The end of the semester is upon us and with that, students are staying up late, straining their eyes looking at review material and doing everything they can to pass their classes and ace their finals. But staying up late and stressing about school work can have some negative health effects if students push past their limits.
“Aside from the physical impacts, we also see an increase in the number of students reporting illnesses due to poor sleep because of the impact that it has on a person’s immunity. Students can also have issues with their focus, concentration and memory when they are not getting their full seven to eight hours of sleep,” Health & Wellness Director Andreea Baker said.
Baker stressed the importance of sleep for students, as without it, students are doing the finals with a hand behind their back. Studying late into the night isn’t always beneficial for students, as students are often unable to concentrate and retain information even after studying for hours and hours.
“Sleep is most important when you are studying for finals because it helps with your long-term memory,” Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Jody Yank said. “If you stay up late or pull an all-nighter, you are using your short-term memory more than your long-term memory. Severely impaired sleep leads to memory impairment as well as decreased attention and vigilance. So if you are taking an exam that requires attention to detail, you will be doing yourself more harm than good if you don’t get enough sleep the night before the exam.”
Sleep deprivation, final exams and projects also don’t mix well if a student is trying to be level-headed and avoid stress. Students report more signs of headaches, aches and pains, vomiting and throwing up and panic attacks during finals week due to the intensive stress they often put themselves under. The best thing a student can do is to prevent the problem by being proactive.
“Everyone copes with stress differently, so students need to find what works best for them,” Baker said. “Things that students report helping them include journaling, yoga/meditation, listening to music, talking with friends or family, and physical activity. Spending time outside and taking breaks while working on homework is also beneficial for students. We want students to reach out to campus resources before their stress becomes more than they can manage.”
Students are advised to pace themselves, work with peers, make sure that they are getting quality sleep, nutrition and hydration and avoid burning themselves out with long sleepless nights. Students can learn more about how to survive finals week at De-Stress Fest of May 6, from 11-2 in Cassel, where a free BBQ lunch will be provided as well as a host of ways students can relax and recoup before the final week of school.
