If there are three things that students can’t seem to get enough of, it is money, time and sleep. The majority of students are cat-like; as the children’s poet Eleanor Farjeon reminded us “Cats sleep, anywhere / any table, any chair.” In bed, on a chair, on a table (with our half-written essay plans stuck to our foreheads), in the middle of a lecture, students don’t mind. Taking a nap at any time of day is oh so wanted, and for most of us oh so easy to do. Hitting the pillow is never seen as an issue; sleeplessness is only a problem for the elderly, who are up hoovering into the dark hours of the night. Or is it?
Insomnia or sleeplessness is something that actually affects one-third of the population in the UK, with women three times more likely to suffer from it than men. I’m willing to bet that in that third, a high proportion of those individuals will be students. It is likely that be that students’ approach to this health problem (like their attitudes to STDs and that strange itch in their nether regions that just won’t go away), is to ignore it and avoid speaking to a doctor about it. Easier just to rationalise the problem as mental hyperactivity that only comes about at night-time. The hours can easily pass by watching Netflix or browsing through Facebook. In the US, a company has made a killing selling Insomnia Cookies, huge trays of deliciousness delivered to your dorm rooms to get you through those sleepless nights while doing essays, or those hours of restlessness that just can’t be explained away. Netflix and cookies for ten hours, what could be better?
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Perhaps this may serve as a remedy for a few nights, but it really isn’t a long term solution. And if you are staring at your clock, counting down the minutes until your alarm goes off, don’t just dismiss it as something that isn’t important. The problems of sleeplessness at night cause havoc in the daylight hours. It is likely you will feel irritable, find it hard to concentrate, or do anything more energetic than lying on the sofa. Without going into annoying doctor mode, insomnia can also be a symptom of deeper problems, both physical and psychological. To name just a few, it can be a sign of heart problems, depression, anxiety or schizophrenia. Worth getting checked out? I think so.
Apart from seeking medical help, there are obvious things you can do to try and nod off. While it is tempting to munch on cookies and veg out in front of Netflix, the heady mix of stimulation from technology and sugar is not such a brilliant combination. Although it’s hard when you are faced with multiple nights out and nagging essay deadlines, avoid copious amounts of alcohol and caffeine and try to establish a regular bed routine. And how much sleep is optimal? Seven to eight hours, according to the latest medical research. And although it is sometimes tempting to sleep for as long as possible, regularly sleeping for more than eight hours a night is associated with other long term diseases. It’s a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears– best to get it just right.
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So, its 3.36am. You are staring at the ceiling. Your laptop is calling out to you to put on that next episode of Breaking Bad. Just take a moment to think whether your sleeplessness is a one off thing, or more than just a restless blip.
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