Between Easter, Earth Day and Mother's Day there are so many things to look forward to in April and May! Spring is my absolute favorite time of year. The warm weather and longer days make the freezing temperatures and relentless snow seem like distant memories. More time is spent outside simply running around, hanging out with friends, hiking and enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon under the sun. Spring means taking a second to stop and smell the flowers and trips to your local pharmacy for a high dose of Claritin-D 24 hour. You audaciously pack away your wool sweaters and warm scarves as soon as your Yahoo weather app says the temperature is over 50 degrees, completely forgetting that the wind chill in Harrisonburg makes it feel a solid 10 degrees colder... Oh it's because we live in the valley? I don't care, make it stop.
With Spring comes the end of a semester. With the end of the semester comes final exams, projects and presentations. With finals comes stress, lack of sleep and a compromised immune system. In my health research methods class last semester, I had the chance to research the correlation between stress and sleep. We had the opportunity to carry out the entire process of research including literature review, identifying peer-reviewed instruments to collect information, submitting an IRB form, analyzing the data and drawing conclusions. As tedious and time-consuming as the process was it gave me a better understanding for the research process and a new found appreciation for sleep. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a good nights rest but now I understand the impact it can have on your health.
Our study found that individuals who were more stressed had an overall lower sleep quality and experienced more sleep disturbances. Here are 5 real life examples of how sleep deprived JMU's student population is during finals:
1. I witnessed a kid snoring in the quiet study room in Carrier yesterday.
2. There is someone in my direct line of vision who is taking a nap on one of the couches in HHS.
3. I saw a couple making out before they parted ways for class. Direct indication that they are sleep deprived and not thinking straight.
4. I took a nap on the 10 minute bus ride form ISAT to Varner the other day.
5. The closer we get to finals, the more tweets I see after 2am.
Stress goes hand in hand with finals. Papers must be finished, deadlines must be met and exams must be taken. It is imporant for college students and professors to recognize the impact that stress can have on sleeping patterns and your overall health. Poor sleep quality leads to illness which adds more stress. Your body needs sleep to recover and process information.
So here is my public committment to just say no to procrastination, to stay on top of things and to sleep for 8+ hours once a day..maybe twice if it's Monday or something. As Liz Lemon would say "Yes to life. Yes to love. Yes to staying in more."
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