. Lack of sleep will not only affect the brain and cognitive function, it will also
affect the immune system and make one prone to illnesses. This implies that, in an active college
campus, sleep deprived students are constantly putting themselves at risk for diseases. If students
do develop diseases or illnesses which are inherent in sleep deprivation, it can severely affect
Going late to sleep and waking up before getting sufficient sleep is the reason many
college students are sleep deprived. Two primary processes govern how much sleep is obtained,
the homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian rhythm (Goel et al., 2009). The circadian system
helps to regulate sleep/wake cycles and hormonal secretions while the homeostatic sleep drive
increases the need for sleep as the period of wakefulness lengthens (Goel et al., 2009). Most
health organizations endorse and advocate for 7 to 8 hours of sleep for an average adult, but there
is no standardized number. The amount of sleep a person needs varies on the individual and
activities they indulge in. The quality of sleep that one receives depends on two factors; basal
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sleep and sleep debt (National Sleep Foundation, 2014). Basal sleep is the amount of sleep a
body requires on a regular basis for optimum sleep, while Sleep debt is the accrued sleep that is
lost to weak sleep behaviors, illness, environmental factors, or other causes, and it leads to
reduced sleep quality (National Sleep Foundation, 2014). Sleep quality is just as important as
Sleep deprivation and irregular sleep schedules have a lot of unintentional repercussions, one of
Certain studies investigated the interaction of sleep, memory, and learning using
scenarios of specific memory tasks and then alter subject’s sleep pattern or duration to determine
the impact that sleep had on the subject’s performance. Results from these studies were
Morgenthaler (2014), sleep deprived adults are not only affecting their capacity for critical
thinking, those who do not meet sleep requirements also have a higher risk of mortality.
As earlier stated, a major cause of sleep deprivation in students is because they go to bed
late and wake up early. This happens for multiple reasons including physiologic and behavioral.
Poor sleep behavior which stems out from poor sleep hygiene can also lead to sleep deprivation
(Colten et al., 2006). Contrarily, it is recommended that students indulge in good sleep hygiene
which includes a regular sleep–wake schedule, sleeping in a quiet environment, and keeping
away from the use of caffeine and stimulating activities before bed (Colten et al., 2006).
Substances are not the only aspect of inadequate sleep hygiene, as the constant use of technology
(mobile phones, computers, and tablets) before bed may also adversely affect sleep (Hershner &
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Chervin, 2014). Students and young adults are frequently being exposed to light by the use of
their handheld devices and computers for assignments and research purposes; this is one of the
contributing factors that explains why students and young adults are affected by technology use
before bed (CDC, 2012). Exposure to light through technology sources such as computers,
tablets, and cellphones has a huge impact on sleep, because melatonin secretion is suppressed;
melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland and helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm (the
body’s natural sleep cycle clock) (CDC, 2012). It can easily be deduced that students using
stimulating technology prior to bedtime are only harming their health and subsequently affecting
their ability to perform well academically and in other activities. According to the CDC (2012),
the use of substances such as alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks, stimulants, and technology will
Without adequate sleep hygiene, students may find themselves with worse health
consequences that encourage sleep deprivation. A study implemented with college students
showed that 33% of sleep deprived students took longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, and 43%
of the students studied also reported prematurely waking up more than once on a nightly basis
(Forquer et al, 2008). Some people may have the understanding that college students have
different sleep hygiene depending on their classification, class standing, and majors. Though it
may be true that some majors have more cumbersome and different amount of work load,
Forquer et al. (2008) found that there are no differences between freshman, sophomores, juniors,
seniors, and graduate students for the time to fall asleep, number of premature waking per night,
According to Hershner & Chervin (2014), the table below shows the challenges to good sleep
Sleep deprivation is often voluntary within the college student population, especially
during times of high stress like examination periods; these patterns of sleep loss can result in 24
to 48 hours of sleep deprivation, which often results in students overreacting to their lack of
sleep by increasing the hours of sleep over the weekend (Pilcher & Walters, 1997).
Despite increasing proof of the associations between sleep, learning, and memory, a
direct connection between learning and GPA has not yet been established. A student’s GPA
involves a complex interaction between the student and their environment, intelligence,
motivation, work ethic, personality, socioeconomic status, health problems, current and past
school systems, course load, academic program, and test-taking abilities (Curcio, Ferrara, & De
Gennaro, 2006).
A recent study conducted with first year college students showed evidence that low
amount of sleep correlates with negative academic performance (Curcio, Ferrara, & De Gennaro,
2006). Students in the study were made to take surveys and undergo interviews, in addition, their
official grades showed that students with lower performance came from students getting low
amounts of sleep (Curcio, Ferrara, & De Gennaro, 2006). The study concluded that for each
hour of delay in reported sleep time during the week, predicted GPAs could decrease by 0.13 on
a scale of 0–4 (Curcio, Ferrara, & De Gennaro, 2006). Essentially, if students would get more
sleep they would theoretically be more likely to earn better grades. The study is consistent and in
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SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND COLLEGE STUDENTS
line with most research on sleep deprivation. Basically, poor sleep hygiene is a big indicator of
The culture of sleep in the college environment is not conducive for adequate amounts
of sleep. Students have hectic, cumbersome schedules, and many expectations that require a lot
of time and energy. Students commonly engage in studying all night and taking caffeinated
products as part of the need to have good grades, and to simply get by without falling behind.
Students need discipline and good time management skills to keep themselves from falling into
negative sleep habits cycle. The need to have a balanced schedule is not the only factor in the
college atmosphere that contributes to sleep deprivation. Campus activities that offer 24-hour
services are other cultural and environmental contributions to sleep deprivation on the college
campus. Almost on a weekly basis, students receive emails of approved programs scheduled to
take place on campus, which most students see as an opportunity to socialize with friends. These
activities are promoting the idea that it is acceptable for students to stay up late (past 12am)
during times of heavy studying. These programs create an environment that promotes the idea of
sleep deprivation to college students and make it a norm on campus. These programs are meant
to support students, but they technically do not support healthy sleep hygiene and optimal
To effectively solve the problem of sleep deprivation among college students, health
promotion programs on the effects of sleep deprivation needs to be integrated within the college
student population. The Curcio, Ferrara, & De Gennaro (2006) study used GPAs to provide
information about students’ academic performance because GPA calculations are known to
express learning abilities. Other methods that can be used to test the indicators of sleep
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SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND COLLEGE STUDENTS
deprivation is utilizing achievement tests to measure individuals cognitive and memory ability in
relation to the amount of sleep they receive (Forquer et al, 2008). The indicators are important in
Educational campaign with a focus on sleep hygiene, and sleep educational information
showing earlier bedtime, longer sleep duration, and improved sleep quality should be published
on school newspaper (Curcio, Ferrara, & De Gennaro, 2006). In another study, a two-credit, 18-
week course included group discussion, lectures, and self-evaluation, the topics included
circadian rhythms, sleep hygiene, muscle relaxation, and public sleep education; at the end of the
study, participants had improved sleep quality over the semester (Curcio, Ferrara, & De
Gennaro, 2006). The Sleep Treatment and Education Program (STEPS) consisted of a 30-minute
oral presentation and handouts on various aspects of sleep, and were provided to students
attending introductory psychology classes. Six weeks later, participants showed improved sleep
Conclusively, students are participating in poor sleep habits and are not aware of the
damaging effects sleep loss has on their health and their academic performance. Students are
more likely to get less than 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night if they take part in an all-nighter to
study. They are also less likely to sleep if they use cellphones, tablets, and computers. Students
should also avoid using sleep prevention products such as caffeinated drinks and alcohol.
Students are more likely to sleep during the weekends and be sleep deprived during the
weekdays. Factors such as a student’s employment impacts their ability to get the recommend
amount of sleep. It is advisable that students learn time management skills to guide them towards
better sleep habits. Universities should offer students the resources to learn and practice these
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time management skills, because the effect of sleep loss on students is damaging to their overall
References
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