Sleepless nights have scattered results for students

Zina Ogbuji
Staff Writer

Hudson Valley students could be getting as little as five hours of sleep on average during the weekdays.
Despite the recommended eight hours of sleep a night for teenagers, some students report that due to their busy schedules, sleep has become less of a priority than getting their work done.
Student Rayane Djedid, whose schedule leads her to be unable to sleep the recommended hours each night, has found herself trying to take naps throughout the day to make up for her lost time.
“I used to laugh at people that take naps,” said Djedid.
Although she used to find the idea of taking naps during the day comedic, with her current schedule, she has found that taking a two-hour nap during the day can keep her feel awake enough to complete her work.
As Djedid has progressed in college, she has found herself being able to get by with much less sleep. Given her workload, Djedid feels that her amount of sleep and naps still do not give her enough energy to get all of her assignments completed.
Shreshta Kota, a CIS student, sleeps an average of five to six hours during her school nights. Kota, who will sleep seven to eight hours on the weekends, thinks that there is a correlation between her amount of sleep to her wakefulness. However, she does not feel that her amount of sleep affects her academic performance.
Kota, who works hard to receive all A’s and B’s in her classes, believes sleeping is not as important as her schoolwork.
“I don’t really think sleeping helps. The only thing that helps is hard work,” Kota said.
According to Rosemary Kelly, a nurse for the Health Services Center, the effects of less than the generally recommended amount of sleep include lowered levels of concentration, focus on daily activities and one’s amount of energy.
Besides these general side effects of lack of sleep, someone who sleeps less than the recommended amount is also more prone to illness and infection.
The positive effects of sleeping a normal amount, according to Kelly, can include higher levels of concentration, stamina and the ability to better deal with stress.
“When you have less sleep you are less able to deal with stress,” said Kelly.