We’ve all been there; one decision leads to another, and suddenly we find ourselves going to bed much later than we typically do. Sleeping in the day after an all-nighter seems like a no brainer, right? Sadly, wrong.
A Harvard Medical School study showed that while an extra bit of sleep made participants initially feel more awake, cognitive performance was markedly impaired across the board.
Continued sleep deprivation can affect your professional and academic abilities by impairing your ability to concentrate, remember, problem solve, reason, and make judgement calls. Sleep loss also raises levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can impact many areas of the body. Chronic lack of sleep can also put you at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.
Already pulled one too many all- nighters? Occasionally losing sleep due to the demands of college life is neither abnormal, nor the end of the world. Implementing healthy time management habits (check out Yerika’s article!) and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is the best measure to bring you right back on track if it happens again.
Still, having trouble sleeping? Swing by the Wellness Center to pick up a free sleep kit! Each sleep kit has an eye mask, chamomile tea, earplugs, and literature to help promote a good night’s rest.
References
Lyga, John, and Ying Chen. “Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging.” Inflammation & Allergy Drug Targets, Bentham Science Publishers, June 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082169/.
Alhola, Paula, and Paivi Polo-Kantola. “Sleep Deprivation: Impact on Cognitive Performance.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2007, psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-02717-005.
Cohen, D.A., W. Wang, J. K. Wyatt, R. E. Kronauer, D.-J.Dijk, C. A. Czeisler, E. B. Klerman, Uncovering Residual Effects of Chronic Sleep Loss on Human Performance. Sci. Transl. Med. 2, 14ra3 (2010).
Sigurdson, Krista. “The Public Health and Safety Consequences of Sleep Disorders.” Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17487258.
