Collegiate Times

Sleep, the glorious five-letter word everyone wishes they could enjoy more of. Eight hours is said to be the minimum number of hours required for a person to function properly the next day. Can you remember the last time you got eight hours of sleep?

Everyone needs sleep for obvious reasons, without it, you wouldn?t be able to function. Sleep is considered food for the brain and is just as important as good nutrition and exercise. It is essential to health, a good immune system, mood and longevity, according to Schiffert Health Center.

Falling asleep in class or feeling lethargic throughout the day? You?re probably not getting the proper amount of sleep your body personally requires. Studies show that most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night, but the amount of sleep each person needs is an individual requirement.

?The most important thing is good time management so students can get the sleep that they need,? said Rita Klein interim director of Cook Counseling Center.

Schiffert Health Center suggests that over the summer break try going to bed at the same time each night and get up without an alarm clock for a week. After the first few days of playing catch up from finals, your body should start to consistently wake up at the same time each morning, feeling rested. This is the amount of sleep your body personally requires on a regular basis.

While all-nighters seem like a good idea, if not a desperate idea, the night before an exam, they aren?t very beneficial when it comes to memorizing information. According to Schiffert Health Center, lack of sleep can result in loss of memory consolidation. When taking a test, sleep deprived students are more likely to make errors. Even a two-hour loss of sleep can significantly reduce the amount of information retained from studying the night before an exam. Much of what is read or studied at the beginning of an all-night cram session is often lost due to a short night?s slumber. More often, it seems college students suffer from what?s called sleep debt, the loss of an adequate amount of sleep necessary for proper function, say the practitioners at Schiffert Health Center. Sleep debt can only be paid off by actually physically sleeping. For example, if a student only sleeps five hours the night prior to exam, they must make up the loss of the required eight hours, meaning they need three more hours the next day with a nap or going to bed very early.

?It?s easier for us to move our sleep cycle up than it is to move it back. So it?s very easy every night to add an extra hour of staying up and go to sleep a little bit later every night, it?s just a very natural thing for our bodies to do. It?s much more difficult to go the other way; so once you start doing that it?s very difficult to change it back,? Klein said. Don?t be mislead though, napping is definitely not a replacement for sleep. The best time for nap is from noon to 6 p.m. and it is critical that you lie down completely when napping. The first 20 to 30 minutes of a nap are the most beneficial; a nap that lasts longer than an hour really has no effect.

?Excessive napping is going to interfere with your sleeping at night. Many times if your naps are too long it?s going to actually make you more tired because if it ends in the middle of a sleep cycle you?re going to feel more tired than if you just take a very short nap,? Klein said.

?I don?t recommend napping at all for especially people who are dealing with any kind of sleep problems or anyone who is dealing with depression; napping can make things a lot worse,? she said. On the other hand, lack of sleep can have really nothing to do with staying up all-night and studying. Experiencing trouble sleeping can be due to many other issues.

More often than not, Klein says, students who see her at the counseling center for sleep problems may be dealing with other related psychological issues they?re having; many times it?s depression or anxiety.

But, she says sleep problems commonly occur due to things like drinking too much coffee or drinking it late in the day. Alcohol also commonly affects the sleeping patterns of students.

Cook Counseling Center offers a relaxation workshop that teaches students how to relax and prepare their bodies for sleep. For more information or guidance on ways to achieve better sleep visit the Schiffert Health Education Office, visit their website, www.healthcenter.vt.edu or make an appointment with Cook Counseling Center, (540) 231-6557.