The norm of partial or complete restriction of sleep has caused sleep deprivation to become categorized as an endemic in college students (Hershner, Chervin, 2014). It is important that sleep deprivation and irregular sleep schedules is addressed in order to ensure that students are exercising their full academic potential. Because sleep deprivation in college students is strongly correlated with poor sleeping habits, students must be educated on ways to alter these behaviors in order to optimize sleep quality. One strategy that can improve sleep quantity and quality of college students is circadian rhythm management (Marhefka, 2011). Students must adjust their schedule so that they are going to bed and waking up around the same time every day, allowing variation of only one hour, even on weekdays.
Another possible solution to decreasing sleep deprivation in college students is the application of sleep hygiene recommendations. Students are advice to avoid caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants in the late afternoon because they enhance alertness, making it difficult to fall asleep (Bulboz et al, 2009). Although alcohol is a depressant and can make it easier to fall asleep, it should …show more content…
Most results of these studies discuss how sleep deprived students tend to perform worse academically than many of their peers that are achieving adequate sleep. Although these results have been proven to be accurate, there has not been sufficient studies examining the actual GPA of students as it relates to their sleep quality. Studies have stated that sleep deprivation can cause students’ academic performance to drop. But what is still unclear is how this decline in academic performance affects students overall GPA. Future researchers need to focus on this topic in order to determine whether sleep deprivation actually causes significant drop in students’