College Students and Sleep Part 1

Penn State University's Student Affairs department is working on a module to teach students about sleep. I've been asked to look over the module. I work part time as a physician seeing the students, so I see many of the problems related to sleep. I hope it helps students understand the importance of sleep and how to get it. The goal of sleeping well is to function well during the day and be happy!

College students simply don't get enough of sleep. If I had to choose the biggest problem concerning sleep in college students, it's just that they choose to not sleep. There are many reasons for it. Going out to have fun with friends is often more important. Other students over-extend themselves with taking too many credits and participating in too many extracurricular activities. A growing percentage of students don't sleep enough because of their financial circumstances. They have to work 20-40 hours a week just to pay for school.

These young students have the stamina to stay up frequently, getting by on naps. However, they may not realize that just because they can do it, they shouldn't do it. Ultimately, daytime performance suffers. Over the next week, I will explore some sleep-related topics concerning college students.