sleep is one of the basic human drives. Most health book don't talk much about it, despite the fact that you spend over one-third of you life in the state. The fact is that we tend to take the behavior of sleep for granted, unless, of course, we feel we don't get enough of it. We are told that the average person sleeps six to eight hours a night, with an occasional nap here and there. Truth be told, over half of Americans get much less than this. Eight hours may be recommended, but it is not the norm. A poor night's sleep cascades into a poor waking day. Over time, the results will ultimately affect all aspects of health.
Whatever your sleep patterns were before you started college, chances are that they have changed dramatically since then. By and large, the freedom connected with college life tends to throw off sleep patterns. Instead of hitting the hay around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., you might not lay your head on the pillow until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. On weekends you may go to bed at sunrise, rather than waking up to see it. And let us not for get the all-nighters that tend to become habit forming during midterm and final exams.in
Since the 1950 , scientists have been studying sleeping behaviors and sleeping patterns in earnest. With over forty years of data collection, you'd think they would have some solid answers; the truth is, no one really knows why we sleep. There are all kinds of theories about the need to have rest, but to date there seems to be a lack of evidence as to what actually goes on during the night hours. Interestingly enough, we do know what happens when we don't get enough sleep. Memory and motor coordination fade rapidly, and performance , in all aspects, is greatly compromised as many a college student will attest to when pulling a series of all-nighters
Describe your sleeping patterns. Are your sleep habits regular ? Do you go to bed and get up about the same time every day ? How have your sleeping patterns changed since you entered college ? Do you make a habit of pulling all-nighters ? Do you have problems sleeping at night ? Do you have a hard time getting up in the morning ? What are some of the patterns you see with your sleep ?