Students offer solutions to sleep on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Sydney McClaine

Staff Writer

Sleep is something that can be foreign to students.  Between class, work and homework it can feel impossible to figure out a functioning schedule.

As the semester goes on, you may start to feel the effects from a lack of sleep. How do you solve this problem? Some students take a nap, some rely on high amounts of caffeine and some simply sleep through class. Every Hudson Valley student has their own method of coping.

Ryan Kelley, a clean energy management student, has a solution with a plan B just in case. “I tend to use my studies to not fall asleep in class and focus on school… or just [drink] 5-hour energy.” Other students know that avoiding sleep isn’t always an option.

After a long day, coming home to a stack of homework isn’t the first thing Jula Megyeri wants to do. “I won’t do my work, I’ll just go to bed at night,” the liberal arts major said. As painful as it may be, studying right after class may be better than putting it off and risking not doing it at all.

Pushing yourself to your limit may not be the healthiest way to get work done, but it is something students may have to do. “It’s all mental,” said Adison Johnson, in the theater arts program. “I don’t drink energy drinks, I don’t drink coffee. When I’m tired I usually punish myself by not drinking anything to force myself to get rest that night. So it’s a way of disappointing myself.”

“I’ve never fallen asleep in a class,” Johnson said. In contrast, Kelley said, “I probably have, not 100% out cold, but I’ve dozed off.” Students such as Kelley know it’s inevitable at some point. The students that haven’t fallen asleep yet, didn’t hesitate to make it clear that it could happen later in the semester.

The leap from a high school schedule to college is hard to adapt to and grades can take a hit.  You get used to the routine of school, to work, to homework to sleep. Your priorities are lined up without too much room for falling behind. College can have sporadic class schedules that throw off the urgency of coming home to finish work.  

Free time in college can be an illusion. You think you have an hour or even the weekend to yourself, only to see how many assignments you have due. Maybe the mental exhaustion takes over and you’ll sleep away the hours you set aside for assignments and studying. With the help of caffeine, energy drinks and the adrenaline rush of stress, you might just stay awake long enough for class. But getting homework done after? Good luck.

Sleep is vital for physical and mental health but adapting to the college lifestyle is a struggle. Freshman year is known for its problematic attendance and lack of decent grades. The correlation between sleep trouble and academic issues cause many problems, but what can be done about it?

Different methods work in different ways for different students. It’s all about finding what works best for you!