It’s no secret that college students have a problem with sleep. Whenever I tell my friends I am going to bed at midnight, they are surprised and claim that it is “early.” Several of my peers have reported hearing neighbors’ conversations from their hallways late into the night, including on weeknights. Leaving the library late at night, I pass numerous students still studying, typing away at their computers with their eyes barely open. Whenever I ask other Dartmouth students “How are you?”, the two most common answers I receive are “good” and “tired.” This isn’t just reflected in my personal experience — it’s borne out in the facts. According to the National Institutes of Health, over 70% of college students admit to getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep per day. Sixty percent describe themselves as “dragging, tired or sleepy” at least three days of the week. This is understandable, seeing as college consists of a substantial amount of daily work, paired with large swaths of free time. The result is that students have considerable discretion over what they choose to spend their time on — and many often use it unwisely.
Before I came to college, I had serious problems with sleep. Not only did I have difficulty falling asleep due to stress, anxiety and constant overthinking, but I often didn’t go to sleep until late into the night, often 2 or 3 a.m. I had trouble staying awake in class. Even when I was able to avoid dozing off, I would frequently have to take a nap after school because I could not keep my eyes open when trying to finish my schoolwork.
In college, I was determined to change my bad habits. During my freshman fall, I took a French course that required a language drill — repeated grammar exercises designed to ingrain language speaking skills into students’ memories — three days a week outside of class. Although we had multiple time options to choose from including 3:30 or 5:30 p.m., I decided to pick the earliest one — which began at 7:45 a.m. With this new schedule, I forced myself to go to bed earlier, aiming for 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. each night. Maintaining this more regulated bedtime ensured that I would be able to get sufficient sleep for the next day and maximize my mornings. I felt so much better and more productive for it.
Earlier bedtimes benefit students in every possible way. Specifically, they offer a boost in productivity. Students are often less productive at night, tired from a long day’s work. According to the London School of Business and Finance, the brain is most alert and teachable from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., much earlier than when the typical college student finishes their studying for the evening. Studying in the morning allows students to maximize efficiency and alertness.
Not getting enough sleep doesn’t just affect nighttime productivity — it makes the following day less productive, too. Over 80% of college students claim that loss of sleep actively hurts their academic performance. During sleep, your brain performs functions that are critical to mental productivity, namely the consolidation of memories and the ability to cope with high stress levels. Both of these functions are, in my estimation, essential aspects of being a successful college student.
Furthermore, sleep deprivation has obvious harmful mental health implications, including depression and anxiety. In a study conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, each additional night of insufficient sleep increased the risk of experiencing various mental health symptoms, such as a depressed mood, hopelessness, anger and suicidal thoughts, by approximately 20% each night. Not only does diminished mental health make it harder for students to perform well in school, but it also impacts quality of life more broadly.
Many Dartmouth students may think, “I don’t need sleep when energy drinks exist!” However, energy drinks are linked to a myriad of negative health effects, including cardiovascular problems, nervous system disorders and addictive tendencies. The cycle of using energy drinks as a replacement for sleep is self-reinforcing, as it results in decreased sleep efficiency which in turn causes more exhaustion. This then exacerbates the need for energy drinks the following day. Clearly, excessive amounts of caffeine cannot possibly be a replacement for sleep deprivation.
Dartmouth students should make a conscious effort to get more sleep. Ever since I began doing so, I have been much less exhausted throughout the day and able to better concentrate on my schoolwork. While it may seem as though those extra few hours of staying up late to study are a necessity, in reality, the extra hours of sleep being lost are simply doing yourself a disservice. Prioritize going to bed earlier. It will make you happier, healthier and more productive, enhancing your academic performance and life.
If you want to earn A’s, catch a couple more Z’s.
