Everyone always tells me that I need to make sure I’m getting enough sleep. My parents always say it, my doctors tell me, and even my grandparents say it. My sleep schedule in high school was pretty normal, and I liked to stick to a consistent pattern. I would wake up at about 4:45 in the morning for swim practice, and go to bed at about 10:30 or 11:00 each night.  Now I know that this really isn’t enough sleep, but I’m not really the kind of person who requires a whole lot of sleep.

Now that I’m in college, my sleeping patterns have definitely had some adjusting to do. And now, when and if I go to sleep is completely up to me. I have to make sure I’m going to bed on time, and I have to make sure I’m getting out of bed in time to get to class. Club meetings, sports practices, socializing, and homework sometimes take priority over sleep. This, of course, is not ideal, but it’s the cold, hard truth for college students today.

An article found here gives some helpful advice for college students who have issues with sleeping. One thing the article suggests is that people should stop using electronics 30 minutes before they go to bed. Well this right here could be one of the main problems. I know for the majority of people, their cell phone is the last thing they look at before they fall asleep each night. And if it’s not their cell phone, it’s the television. People are aware that this habit could be affecting their sleep, but they still do it anyway.

Another tip the article gives is to stay away from caffeine after 3 in the afternoon. Now, I’m not a coffee drinker, but this just seems like a very unrealistic expectation. With everything college kids need to do in one day, many students often turn to coffee during all waking hours. Late night study session? Last minute cram for exams? Coffee is always the answer.

Yes, I agree that it’s very important for college students to be getting enough sleep. I know the effects that a lack of sleep can have on a student over the course of the day. I’ve experienced this first hand. For example, after a particularly rough night of studying, I started out the next day feeling tired and sluggish. I didn’t start to feel better at all until I was back in bed again the next night. Getting enough sleep each night seems to be vital to one’s success during college.

I believe that the weekends often have a strong impact on a student’s sleep schedule. On the weekends, students tend to go to bed much later than usual, and wake up sometime in the late afternoon. It can’t be healthy for someone’s sleep schedule to be disturbed this often. It is definitely a challenge for most college students to get enough sleep each night.

Clearly, students today are getting less sleep than they should be, or having a difficult time falling into a consistent pattern of sleep. Researchers and doctors can offer all the advice and tips they want, but in the end, it’s up to each student to take care of themselves. This is part of why college is such a big adjustment for most people. This is the first time that most of us are living alone, and it’s up to us to make sure we are living healthy lives.