Earlier this month a report released by the University of Louisville revealed that sleep quality was the strongest predictor of well-being among college students (Ridner et al., 2015).
It’s been well documented that most American college students fail to receive adequate sleep. Sleep is intimately and universally involved with body function and since sleep is linked to physiological functioning on a number of fronts, lesser-quality sleep can impact neurocognitive function — making it harder to think, concentrate and perform school related tasks.
A couple of late nights or an all-nighter here or there may not seem to affect you on a surface level, but over time, a sleep deficit will accrue resulting in interrupted metabolic, hormonal and neuromuscular functioning. Cutting back on sleep, an unfortunate yet overwhelmingly common practice among college aged individuals, is akin to continually borrowing money from a loan shark at predatory interest rates —it’s a matter of time before it catches up with you and when it does, expect it to encompass calamitous circumstances.
While no consensus exists as it relates to required sleep duration, 7 to 8 hours per night is sufficient for adults. It should be noted that during the growth and developmental periods, more sleep is required. And for individuals engaging in intense physical activity on a regular basis via exercise or through their occupation, more sleep has been advocated to promote recovery. Greater sleep durations afford longer periods of slow wave sleep, or deeper sleep in which hormones are secreted in bountiful amounts prompting the transpiration of recuperative cellular processes allowing for repair and recovery of cells.
If one yearns not to yawn each day and more importantly wishes to function at a high level and stave off health decrements, they should take heed to the suggestions outlined below.
Gradually adjust to establish a desired bedtime
Experts recommend doing so 15 minutes at a time to avoid disrupting the circadian rhythm, also known as your body’s biological clock. Simply manipulate your nightly sleep (adding or subtracting in increments of 15 minutes) until a desired bedtime is achieved.
Set a lower temperature
A report conducted by Chen and colleagues (2013) suggested that sleeping at lower temperatures might increase metabolic functioning, as more calories are burned to keep your body warm. The study showed the greatest elevations of activity in brown adipose tissue, which is metabolically active fat tissue and has the capacity to generate heat, at lower room temperatures.
Avoid blue light
Don’t watch TV, use the computer or operate nanotech devices immediately before bed as they emit a blue hued light which interferes with the pineal gland’s secretion of melatonin, a chemical which helps you fall asleep quicker. Instead, read a book or printed materials, e-mails, or assignments. Artificial light has been shown to increase alertness, something you don’t want as you try to fall asleep.
Cut the caffeine
Limit your consumption of caffeinated beverages throughout the day. An excessive quantity of caffeine coupled with ingestion later in the day can is a recipe to alter sleep. Research suggests that caffeine consumption should be cut off six hours prior to bedtime.
Avoid consuming alcohol before bed
Studies have shown that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep patterns are disrupted by alcohol consumption, and as we all know, sleep, or lack thereof, affects the endocrinological functioning. Blood alcohol content of just 0.10% — a commonly and readily achievable point of intoxication — was shown to delay REM sleep and disrupt sleep throughout the night (Miyata, et al., 2004), plausibly due to fomenting acute alcohol withdrawal via metabolism.
Cut carbs before bed
Avoid consuming high carbohydrate foods before bed which triggers insulin production. Fluctuating blood glucose has been shown to prompt restlessness thusly interrupting sleep.
References
Chen, K.Y., Brychta, R.J., Linderman, J.D., Smith, S., Courville, A., Dieckmann, W., Herscovitch, P., Millo, C.M., Remaley, A., Lee, P., & Celi, F.S. (2013). Brown fat activation mediates cold-induced thermogenesis in adult humans in response to a mild decrease in ambient temperature. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 98, 1218-1223.
Mirghani, H.O., Mohammed, O.S., Almurtadha, Y.M., & Ahmed, M.S. (2015). Good sleep quality is associated with better academic performance among Sudanese medical students. BMC Research Notes, 8, 706.
Miyata, S., Noda, A., Ito, N., Atarashi, M., Yasuma, F., Morita, S., & Koike, Y. (2004). REM sleep is impaired by a small amount of alcohol in young women sensitive to alcohol. Internal Medicine, 43, 679-684.
Ridner, S.L., Newton, K.S., Staten, R.R., Crawford, T.N., & Hall, L.A. (2015). Predictors of well-being among college students. Journal of American College Health. [Epub ahead of print].
Joe Giandonato, MBA, MS, CSCS, is the Manager of Health Promotion at Drexel University
