How to Get More Sleep

Matt Martz

Sleeping is possibly one of the biggest, hidden problems that many college students face. Students often spend too much time worrying about school and social lives to even realize they are getting only five or six hours of sleep. If schools or even freshman support groups provided information and methods on how to get more sleep, there would be less sleep deprivation and the students’ grades and mental health would both improve.

Sleep may not directly impact any tests or how you feel, but having it truly helps study habits and gives you an overall better mood. According to studies, the median amount of sleep reported for college students has dropped from about seven and a half hours to six and a half hours in just the past 40 years. If this trend keeps up, the world will be very sleep deprived for next generations, which means slower evolution and higher depression rates starting in college students.

The three main causes I personally found were based on procrastination, partying, and playing video games. These three things usually cut into time that could be spent sleeping or getting ahead on class work. Most college students experience procrastination on essays and projects every year. Procrastination is hard to stop but getting past it will help sleep dramatically. Partying has always been a big problem for colleges, since students often stay up till five or six in the morning, basically ruining their steady sleep schedule. Steady sleep schedules are important when keeping a healthy balance of work and fun. Finally, playing video games takes up a lot of students’ free time, and often kids play into the early a.m. instead of sleeping. Cutting down on these three things help college students find more time to sleep and live healthier lives.