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Do you have difficulty waking up everyday? Do you find it hard to concentrate during lessons?
You are not alone.
Sleep deprivation is a common issue amongst students. It has many effects on them and their academic performance.
Here is everything you need to know about the importance of rest for students.
Causes of sleep deprivation
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There are many causes of sleep deprivation among students.
One would be because we burn the midnight oil too much, especially nearer to the exam date. We sacrifice sleep to have more time for revision, all to score well.
Another reason is that we use the time meant for sleep, to enjoy entertainment. Be it to read a book, catch up on shows or for our own hobbies.
Research also shows that teenagers tend to go to sleep two hours later, causing their sleep cycle to shift toward later times and thus, end up waking up later.
With the school timetable starting early in the morning, students have to wake up earlier, making them miss a few more hours of extra sleep.
Consequences of sleep deprivation
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Procrastinating sleep is something we often do (in my case, it is in the form of ‘just one more episode’). But we do this not knowing that sleep deprivation is detrimental to our health and academic success.
Studies show what sleep deprivation can do to you:
1. It weakens your immune system
2. Makes you have trouble with thinking and concentrating
3. Negatively impacts short term and long term memory
4. Causes mood swings
5. Makes you prone to anxiety and depression
6. Worsens cognitive performance
7. Poor attention
We cannot concentrate during lessons and do not perform our best in school when we get insufficient sleep.
Lacking of sleep also affects our moods, making us more irritable and have severe mood swings. This affects our relationships with others.
For example, during group work, we may find that it is hard to work with our group mates because we are more impatient with them. This affects the group’s bond and grades.
What should you do to get more rest?
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The classic answer to getting more rest is to sleep earlier, but we find this hard to follow – especially during the exam period.
Here are some other ways to get more sleep:
1. Go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning (yes, even on holidays and weekends).
2. Stay away from coffee or energy drinks late in the day
3. Make your room dark, quiet and cosy
4. No screen time 1 hour before you go to bed
5. Exercise regularly (but not 2-3 hours before bed)
Conclusion
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Sleep plays a crucial role in students’ health and grades. By maintaining a consistent sleep cycle, we perform better in school.
We hope this article helps you realise the importance of sleep and what you can do to get more of it!
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