Studies show that one of the keys to success in college is getting enough sleep. In a recent eCampus News article it states:
College health official finally are realizing that healthy sleep habits are a potential miracle drug for much of what ails the famously frazzled modern American college student: anxiety, depression, physical health problems, and–more than most students realize–academic troubles. Some studies have found that students getting adequate sleep average a full letter grade higher than those who don’t.
Nine hours of sleep are recommended. In the 1960s and 1970s students got about eight hours of sleep. That had slipped to seven hours in the 1980s, and it is closer to six hours today. The eCampus story has some interesting initiatives being introduced on campuses across the nation to let students know the impact this has on their grades, their health, and many other aspects of their lives.
According to LeeAnn Hamilton, assistant director of health promotion and preventive services at the University of Arizona (UA), research at UA showed the “average student is functioning with a clinical sleep disorder.” Students self-reported 6.5 hours on average, a number that is likely inflated due to student over reporting in these types of surveys.
Read the whole eCampus News story.
Video: Top Five Sleep Tips for College Students
Huffington Post, Sleep Tips for College Students
About.com, Tips to Help College Student Sleep: 10 Small Things Can Make a Big Difference
More TIPS for Learners Posts on Sleep and Student Success
Rick W. Burkett runs the John A. Logan College Teaching and Learning Center, teaches history, heads runs an educational nonprofit. He publishes blogs on a wide variety of topics, including history, teaching and learning, student success, and teaching online.
