Top students need A grades in sleeping

30 September, 2008, 15:56

A student campus is much like a megapolis – it never sleeps. Its inhabitants have been stereotypically portrayed as sleep-deprived, coffee-swigging college students who are proud to announce that they skipped a night's sleep (again) to finish a paper due the following morning.

Yet this badge of honour has been long condemned by professors and health professionals alike. But now, according to a report in the Boston Globe, following recent alarming studies, some of the leading U.S. universities are attempting to correct their students' sleeping patterns.

Over a dozen Massachusetts-based universities have launched campaigns promoting healthy sleep. Wellesey College organises special pyjama parties in its dorms, giving out free popcorn. Tufts University freely distributes sleep masks, ear plugs and CDs with relaxation music. Bentley College holds a week-long contest designed to reward the best and biggest snoozer. Participants will be rewarded with foam pillows and white noise machines, encouraging healthier sleep. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has not only set up relaxation classes, but also notified students' parents to keep an eye out for alarming signs, such as late-night emails. All this to try and prove that sleep shouldn't be at the bottom of students' priority lists.

According to a study of Behavioral Sleep Medicine issued in January 2008, at least 60 per cent of college students have pulled at least one all-nighter. Another study points to the fact that 40 per cent of students said that they had felt rested on no more than two days the previous week. However, these alarming statistics seem to scarcely concern those involved in them. With such distractions as extra-curricular activities, entertainment available around the clock, a heavy workload and a desire to be involved in as much as possible, sleep seems to just fall off the radar. As a result, dozing off in classes has long become a well established practice.

Many students admit to sleeping as little as three hours a night on average.

“It's not like I choose to sleep as little as I do,” says Colleen Huysman, a Boston University junior who says she chews gum to stay awake in class. “There's just so much going on that sleep is at the bottom of the priority list. There aren't enough hours in the day for that to happen.”

This appears to be a typical attitude and health professionals have trouble changing it. Students do not tend to go past their traditional methods of keeping awake. Energy drinks and caffeine pills still remain a staple part of their diet. As a result, many visit their campus clinics, complaining about symptoms such as tension headaches and perpetual fatigue. And, despite many students insisting that they work better under pressure during an all-nighter, studies point to the contrary. Those who have healthy sleeping patterns tend to perform better academically, according to the College Health Association.

Yet, nagging and lecturing would hardly change students' habits. So, new, innovative methods of sleep promotion are becoming increasingly popular. Campuses have been filled with catchy slogans such as “Want A's? Get Z's” and seminars have been set up to demonstrate the benefits of sleep. So now sleep class – such as the one organised at MIT – might become a favourite for many, potentially leading to healthy sleep and, as a result, to healthy grades.