By ISAIAH BOYD
Student Reporter
Many college students believe they can function and be successful on a few hours of sleep every night, when in reality, they should be getting at least eight hours, Janis Hunt, a psychology instructor, said. “Most students often struggle with their schoolwork as well as their daily lifestyle because without having decent sleep causes an imbalance in their lifestyle,” she said. “They are not actively engaged with their work. They hardly focus on their classes as well as their education. Students that have sleeping issues or sleep less than the regular hours often fall asleep during school time.”
Psychology Coordinator Beth Rodriguez said many college students are affected by sleep deprivation. “From my observation, the average college student should get at least eight hours of sleep, and in today’s society an average college student gets only about six hours of sleep at night,” she said.
Rodriguez said stress about school and life keep around 68% of students awake at night. “Almost the majority of college students have irregular sleep patterns during the week, and because of this many of the students try to make up missed time sleeping longer hours during the weekend. By doing this, some students mess up their sleep and school schedule.”
Dr. Claudie Biggers, a biology instructor, said she’s noticed a correlation between lack of sleep among college students and drinking alcohol.
“Alcohol overconsumption can lead the students to have problems with time management,” she said. “They cannot manage their time wisely, and they can hardly manage their time when they need to go to bed.”
Biggers said college students drink alcohol for a number of different reasons. She said some students are stressed about school or personal problems.
“Students who consume alcohol at higher rates, experience shorter sleep duration, irregular sleep patterns and schedules and poor sleep quality,” she said.
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