By Ladiyah Beachum —
NJCU students suffer from sleep deprivation due to them having to tackle various schedules involving work and school, which results in their bad sleeping habits. Lack of sleep causes health complications such as heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes and high blood pressure.
“I think that in the long run, if you don’t get enough sleep every night it’s just going to cause a lot of issues in terms of stress and temperament behavior. You are not going to have as much patience as you normally would,” said Ellen Shannon, 31 Accelerating Bachelors of Science & Nursing Program (ABSN) at NJCU, Jersey City resident.
A student’s poor sleeping habits may affect their learning capabilities in class and out. It makes studying, preparing for exams, projects, and daily assignments.
“I think that for one, we all cram for tests, we all cram to get assignments in. I mean that’s just going to happen. I think that’s pretty standard when it comes to college,” said Joanna Lavarino, 29, ABSN, Fort Lee.
Being fully prepared for an exam is something that she realized is of high enough importance and sleep deprivation doesn’t coincide with that.
“I’ve learned that cramming for a test doesn’t really help you retain for information you need throughout your career; it also doesn’t help you really take a test,” Lavarino said. “I crammed for a test and I was falling asleep while I was reading the questions and I had to actually tap my foot in order for me to stay awake!”
According to an article about sleep deprivation on the site Cengagebrain.com, “Sleep helps you remember.” And, according to a new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, “a good night’s sleep triggers changes in the brain that help to improve memory.”
Many students find themselves being a dependent on caffeine- enriched beverages to help them stay awake throughout the day. Chelsea Nagurka, 20, Special Education-English Major, Ridgefield Park said. “I just started riding for an ambulance so I do that, come to school and I have another job. I’m throwing three things up in the air and I am a full-time student. Coffee saves my life. Sugar saves my life; anything that keeps me up.”
According to the article “Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic” on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, “Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity. Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role. An estimated 50-70 million U.S. adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder.”
“Seven or eight hours a night should do it. I got seven hours of sleep last night,” said Anthony Bianco, 20, Jazz Performance Major, Scotch Plains. “I could think clearly, for sure especially when I’m playing music.”