School House Sleepers

Bud Castilleja, staff writer

During just about every school day, millions of students stumble out of bed and rush to school with out an adequate amount of sleep. For most college students, sleep deprivation is a given hazard, even before they attend their first semester of school. Sleep deprivation is not only hazardous to one’s mental health but to physical health as well.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsiness and fatigue cause more than 100,000 traffic accidents each year.

It’s a statistic that should catch the eye of any SPC student who drives to Levelland for class. Researchers in Australia and New Zealand have published studies that found sleep deprivation could have some of the same dangerous effects as being drunk. In the British journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, that same report found that people who drive after being awake for 17 to 19 hours preformed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of 0.5%.

Sleep deprivation also causes other problems beyond impaired motor skills, including anxiety, depression, higher stress levels, and decreased productivity. Now don’t worry, sleep deprivation is not deadly by itself, just very unhealthy. One study recorded a 25-year-old male having stayed awake for 11 consecutive days, before his body shut down and forced him to sleep.

Brain activity is visibly altered following sleep deprivation. Hallucinations are very common among people who fall victim to a lack of sleep. In some cases, sleep-deprived individuals stated seeing shadows take shape and move around the room.

Recognizable signs of sleep deprivation are mood swings, slow reactions, lack of concentration, and of course, those horrible bags under your eyes. Sleep deprivation can be avoided easily and should be taken seriously. Staying away from caffeine, going to bed earlier, or taking 15 minute naps are a few steps to a better night’s rest.