Dear Dr. Jeff: Do you think it's always important to get eight hours sleep at night? Even during Reading Period? R.M.
Dear R.M.: It is always important to get enough sleep, even, and maybe especially, during high pressure times like Reading Period.
Eight hours of sleep are right for most of us, but that's an average figure. Some of us need more, some less. If you wake up rested and refreshed in the morning, you're probably getting enough sleep.
If, on the other hand, you routinely roll over to snatch a few extra zzz's in the morning, or you need to catch up on your sleep on weekends or holidays, or you're put right to sleep by long meetings, boring lectures, overheated rooms or "heavy" meals, then you are probably not getting enough sleep.
Most of us don't get enough sleep. 40 percent of Americans are so sleepy during the daytime that it interferes with our daily activities. Nearly half of Bowdoin students report going to sleep after 1:00 AM on weeknights, and over 60 percent are up by 8:00 AM.
Not surprisingly, that same half indicate they have trouble staying awake in class at least once or twice a week, and nearly one-third feel too tired to function. More than 80% wish they could get more sleep. And that's not even during Reading Period!
Sleep is very simply a basic necessity of life, as fundamental to our health and well being as air, food and water. If we don't sleep well, or sleep enough, almost every aspect of our lives will suffer. When we're sleep-deprived, we're less alert, less attentive, less able to concentrate, less able to make clear judgements, and less productive.
We're also more irritable, more emotional, at increased risk for health and psychiatric problems, and, of course, more dangerous while operating machinery like bikes or cars.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to impair memory formation and judgement. One study of first-year college students showed that sleep habits accounted for the largest amount of variance in GPA. Another study showed that people who were taught a skill and then deprived of REM sleep, couldn't recall what they had learned.
Other studies have demonstrated a distinctive and progressive impairment of one's ability to think quickly and to multi-task, as one is increasingly sleep deprived. Even a single "all-nighter" produces a measurable decline in intellectual performance, most notably between 6:00 and 11:00 a.m. the following morning.
Sleep needs are genetically determined and can't be changed. You can't "adapt" to getting less sleep than you biologically need. Although you can somewhat improve your performance of specific tasks while sleep deprived, you won't be able to achieve optimal or consistent performance levels.
Sleep deprivation is cumulative, and can't effectively be "made up". The more nights you get insufficient sleep, the sleepier you'll get each day. Daytime naps certainly help. After all, more than half the world takes an afternoon siesta or xiu xi! Naps, though, need to be brief (no more than one hour), taken early in the afternoon, and should be avoided altogether if getting to sleep or staying asleep at night is difficult.
Back to the problem of getting enough rest during Reading Period. Obviously you need to try to make it a priority. What else can you do?
Avoid caffeine and other stimulants for at least four hours before bedtime, and alcohol and nicotine at least two hours. Alcohol may help you get to sleep, but it can fragment your sleep cycles, leaving you drowsy in the morning. For the same reasons, bedtime alcohol may also impair memory formation (not a good thing the night before an exam!)
A balanced diet and regular exercise are both important for high quality sleep, but not right before bedtime. Vigorous exercise can raise your internal body temperature, and thereby delay sleep onset.
Try to maintain a regular bedtime and waking time, even during Reading Period. Spend time outside, in the light, each day. Develop bedtime routines to cue your body into sleep. Try a warm bath, or some herbal tea or warm milk, or listen to music or read. Find some stress-reducing activity that will help you relax.
Be well! And try to sleep well?and enough!!
Jeff Benson, M.D.
Dudley Coe Health Center