Throughout my entire life, I have been known by my friends as the person who goes to bed early. I grew up in a family where my parents would go to bed early in order to get up early for work and would choose to miss other events. With my dad being a doctor, he’s witnessed patients who lacked sleep and how it affected them compared to ones who get a right amount.
While my friends are at a party or pulling an all-nighter for a class, it’s common to find me at home, sleeping. I have always tried to find other times in the day to study and spend time with family and friends in order to prioritize sleep knowing how much it can affect someone.
In order to see how many hours of sleep college students should get per night, I decided to do some research. According to the National Sleep Foundation and Harvard University, young adults (18 to 25) need about 7-9 hours a night. Many college students (70-96) sleep less than eight hours per night with 50% sleeping less than seven hours. In an attempt to regain sleep, students choose to catch up on sleep on the weekends, even though it is not considered a healthy pattern.
Sleep deprivation can have many consequences including mood changes, stress coping, and brain fog. Additionally, it can impact one’s mental health with links to anxiety and depression.
So next time you choose to pull an all-nighter or stay up with your friends, be cognizant of the many ways it can affect you, sleep related or not.
Source:
https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/why-you-should-make-a-good-nights-sleep-a-priority/