College Publisher Test Site

That time of the semester has finally come again. The looming cloud of anxiety floats above the heads of students here and abroad as they pace the floors of study halls with one question resonating in their minds: "Am I ready?"

The time for finals has come and students are readying their scholastic arsenal with calculators, pencils, erasers and protractors. Yet, something is missing from their preparation… sleep.

Many times during this part of the semester, students crack down and study hard through the night. Neglecting to sleep is abundantly common among students. Like 32 percent of Americans, they are affected by insomnia. Throughout the nation, and the whole world, millions more suffer from it too.

Although there are no cold, hard statistics, students know that during final exams week they are likely to lose sleep. The stress of staying up late cramming, feeling obligated to learn in one night what they've studied all semester and distractions all add up to a sleepless dilemma.

"I get less than half the sleep I would normally get any other time of the semester," said 19-year-old Josh Allred, "and it's not because I don't want to sleep, it's because I can't."

One out of every eight Americans suffers from insomnia, according to recent statistics. Many of them don't realize it. Students who spend mornings temporarily tattooing lectures onto their brains and letting their loose-leaf notes fly like confetti in a ticker-tape parade, do so without realizing that they have common symptoms of insomnia. Drool-stained desks are a recurring theme found in the classrooms of DSC.

Will hardworking students be able to contend with the bleary eyes and foggy minds that inevitably show up on test day? The bromide "sleep on it" has basis in scientific fact. Scientists have proven that sleeping brains continue to work on problems that baffle us during the day. A 2004 German study supports the notion that adequate sleep is tied to creativity and problem-solving.

And the affects of losing sleep aren't isolated to student's class life, but also impacts work, social lives and everything in between. So why do students neglect sleep? Another DSC student, Adam Begin, 22, said, "I love sleep, but I need a great education and sadly those things don't often go hand in hand."

It's gotten to the point where students almost have to make a decision every semester to either sleep or study.

With college students already worrying about jobs, family and the like, there's simply no time to fit in 40 winks. Thus, insomnia rules and reigns in the minds of students everywhere.

Even so, insomnia is most certainly not a disease, it's merely a symptom. In most cases insomnia is caused by stress or neglecting to sleep.

After several days of only sleeping three to five hours our bodies adjust and make it to where we can only sleep for that amount of time. That makes it more difficult to sleep, even when you're not studying and even when you want to sleep more.

So, on that fateful week when you sit in front of the hum of a dimly lit computer screen, armed with a mechanical pencil in one hand and a Monster energy drink in the other, you'll hear yourself saying, "Hello insomnia, goodbye sleep."

Article Tools