Stephanie Rew
Staff Writer
What a night — you’re lookin’ hot, gettin’ your groove on, kickin’ it with your posse, and to top it all off, your radar has just honed in on another Pepperdine hottie, and you’re throwing your best lines out for the hook. But right as you really start to shake it like a Polaroid picture, you notice that the music has taken on an all-too-familiar buzzing sound.
Yep, it’s your alarm clock.
And your roommate’s snoring is definitely not as melodious as those smooth tunes you were jamming to in your dream.
You roll over and slam whichever button touches your fingertips first, and realize that you have less time than you’d like to get to your first class of the day. Through bleary eyes, your sweats look like the hottest thing you’re going to wear at 8 o’clock in the morning, and suddenly your groove has morphed into a mechanical shuffle that somehow gets you to the classroom on time.
Sound familiar? Sleep deprivation is the bane of many Pepperdine students, and it can have more serious effects on a person than just a few stretch marks from a yawn. Sleep experts, like the doctors at Columbus Community Health Regional Sleep Disorders Center, list potential consequences of sleep deprivation as shortened life spans, higher mortality rates, increased risk of heart disease, stomach problems, irritability, depression, mood swings, increased high-speed traffic accidents, decreased work performance, memory lapses and other social problems.
The Academy for Medical Science Technology reports that more than 100 million Americans suffer from sleep deprivation every year, and that 41 percent of people 18 to 29 years old are inclined to nap during the week due to exhaustion.
Many Pepperdine students say they average between five and seven hours of sleep per weeknight, and get between six and eight hours of sleep per night on weekends, according to an informal survey of 10 students. However, Dr. David B. Baron, of Primary Caring of Malibu Medical Group, Inc. said that although “it varies dramatically from individual to individual, on average eight to 10 hours per night” is the healthy norm for college students.
For the typical Pepperdiner, sleep is usually just a thing to do between classes, study sessions and the rigors of campus life. Sophomore Jolene Dotson said that “having so much to do, living with another person (and) living in a dorm where noises carry” affects her ability to sleep.
In addition to a 16-unit class load and an on-campus job, Dotson said she spends much of her time “doing homework, doing stuff for the dorm (as an RA), going to church stuff, going to the gym (and) hanging out with people.”
Dotson’s testimony, which coincides with many other Pepperdine students’, proves Baron’s observation that the most common cause of sleep deprivation in students is self-imposed.
“People are staying up late studying or staying up late partying,” Baron said. “There’s very little regularity to the sleep cycles of college students.”
Freshman Christina Tippit has suffered some effects of sleep deprivation in her first year at Pepperdine.
“Last semester I probably missed five classes (due to illnesses),” Tippit said. Her most serious illnesses included bronchitis and walking pneumonia, very commonly associated with exhaustion.
Baron affirms that the effects of sleep deprivation can be very profound.
“In fact, sometimes it’s probably under recognized as a factor of poor academic performance or social isolation . . . not being rested has some subtle effects on the immune system, so people are more susceptible to colds and infections,” Baron said.
Many students try to stave off this infectious insomnia with common stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine or prescription drugs, although Junior Adrianne Thomas has learned to be “a firm believer in drinking large amounts of water, (because) water keeps you energized.”
Jennifer Guellich, of the Pepperdine Wellness Center, encourages Pepperdine students to take advantage of available on-campus health programs and wellness fairs.
“We do a lot of educating about the balance and importance of sleep; the faculty and staff have a lot of interest in the topic,” Guellich said.
Baron recommended the best ways for a student to stay well rested are to “maximize the quality of sleep that you’re able to get. First of all, avoid things that screw up the restfulness of your sleep. If you’re trying to unwind, take a hot bath or shower, drink chamomile tea, meditate, listen to quiet classical music, do yoga stretches before going to bed.”
However, Baron advised against the artificial sleep inducers which most students resort to in a pinch.
“Avoid over-the-counter sleeping pills. They all contain antihistamines, which give you dry mouth and can make you constipated and feeling hung over in the morning,” he said.
But the best remedy for sleep deprivation, Baron said, is to “create a comfortable, restful sleep environment. On top of that, if you possibly can, stick to some schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Regular exercise also helps. It doesn’t have to be something intense; going for a walk every day for twenty minutes can improve the quality of sleep — the best time of day is late afternoon or early evening.”
So the next time you’re out for a sunset stroll or have the urge to bust a move, keep in mind that you should be in for a good night’s sleep as well — and that alarm clock will sound a whole lot friendlier at sunrise.
02-24-2005
