As the school year has begun, it seems like a good time to refresh ourselves on an essential part of our days — sleep. As students, it may be tempting to stay up late to do some extra studying or hang out with friends. However, sleep is a period of rest and reset that should not be put on the back burner.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, sleep not only affects your brain function (which is your #1 superpower as a student), but it also affects your metabolism and immune system, just to name a few. According to the AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine), chronic sleep deprivation tends to lead to irritability, weight gain, mood swings, brain fog and difficulty focusing. Dr. Maiken Nedegaard, a sleep researcher, discovered with her colleagues that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep. This drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease, as found by her team. Thus, inadequate sleep can pose health risks such as Alzheimer’s, impacting both one’s physical and mental well-being.
The Harvard Medical School states that young adults (ages 18 to 25) are supposed to sleep 7-9 hours a night. Sleep is also a key factor in the learning process. Acquisition, or the introduction of new information into the brain, and recall, which involves accessing stored information, happen when we are awake. However, a crucial step called consolidation occurs during sleep, allowing the brain to stabilize memories and strengthen the neural connections that form them.
Not only is the amount of sleep important — the quality of sleep is also an important factor. This encompasses factors such as the balance of sleep stages, feeling restful and continuity without interruptions.
In order to promote healthy sleep hygiene, it is advised to:
- Integrate daily physical exercise at least 3–4 hours before bedtime.
- Set an alarm for half an hour to an hour before your desired sleep time to wind down.
- Establish a consistent sleep schedule.
- Keep room temperature on the cooler side.
- And an underrated one — limit your bed to only being your “sleep station”. This allows your mind to associate your bed with nothing but sleep, preventing the brain from thinking about work or activity.
By taking these steps to help prioritize and improve your sleep, you may notice positive changes in your academic performance.
