The importance of a good night’s sleep.
During lockdown, we came across a few cases of sleep deprivation, from a staff member being diagnosed with burnout, to students suffering from depression due to a lack of sleep or for changing their sleeping patterns. Often, we take sleep for granted until we do not manage to get enough. Sleep is so important for the functioning of our body, mind, and emotional wellbeing. Without sufficient sleep, we lower our immune system, affect our memory and concentration levels, as well as our mood.
With exams around the corner, we thought it would be a good idea to look at sleep and how it not only can affect us but also what we can do to ensure we are getting enough. During exams, several students suffer from a lack of sleep due to studying late into the night or even pulling an “all-nighter”. We have all been in that exam room where someone pulled an “all-nighter” and falls asleep during the exam or hits a complete blank. So how much sleep do we need and why?
Petra Hawker has researched and written a book on sleep which delves into why we need sleep, what happens when we don’t get enough, and ways to overcome this. Evidence is showing that adults need at least 7-9 hrs of sleep a night. In Petra’s book “Sleep” she explains the 4 different stages of sleep the human body goes through when we sleep, how we cycle through these different sleep stages, and how the body benefits through each one. When we don’t get enough sleep, we rob our body of these much-needed benefits.
What are some of the benefits of sleep?
1. We give our bodies a physical boost.
2. It assists the body in weight control.
3. Helps clear our mind.
4. Helps keep our emotions in balance.
5. Decreases the risk of heart disease.
As a student its is important to know the value sleep has on your brain. Petra explains in her book “The brain is central to all aspects of sleep. It controls our rhythms of sleeping and waking and the different kinds of sleep we experience. While we slumber it remains active, making and processing memories, and clearing old neural pathways to enable us to learn new things.” So, therefore, you can see why pulling and “all-nighter” or staying awake later trying to study passed your normal bedtime would be counterproductive. Studies have shown that people who sleep well after studying retain more and are able to recall facts and information far better than those who do not get adequate sleep.
So, what are some of the things we could do to help us sleep better, especially during exam season?
1. Stay off your phone and electronic devices 30 min before you go to sleep.
2. Keep active. The best thing you can do to assist you in sleeping is exercise.
3. Watch your stimulant intake e.g. alcohol, caffeine, and cigarettes.
4. Try keep your bed for sleep only.
5. Sleep with your room well ventilated and cool.
6. Try and keep your bedtime and waking to the same time each day.
7. Meditation and breathing exercises before bed assist the mind in releasing any stress and anxiety you may have.
8. If you struggle to sleep, do not lay there worrying about the fact that you cannot sleep, rather get up and find something calm and relaxing to do and then try again later.
We hope that during this exam season you will study during the day and ensure that you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night. From all of us at the Tiso Foundation, we wish you the best with your upcoming exams.