Sleep Rocks..

The value of sleep today is largely undermined when compared to concepts such as the pursuit of work or pleasure. Few actually get the bare minimum of a regular six hours a night, or the more realistic and widely recommended seven. Yet, in the long run people will find that in terms of a long happy life, sleep deprivation is detrimental.

Why Sleep?

It’s widely known that sleep is vital. What most people do not know, is why. The answer to that is extremely vast, as sleep is beneficial in many ways both psychological and physiologically.

One benefit of a full night’s sleep is to stay in shape, or get in better shape for that matter. It is during those precious unconscious hours that people rebuild their muscle tissue. Any weightlifter knows that after an effective workout they will remain sore not for one or two days, but for one or two nights of sleep.

According to The Better Sleep Council, Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or REM sleep (conceptualized as the time that people dream) is when the body replaces old cells with new ones and re-energizes organs and muscles. Having rested muscles increases one’s inclination to use them, which means more calories burned over the waking day. Hair, skin, and nails will all appear stronger and better looking than if they were sleep deprived.

The body also regulates multiple growth hormones during rest; many of which control the body’s ratio of fat to muscle and facilitates the body’s ability to repair itself. Specifically, a recent study from the University of Chicago demonstrates that the sleep regulated hormone leptin in low levels increases an individual’s appetite for carbohydrates, even if they’ve already had enough.

REM is noted as the stage of rest where the body reaps the most vital benefits. Studies are demonstrating that it is during this REM phase where information is transferred from the short term to long term memory. This means that late night cram sessions, while having some effect if you’re taking a test within the next 15 minutes, will mean diddly if you do not make up for that sleep and will be tested on that knowledge later.

Another major advantage to a full nights sleep is a boosted immune system. Especially considering the Buffalo cold, those who are constantly deprived will find themselves far more vulnerable to colds and flu. Gastrointestinal ailments also diminish with sufficient rest because it is during this time that much of absorption and digestion occur in peace.

It is also the case that sleep creates a more stable mindset. Morgen Kelly, a clinical psychology student, pointed out the prevalence of insomniac (unable to sleep) or hypersomniac (way too much sleep) symptoms in many serious psychological problems, most notably among them, anxiety or depression disorders. Other ailments, such as a manic attack can cause people to go for days without sleep as they might feel like they have too much energy.

Along the a similar but less severe line, those who have a sleep deficiency often depict increased levels of anxiety as well as hindered cognitive skills and judgment.

Another category of sleep victims are drug users. Those who indulge in stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamines for example can feel like going days without sleep. That in conjunction with a literally high level of activity results in fatigue to a lethal degree, accounting for many of the related deaths. This is only evidence that not sleeping is unnatural and, in end, biologically impossible.

Why Not Sleep?

“The only real obstacle to a full nights sleep is school work and the temptation to just watch a movie with friends or something,” stated architecture major Tom Harding.

Yet not all students feel this way, many had complaints against the environment in their dorms. “The fire alarms in Goodyear have a really nice way of waking you up in the wee hours of the night,” pointed out freshman psychology major Tabitha Hawkings.

Others host many other complaints against the environment in the UB dormitories. A surprising factor toward irregular sleep turned out to be the meal plan. “The hours of the meal plan here are ridiculous. I can’t afford to by my own food so I either have to eat what they put out for me, when they put it out for me, or I’m screwed,” said Jacob Harrowitz. “If I want to eat before 4:30 I need to be up by ten which is way too early. Too often I’m finding myself staying up for breakfast until seven in the morning.”

Other factors that inhibited the sleep process for many dorming students were how noisy the windows can get when faced with a direct blast of wind, and the occasional inconsiderate roommate. Yet, on the weekend, where some of these factors are even more apparent, most students reported adequate amounts of sleep. The general explanation was the fact that on the weekend there are fewer classes and collected assignments biting a chunk out of sleep schedules. Many people use this time to catch up on missed hours of sleep, many of them overdoing it and restarting a flawed weekly sleep cycle from the beginning.

In an environment where students are instructed to have their work completed by a deadline, yet rarely pushed to sleep, it is only logical that the result would be students who don’t sleep because they have to work. “I don’t get much sleep at all, because architecture is such a demanding major. I’m in studio for most of the week. I love sleep, but unfortunately, it takes a back seat to my projects,” pointed out Aboker Gulaid.

How to Make Sleep

The major and obvious solution is enacting the most effective time management possible. “I don’t get enough sleep because I always put off my homework,” said African-American Studies major, Akeeme Capers. This seems to be the norm around UB because very few student admitted when asked that they will still start their homework when the sun is still up.

Many experts advise setting an hour aside every day for each hour you spend in class, and most importantly follow through with it. If you find yourself bored at some point in the day, assume you are doing something wrong. Time spent watching reruns on television could be turned into time spent on assignments which will leave free time toward pursuing those z’s.

Essentially what one needs to practice for a healthy sleep regimen is now being referred to as sleep hygiene, which is roughly establishing a routine that permits regular amounts of rest.

Kelly pointed out, ”The bed should be a place where a person sleeps, but many people will eat, drink, do work or watch TV in bed.” What that means is many people come to associate non-restful behaviors with the environment they were designed to rest in, making it harder to conk out when it’s time to. These activities are also recommended against because often people will accidentally fall asleep during times they didn’t mean to, which makes it harder to go back to sleep later that night.

Another facet of proper sleep hygiene is limiting certain substances before bedtime. Caffeine is often inappropriately ingested far too close to a designated sleep time, and it will have an effect, so avoid that caffeinated soda with a late dinner. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that even if a person is able to go to sleep despite the stimulating effects of the drug, that the sleep will be lighter and lower quality and will not have the profound impacts it was meant to.

Another wide misconception is that alcohol facilitates a nights rest. While the effects of drink can make one feel drowsy, it too lowers the quality of sleep. “People may feel like having a drink will help them get to sleep but then they’ll often find they wake in the middle of the night,” Kelly said.

Avoid stimulating activity such as competitive gaming or exercise right before you go to bed as they will hamper your ability to relax. However, exercise three to six hours right before bed time comes highly recommended.

Kelly points out it can be an obstacle for those trying to rack up a few desperate hours of sleep by keeping an eye on the clock. “Often what people will do is look at it in the night and calculate the hours they can sleep. They’ll look at it and go ‘Oh if I go to sleep now I can get 5 hours of sleep.’ Then 4 hours, then 3 hours… Often what the person will find is that that anxiety itself makes it a lot harder to just go to sleep.” What she said works for her is simply turning the clock and ignoring it.

The bottom line is that sleep should not be a luxury, but a necessity. Even if you pretend that you don’t need it, you will find it; whether or not that happens in a huge lecture hall or behind the wheel of your car. If you choose to not find sleep and instead let sleep find you, you will in the meantime find yourself far more stressed, miserable, annoyed, unhealthy, and prone to panic and anxiety attacks.