By Nick Shelly & Nick Sterling
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
What this story covers
College students have to study, work and make time for their personal lives. There simply isn’t enough time in the day. How do they cope? They stay up late and often get up early, which is why, according to the National Library of Medicine, 60 percent of college students suffer from poor sleep.
Why it matters
Getting good sleep, defined by doctors as 8-10 hours for people in their late teens and early 20s, is important to a person’s mental and physical health. Sleep deprivation in college can have long-term effects that last with a person for the rest of their life. But few colleges talk to students about this.
Sleep deprivation is a common problem among college students. Many students joke — even brag to their friends — about their lack of sleep without realizing the short- and long-term repercussions of their actions.
We spoke to college students and sleep experts to see what we could learn about the effects of sleep deprivation on mental health. Among the main takeaways: Students who don’t get enough sleep report feeling unable to focus on school, and often feel anxious and irritable. Dr. Tamara Burton, a clinical associate professor and allied health program coordinator at Towson University, described many sleep-deprived students walking around campus as “zombies.” Burton, who teaches a freshman seminar on sleep, expands on her observations — and the research she has done on the importance of sleep — in this podcast.
“On exam night, I slept like four hours. Basically, I almost got run over by cars on the street because I was sleepwalking.”— TU student
Why is sleep so important and what happens when you don’t get enough? Nick Sterling examines those questions in this motion graphics video.
How do you know if you are sleep deprived?
Colleges across the country are taking innovative approaches to helping students get more sleep. One of the primary solutions: nap pods. Students can rest between classes in the library or other areas on campus.