SHANNON URTNOWSKI
Living Editor
I confidently know who I am. My name is Shannon. I am 18 years old. I am a sophomore journalism student at Pepperdine. And, the list goes on about all the basic, boring knowledge I know about myself.
But, the fact of the matter is that I do possess this knowledge. I am not one of those lost college students swallowed up by the fast-paced world around them.
This is not to say that I have everything figured out, though. I just know who I am today.
And, today I learned something new about myself — I am nocturnal.
I was not always this way, though.
As a little girl I was tucked safely and warmly in bed by 8:30 p.m., and as I progressed into my teen years I pushed the limits (in my own mind, at least) and stayed up until 11 p.m.
Now that I am an adult I can decide my own bedtime. But lately I have not had much choice.
With everything going on in my life, it is hard for me not stay up through the night working on homework I did not have time to complete during the day or socializing with friends way past what could be called a decent hour.
Sleep is a privilege only permitted to the most successful of time managers.
But, I know I am not alone in this belief. My dear friends at Pepperdine and our college peers around the globe know exactly what I am talking about.
The day simply is not long enough to complete everything that needs finishing.
Even as I write this column, the time is quickly approaching 1 a.m., and, with Red Bull in hand, I forge through the night, which is filled with French essays, religion reading and a laundry list of other headaches.
But, I know Red Bull can only get me so far — and this holds true for all caffeine-addicted, sugar-thriving students.
We need sleep — a full eight hours of it. Though our racing minds do not always cooperate with this fact, the fact still stands.
It is common knowledge in the world of science that, if students do not get at least eight hours of sleep each night, they will not be at optimum learning and functioning capacity for the day.
However, I can attest to the fact that finding a free eight-hour chunk of time is not an easy task.
But, in realizing what I have become — nocturnal, that is — I have started to ponder ways to change my sleep-deprived ways. Though I cannot say I am an expert in implementing these tips just yet, I am going to try my best to start — and you can too.
For starters, let’s try to start studying and complete assignments for classes early — and I do not mean early like 3 a.m.
For us overbooked students, let’s try to budget our time at the beginning of the week and learn to say no when people try to impede on our time schedule.
Also, eating right will regulate our bodies and give us energy during the day to complete tasks quicker. I have actually been working on this and it seems to be helping at the very least.
And, lastly, cramming is overrated. If we have to pull all-nighters to go through the material one last time, it might just be too late. If we have attended the lectures, we should have got most of the material in our heads. So let’s learn to sleep on it. We might surprise ourselves.
So, from one nocturnal student to another, I may not be an expert on the matter, but if trying something new gives us a glimmer of snuggling into the sheets by 10 p.m. each night, I think it is worth a shot. I know I am going to try — tomorrow.
09-14-2006
