Keep the Sleep

Sean Jordan
Beta Theta Pi

In college, you live your life choosing between two of three things: academics, a social life, and lastly (and surely least for most of us), sleep.

There just simply aren’t enough hours in the day for all three. Think about it: if you want to party, you could either sleep or go to class during the day. If you want to do well academically, you could spend your little free time away from studying at a party or at the library. If you want to sleep…well, no one really wants to sleep anyway.

It’s the culture here. We go to class during the day to keep our parents happy, and in what little free time we have away from our trusted friend Herman B. Wells, we like to frequent a good party or two. By the time we get home from those, it’s 3:30 a.m., and it’s not like we can sleep in until noon. Nobody wants to sleep his day away.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” I’ve even said it habitually myself for a few years now.

Sooner or later, that will catch up to us. According to the Centers for Disease Control, sleep deprivation is one of the most pressing health issues that college students face today. I say “one of the most” because we all know that issues with alcohol run rampant on almost every campus (except for here since it’s a dry campus).

Regardless, sleep deprivation still lingers as a legitimate concern for college students. You might think you’re just tired, shake it off and man up, but in reality you could be fostering a myriad of chronic health conditions.

Prolonged deprivation could lead to acquiring such things as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and depression. It can also lead to difficulty concentrating or making decisions, sluggishness and daytime sleepiness.

More importantly, though, it could lead to obesity. I’m not quite sure about the science behind all of it—consult your nearest biology major if you’re so inclined—but apparently depriving yourself of sleep prevents you from knowing when you’re full. It slows your metabolism. It fattens you up.

After we all faced the evil that was the Freshman 15, it’s evident that gaining weight in college is a real issue. After all, there’s a reason people allude to “weighing the same they did in high school,” not college. All the fried and fast foods we eat here, not to mention calorie-heavy beverages, just amplify the issue.

I know I may be a little hypocritical, as it’s 1:39 a.m., and I’m still up writing this poorly written article. However, the advice is still sound. It is easier said than done, surely, but a little effort goes a long way.

Sean is a senior studying journalism and business.  You may contact him at seajorda@indiana.edu.