Objections and Alternative Solutions

Some students may object my idea that limiting the time of your cell phone will in turn become more hours in which they can sleep. I was also a little skeptical of the idea at first but then I thought about it. When I do my homework I am usually texting someone or even when I go to the library my phone is right there. When I discovered that a student on average spends 14 hours a week texting it made me realize I could have been sleeping in those hours. 

Another one of my solutions that students may object is that the use of Facebook can cause lack of sleep. I for one can confirm that Facebook greatly distracts me. It causes me to make a simple assignment into a project. For those students that are not distracted by Facebook like me, I commend you. I think that Facebook causes many students to not have enough time for sleep, but it may not apply to everyone.

An alternative solution to make college students get enough sleep would be to simply stop partying. But I reject that solution. That is a problem, but it is not the only problem. If college students stopped partying all together that does not mean they have more time to sleep. They would still have the same amount of homework to do and they would still have to manage their social lives. 

Another solution that I would reject would be that if college students cut down on their caffeine intake they would be able to sleep more. The thing is the reason that these students are drinking coffee is to stay up to finish the work that they need to get done. They are not losing sleep because of their caffeine intake, but they are drinking caffeine to help them stay up.  

Another Solution..

So you made time throughout your day, cut down on your time on Facebook and your cell phone, but you still need to find more time to sleep. You can make time by limiting the time you hang out and go out with friends. I get it. You want to hang out with your friends and so do I. But unfortunately you sometimes have to put your priorities in order.  Sleep is more important than going out for a night.

Managing your time with your friends is an easy solution. An easy way to manage time with your friends is to have study groups with them. You get your time in with your friends and you get your work done. It’s like killing two birds with one stone; or three birds. You get to spend time with your friends, get your work done and in turn have more time for sleep. Especially now that it is around the time for finals they can help relieve your stress. Another thing is if your friends want to hang out and you have work to do, do not go out. It’s a sacrifice you have to make.  Unfortunately some things are just more important than others. It will be worth it in the long run. Going out one night is not more important than potentially failing an exam. 

 

So you want more sleep? It’s up to you to manage your time and stop wasting time to go and get it.

Still think you need more time to sleep?

Here’s another way to make time. Stop wasting time on Facebook, cellphones and video games. Statistics show that in 2011 people visit Facebook on average twice a day and during each visit they spend roughly 22 minutes. That is 44 minutes a day, which turns into a little over five hours a week. I thought that statistic was a little shocking because the people I know spend a lot more time than that on Facebook. A lot of my friends spend more than 2 hours on Facebook a day and I’m sure you know some people that do too. But let’s pay attention to the average statistics. If a person spends 44 minutes a day that equals about 5 hours a week and with those five hours you could have been sleeping. Facebook also is a major distractor. I know that when I go on the computer I go on Facebook and it magically transforms an assignment that lasts twenty minutes into two hours. If you limit your use of Facebook you will have more time to sleep because it will take less time to do assignments and will amount to more time for sleep.

(Google Images)

Another way to make time is to put your beloved cell phone away or off. An excellent study  by a professor at Texas A&M University found that students on average spent about 14 hours a week texting and about 6 and a half hours on the phone. Talking and texting is ok, I understand everyone is going to do it but, when it’s time for work focus on the schoolwork. If you shut your phone off when you are doing your homework you will be less tempted to answer a text or a call which can distract you. When you are working on a paper and you see a text from your friend to go to the mall you will most likely postpone that paper for later, thus producing an all-nighter. So if you shut off your phone when it is time to study or do work you will become less distracted and less tempted to go out. In turn you will finish your homework sooner and have more time to sleep.

(Google Images)

Video games are another big time-consuming aspect of college student’s lives. I think if you try and limit the amount of time you play video games it will help with time to sleep. In your spare time don’t play video games but instead do your homework. Work before play. When you’re done with your homework then play your videogames. But while playing video games try and set a time limit so you can go to bed at a decent hour. This solution will work because when you eliminate the time used playing video games you can be getting much needed sleep.

And The Solution Is..

Stop wasting time and make time. Find time throughout the day, get off of Facebook, shut the cell phone off and set aside certain times for friends.

FIND THE TIME

 It’s easy. You may not realize it but you do waste a lot of time throughout the day, which can be later used for sleeping. Think about your daily schedule. You wake up probably ten minutes before you have to leave for class. After you’re done with your class you might have a two hour break. Most will go to eat lunch with their friends. As you’re out to eat I highly doubt schoolwork is running through your mind. Instead of wasting that time you should use it to catch up on some homework. I understand that you may not want to give up that time so you can even go out to lunch for an hour and then go to the library for the remaining time to do homework. This will also work because it will eliminate procrastination. I know that an hour is simply not enough time to finish a complete paper, but it can be a good start. Think about it, if you work on a paper for an hour each day for five days that will equal five hours in total. That is a pretty good start to a paper if you ask me.   If you use that time for schoolwork that can eliminate having to stay up the night before a paper or exam which will make you be able to go to sleep earlier.  This solution will work because it is so easy to find those small patches of time in your daily schedule that will eventually add up which will in turn become more hours for you to sleep.

(Google Images) I think this picture supports my solution because time is in your hands. If you believe you do not have enough time it's up to you to make it.

Funny or Truth?

(Picture from Google Images)

Sometimes it may feel like you can only choose two. But I think if you manage your time correctly you can have a ballance of the three.

Do I Really Need Sleep?

There are so many of us that believe it is unnecessary to sleep. I for one believed that if I stood up the night before an exam and crammed that I would be fine. I would get the exam over with and go home and go to sleep. The problem would be solved. However, research was done and proved my point wrong. There is a connection between sleep and test scores. The more sleep you get the more likely you are going to score well on the test. Conversely, the less sleep you get the more likely you will score lower on the test. There was a study that was published by the Journal of American College Health that confirmed that students that get proper amount of sleep do better in school than does that do not.
There are also many other negative effects that lack of sleep can have on a student. If a student does not get enough sleep he or she will have problems in many areas. According to the online sleep clinic lack of sleep can lead to headaches, sore muscles, memory loss, weakened immune system and the inability to deal with stress. These side effects conclude my theory as to why sleep is so important in college students. If a student does not get enough sleep they may not be able to remember everything they studied the night before. Or if a student does not get enough sleep they can catch a cold or some illness that is traveling throughout the dorms.

In this video the "Health Guru" Dr. Gorski discusses some of the negative consequences of lack of sleep.

Video Courtesy of YouTube

Now we know why we need sleep is so important. But the question is how are students with their busy schedules supposed to get sleep? I will soon answer this question.

You Want Me to Waste Eight Hours Doing What?

When I was little my parents would tell me what time to go to sleep, I never wondered why I just always listened. Now that I'm older my parents go to sleep before me and they have no clue as to what time I go to sleep. Students living at college also determine their own bed time. The thing is now many students, myself included, are not getting enough sleep.

(Courtesy of Google Images)

Growing up you also hear that you need to get 8 hours of sleep every night. Let’s face it now that we are older we do not believe we have to get that amount of sleep and at times it seems nearly impossible. A study that was published by the  Journal of Adolescent Health in which they examined over 1,000 college students and found that only 30 percent of them slept at least eight hours a night. That means that 70 percent of college students are not getting the proper hours of sleep.  (Anderson). It is like an unmanageable balancing act between school, work, studying, homework and a social life. But there has to be a way to manage all of this and still get the right amount of sleep. Right?