You have just finished reading a chapter of the text book but you still have 2 more to go. It was 2 am now and tomorrow is the exam. It seems like tonight you would not be getting any sleep.
This scenario seems familiar to many student especially university students. Inevitably, during the exam period many of us will have to sacrifice our sleep time to mug for the upcoming exam. Perhaps some will think it is okay to sleep less for only a period of time as long as in the other times, we have adequate sleep. However, it is unknown that if generally the university students are getting less sleep than they should. Researches have been done in NUS on the effect of stress but very little/if any have been done to investigate on what is the proportion of tertiary students getting insufficient sleep and the consequence of such practice. (The research question)
Sleep is defined as “A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body…”[1]
On average, most adults need 7 to 8 hrs of sleep but some may need more (10hrs) or less (5hrs).[2][3] Lack of sleep may cause many problems like reduced concentration, hand-eye coordination, ability to carry out math calculations, impaired memory and even hallucinations and mood swings (If one continue to be deprived of sleep)[2][4] and is generally bad for our mental and physical health.
Thus, it would be useful if a survey is done to find out how much sleep is the students in NUS is getting and whether they are being sleep-deprived. Now and then we have heard of students complaining about not having sufficient sleep and we have also seen quite a number of people falling asleep in lectures. This survey can thus prove or debunk the general assumption that (most)students are not having enough time for sleep. Following the results of the survey, advice would be given in the report regarding the importance of sleep and inform students of the adverse effect of sleep-deprivation. Suggestions gathered from the surveyed may also be reflected to the school if most of the students feel that their lack of sleep is due to too heavy study workload.
As such, more attention can be given to this much neglected problem of sleep deprivation of students.[5]
References
1. From http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sleep&r=66
“A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body…, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. During sleep the brain in humans and other mammals undergoes a characteristic cycle of brain-wave activity that includes intervals of dreaming.”
2. From National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep, http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
3. Although the amount of sleep needed is varied among individuals, “Experts say that if you feel drowsy during the day, even during boring activities, you haven't had enough sleep. If you routinely fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably have severe sleep deprivation, possibly even a sleep disorder. Microsleeps, or very brief episodes of sleep in an otherwise awake person, are another mark of sleep deprivation.” In addition to this, “the amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a "sleep debt," which is much like being overdrawn at a bank. Eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid. We don't seem to adapt to getting less sleep than we need; while we may get used to a sleep-depriving schedule, our judgment, reaction time, and other functions are still impaired. ”[2 ]
4. Other that the adverse effects mentioned above, it also will affect growth and for repair of body (‘Deep sleep may truly be "beauty sleep." ’) and less than optimal ability in emotional and social functioning that require emotional control, decision-making, and social interactions. [2]
5. Actually the Singapore Neurology and Sleep Centre, had conducted the Teen Sleep Survey in 2007 on the amount of sleep secondary school students in Singapore have. The results is that “80 per cent of them are getting less than eight hours of sleep on school days, while only 2.6 per cent are getting the recommended nine hours.” However, the situation with tertiary students (eg in NUS) might be even worse since the studies is more demanding and parents have less control over their child’s sleeping habits.
From Asiaone-health, SleepLESS in Singapore, http://www.asiaone.com/Health/Wellness%2B%2540%2BWork/Story/A1Story20070625-15642.html
Pictures from http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~lah/emma/Images/Shots_of_Emma/Smiling_in_sleep.jpg
