You sit in your 11 and the stronger-than-ever forces of gravity immediately begin to pull down your eyelids. You lose all strength in your neck, and your head bobs up and down like a super-ball that's been dropped to the ground. You try to convince yourself that the unstoppable forces of sleep deprivation are causing your eyes to droop because you've been over-working yourself. Maybe you've had hundreds of pages of reading, an Econ problem set and a midterm. You know deep down, though, that too much work is not the real culprit.
Let's be honest you're probably nearing a state of comatose because you went out too hard at the Masquerade Party and then had to meet your parents at Lou's for a good-bye breakfast at 8 a.m. the next morning.
It's no secret that sleep deprivation runs rampant at Dartmouth. The question to ask is why are a majority of Dartmouth students consistently sleep-deprived? And what are the implications of all those all-nighters?
Let's start with the first question, which can be answered with a variety of responses.
First, there is the Organic Chemistry/Econ 26 sleep deprivation, in which students actually have too much work and not enough time. Since these students are in the minority (cheers to the I-banking and pre-med tracks!), this isn't a major problem.
The second form of sleep deprivation is especially prevalent among those students who spend more time complaining about and avoiding their work than actually doing it. Anyone can see these students on a quick trip to First Floor Berry. With Youtube and Facebook pages open for hours at a time, these students seem to waste away in the library while their work lies lonely and untouched on their desks.
Here comes the fun explanation. In the third form, sleep deprivation attacks many type-A, socialite figures. These are the students who, despite going out four nights a week, pull in near-4.0 GPAs. They crush their work and party hard. Although these students may be rocking midterms and sinking cups, playing hard and working harder puts stress on the body that may not be immediately evident.
Drinking not only assaults the liver and brain, but also severely affects a person's quality of sleep. Little sleep mixed with constant hard work during the day forces a heavy reliance on adrenaline, which puts unnecessary stress on the human body. The bottom line is that even though you may think you're living in the fast lane with no consequences, you may be doing more damage to your body and mind than you realize.
And what are the unintended consequences of all those late nights, whether they're spent cracked-out on caffeine in the 1902 room or playing pong in a basement?
The answer is likely a serious loss of productivity. Experts have proven that sleep increases attention span and concentration, improves our moods and leads to generally happier lives. Our community's collective lack of sleep may be negatively affecting our relationships, our capacity to produce quality academic work, our ability to perform physically and our general health as young adults.
So next time you want to grab a can of Keystone for the fourth night in a row, seriously consider reaching for a pillow and blanket instead. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results.
