Sleep Deprivation and

College Students
By Osagie Izevbigie
Sleep deprivation, simply put is not gaining
sufficient or satisfactory sleep. It negatively
affects learning, memory, performance and the
Grade Point Averages (GPA) of college students. It
causes severe problems with cognition and the
bodys visceral organs, but with the
implementation of health promotional programs,
educational campaigns, and sleep educational
information this problem can be solved.
 Causes of Sleep Deprivation

The main source of

modern sleep deprivation
come from computer
screens, tablet and/or a
smartphone.
The use of caffeine and
other stimulants right
before bed affect sleep
too.
Image gotten from Dove Medical: Challenges to good sleep
hygiene in college students.
 Body systems affected

College students should

endeavor to always get the
recommended daily amount of
sleep, because Low amount of
sleep correlates with negative
academic performance. The
Center for Disease Control
(CDC) recommends adults get 7
or more hours of sleep per
night.
Image from The Great Enigma (Neurowiki, 2013).
 Effects of sleep deprivation on academic
performance
The National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI) highlighted that
College students who are sleep
deprived are at a higher risk of
getting sick because their
immune systems are running at
reduced levels, and that a lack of
sleep has a direct correlation
with the amount of stress that a
college student can handle on a
regular basis.

Graph gotten from Mattress Guide for College

Students
 College students should sleep for at least 8
hours every night
According to Dr. William
Dement, the average sleep
requirement for college
students is well over eight
hours, and twelve percent
of poor sleepers miss class
three or more times a
month or fall asleep in
class.
Image gotten from the guardian: what happens to your body if you study all night.
 Solutions

Solutions to sleep
deprivation are as
followed, Implementation
of health promotional
programs, educational
campaigns, and sleep
educational information
will help solve the
problem of sleep
Image gotten from A college Epidemic: sleep deprivation in college
deprivation students.
Time management skills will help students.

Students who are participating in poor sleep

habits are not aware of the damaging effects
sleep loss has on their health and their
academic performance. Students should learn
time management skills to guide them
towards better sleep habits.
Students should make use of on-campus
resources.

Universities should offer students the

resources to learn and practice these time
management skills, because the effects of
sleep loss on students is damaging to their
overall health and wellness in addition to
academics.