Miya Pearson
Sleep is essential for our health and happiness, but it can be difficult to get enough of it, especially for students during exam time. College students, in particular, suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, with over half getting fewer than seven hours of sleep during a typical semester. This can have serious consequences, including impaired immune function, increased stress and weight gain, a higher risk of depression, and decreased cognitive performance. So what can be done to improve sleep during exam time?
One solution is to take a nap, or to exercise, listen to music, or practise breathing exercises. It's also important to avoid caffeine and alcohol, and to limit exposure to blue light from computers, phones, and TVs. If you're taking a sleep study, it's normal to find it difficult to sleep due to the monitoring equipment and unfamiliar environment. However, even if your sleep is interrupted, the data collected can still be used to gain valuable insights for diagnosis and treatment.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Circadian rhythms | Internal body clock that runs on a 24-hour cycle, dictating when you feel tired and alert |
| Sleep stages | Light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep |
| Sleep disorders | Sleep apnea, hypersomnia, parasomnias, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders |
| Sleep treatments | CPAP, melatonin, sleep medicines, light therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy |
| Sleep study types | Home sleep study, standard sleep study (polysomnogram) |
| Sleep study procedure | Sensors placed on the body to monitor electrical activity of the brain, eye and muscle movements, airflow and breathing patterns |
| Sleep preparation | Avoid caffeine and alcohol, limit naps, reduce blue light exposure, exercise, maintain sleep schedule |
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What You'll Learn
Sleep studies: What they are and how to prepare for them
A sleep study, formally known as a polysomnogram, is a diagnostic test that tracks and records the activity of multiple body systems while you sleep. Sensors are attached to your body to monitor your heart, brain, and respiratory system, giving healthcare providers a comprehensive view of your sleep quality. This test is common and can help diagnose many sleep-related conditions, such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome.
How to Prepare for a Sleep Study:
- Speak to your doctor: Discuss any medications you are taking, as certain medications can interfere with the results. If you are feeling anxious, request a tour of the sleep clinic, and consider having someone accompany you.
- Daily routine: On the day of the study, follow your usual daily routine as much as possible. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening, and do not nap, as this can make it harder to fall asleep during the study.
- What to bring: If your sleep study is at a clinic, pack similar items to what you would bring for an overnight stay. This includes pajamas or comfortable sleepwear, a toothbrush, and other toiletries. You can also bring your own pillow, something to read, and a change of clothes for the next day.
- Skin and hair products: Avoid using hair and skin products such as makeup, gels, or lotions on the day of the study. These can affect how the sensors attached to your body during the study gather data.
- Alcohol and caffeine: Keep alcohol and caffeine consumption to a minimum, especially close to your bedtime. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages can affect your sleep, and it is recommended to stop consuming them at least eight hours before your study.
- Maintain your routine: Stick to your usual bedtime routine as much as possible. This includes activities such as showering, getting dressed, and brushing your teeth.
What to Expect During a Sleep Study:
During a sleep study, you will be assigned a private room where a technologist will attach sensors to your head and body. These sensors are painless and will record information while you sleep. You can read or relax until it is time to sleep. The technologist will monitor the results and assist you if needed. The study typically ends when you wake up in the morning, and the sensors are removed.
It is common to sleep less than usual during a sleep study due to the sensors and the unfamiliar environment. This usually does not affect the results, but you should inform your doctor if you have any concerns.
Why Sleep Studies Are Important:
Sleep studies provide valuable insights into the causes of sleep-related symptoms and help diagnose sleep disorders. They are also used to monitor the response to treatment in people with diagnosed sleep disorders. Sleep disorders can affect your mood, energy levels, and overall health, so accurate diagnosis and treatment are essential.
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The impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance
Sleep is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. Sleep deprivation can have adverse effects on overall behaviour and cognitive performance. Neurological pathways slow down, causing a reduced reaction time and mental state.
Attention and Alertness
Studies have shown that sleep deprivation results in slower and imprecise picture sorting, along with lower memory detection for pictures. This reduction in effective integration and functional connectivity of the subparts of a task affects the ability to perform a task successfully. Visual tasks given to participants showed that the difficulty of the tasks was related to parietal cortex activation, and inactivation of the insular cortices, visual cortices, and the cingulate gyrus. This pattern of activation and deactivation was considerably lower in the sleep-deprived participants than the group with complete sleep. These combined factors can cause impairment in the attentional networks essential for accurate attention performance and can lead to higher vulnerability to risks and accidents in routine life.
Judgement and Decision-Making
Sleep deprivation results in a loss of functional connectivity between the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). With a lack of sleep, an increased amygdala hyperlimbic reaction occurs, resulting in stimuli with negative emotional connotations. This varying level of amygdala activity is linked to a loss of mPFC functional connectivity when sleep-deprived, suggesting a decrease in prefrontal lobe inhibition signals. Sleep deprivation results in missing a corrective brain reset reactivity due to the dysfunctional integrity of the mPFC-amygdala circuit, causing inappropriate behavioural responses, such as making rational decisions and social judgements.
Memory
Sleep deprivation appears to disrupt memory consolidation in the hippocampus through long-term potentiation (LTP). The NMDA receptor is required for the consolidation phase of memory, as it allows memory to advance from an unstable to a more permanent form, which is disrupted in sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can impair the full activation of the glutamate receptor by altering the surface and receptor sub-unit composition expression, with a reduced Ca2+ influx.
Creativity and Other Cognitive Processes
Creativity is another aspect of cognition hindered by sleeping problems. Connecting loosely associated ideas is a hallmark of creativity, and this ability is strengthened by good sleep. NREM sleep provides an opportunity for information to be restructured and reorganised in the brain, while new ideas and links between thoughts often emerge during REM sleep. These processes enable insight, a core element of innovation and creative problem-solving.
Overall Effects of Sleep Deprivation
The short-term detriments of poor sleep on the brain and cognition can be the result of pulling an occasional all-nighter, while those with chronic sleep problems may see a continuous negative effect on day-to-day tasks. Over the long term, poor sleep may put someone at a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
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Tips for sleeping during college finals
College students often suffer from sleep deprivation, especially during finals week. However, pulling "all-nighters" can hurt your grades. Sacrificing sleep for studying does not improve your performance. So, here are some tips to help you sleep better during college finals:
- Use your naps as study breaks: Napping right after learning something can improve your memory of the material. Limit your naps to 20-30 minutes and plan for them to end by the late afternoon.
- Follow a regular sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. A consistent sleep schedule can improve academic performance.
- Optimise your sleep environment: Make your bedroom as cool, dark, and quiet as possible. Use eye masks, earplugs, or white noise machines if necessary.
- Say goodnight to your phone: The blue light emitted by electronic devices can disrupt your sleep. Turn off your phone at least 30 minutes to an hour before bed.
- Exercise at the right time: Moderate daily exercise can help you fall asleep faster and improve your sleep quality. Just make sure to finish your workout at least an hour before bedtime.
- Start your day with sunlight: Sunlight helps set our natural body rhythms and sleep/wake cycles. Try to get outside in the morning or open your window shades to let the natural light in.
- Be careful with caffeine and alcohol: Caffeine and alcohol can negatively impact your sleep quality. Stop consuming caffeine eight hours before bedtime and alcohol three hours before.
By following these tips, you can improve your sleep during college finals and give yourself the best chance for success.
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How to study when tired
Staying alert and concentrating can be a challenge when you need to study, especially at the end of a long day. Here are some tips to help you study when you're tired:
- Decrease screen timeStudying in a brightly lit room can help keep you focused and alert. Research has shown that people exposed to daylight during the day tend to stay alert for longer in the evening. For night-time studying, ensure your environment is sufficiently bright, and don't rely on a single light source if possible.
- Don't get too comfortable: Getting too comfortable can make you feel drowsy. Try wearing "work clothes" instead of pyjamas, and stand up occasionally while studying. A 2011 study found that participants who alternated between sitting and standing during work reported higher energy levels and felt more energised, focused, productive, and happier.
- Remove distractions: Minimise digital distractions by turning your phone on silent and closing all unrelated tabs on your computer. If you can, remove yourself from potential family-related distractions by putting a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door and/or wearing headphones.
- Study with others: Studying with like-minded people can be useful for motivation and keeping each other going.
- Drink water: Coffee might give you a short-term boost, but water is what your body really needs when you're tired. Dehydration forces your body to work harder and can give you pounding headaches and increase your mental exhaustion.
- Eat a balanced diet: Avoid heavy meals and highly processed foods, as they can make you feel sleepy. Fuel your body with natural, nutritious food balanced with protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and healthy fats for sustained energy throughout the day.
- Study consistently: Study when you're most alert. On average, most people have peak alertness and energy in the mid-morning, a "post-lunch slump" up to 3 pm, increased alertness up to around 6 pm, and a gradual decline in alertness for the rest of the evening and early hours of the morning.
- Exercise: Get some fresh air and sunlight, which will make you feel more energetic and less moody. A 2011 study found that participants who alternated between sitting and standing during work reported higher energy levels. A 10-minute walk or some light stretching and exercises by your desk can also boost your energy and focus.
- Take breaks: Take a 10-15 minute break after a 45-50 minute study cycle. This will keep you motivated and give your brain a quick rest.
- Switch topics or tasks: When you're feeling tired, try switching to an easier task or topic to keep the studying momentum going.
- Take a power nap: A 20-30 minute power nap can help you feel refreshed and ready to go.
- Get enough sleep: The amount of sleep each person needs varies, but generally, adults aged 18-64 need 7-9 hours. Sleep plays a significant part in mood, concentration, inspiration, and memory — all of which affect learning.
- Eat to sustain energy levels: Your brain uses a lot of energy, so it's important to eat to retain your energy level while studying. Eat foods that steadily release glucose into the bloodstream, such as rice, porridge, low-sugar muesli, granola bars, cereal with seeds/nuts, low-fat milk, soups, vegetables, wholegrain, and most fruits.
- Make studying active: Reading and rereading class notes or textbooks may not be enough to hold your attention. Try transferring details to a map, cue card, diagram, table, or another visual medium, or teaching your subject to a classmate.
- Take regular breaks: Your focus tends to decrease after about 50 minutes, so take a 5-10 minute break to regain your attention.
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Sleep disorders and treatments
Sleep is an essential part of our lives, and getting a good night's rest can be crucial for our health and well-being. However, sleep disorders can disrupt our sleep patterns and impact our daily lives. Sleep disorders can range from difficulty falling asleep to conditions like sleep apnea and insomnia. Here are some common sleep disorders and treatments to help you understand and manage them better:
Sleep Disorders
- Insomnia: This is a common sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep. It can lead to non-restorative sleep and daytime sleepiness. Insomnia can be acute or chronic and is often a symptom of another disorder.
- Sleep Apnea: This disorder is characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type, occurring when the throat muscles relax and block the airway. Central sleep apnea is less common and involves the brain not sending proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS): People with RLS experience an overwhelming urge to move their legs, often due to uncomfortable sensations. This usually occurs at rest or during sleep, and it can disrupt sleep patterns.
- Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and may suddenly fall asleep, even during activities like working or driving.
Treatments for Sleep Disorders
- Healthy Sleep Habits: Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a comfortable sleep environment, and avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol close to bedtime can improve sleep quality.
- Light Therapy: Exposure to bright light similar to sunlight can help reset the sleep-wake cycle and treat disorders like delayed sleep-wake phase disorder and jet lag.
- Orofacial Therapy: Exercises for the mouth and facial muscles can treat sleep apnea by improving tongue position and strengthening muscles that control the upper airway.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): This 6- to 8-week treatment plan includes cognitive therapy, relaxation techniques, sleep education, and stimulus control therapy to help individuals fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality.
- Medications: Prescription medications like benzodiazepine receptor agonists, melatonin receptor agonists, and orexin receptor antagonists can aid in falling asleep. Over-the-counter sleep aids and melatonin supplements may also be recommended, but it's important to consult a healthcare provider first.
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): CPAP machines use mild air pressure to keep airways open during sleep and are commonly used to treat sleep apnea. Oral devices that hold the jaw or tongue in a specific position can also be used.
- Surgery: In some cases, surgery may be necessary to treat sleep apnea. This can include removing the tonsils and adenoids, implanting devices to monitor breathing patterns, or performing jaw advancement surgery to enlarge the upper airway.
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Frequently asked questions
If you need to study but didn't get any sleep, you should consider taking a nap or drinking a caffeinated beverage. If you can't do either of those things, try doing some light exercise, listening to music, or doing breathing exercises.
Adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night to feel rested. Teenagers require a bit more, between eight to ten hours.
Sleep deprivation can cause impaired immune function, increased stress and cravings, weight gain, increased risk of depression, decreased athletic performance, and impaired cognitive performance. It can also negatively impact your memory, creativity, and logical reasoning.
To improve your sleep, try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, optimise your bedroom for sleep, limit your caffeine and alcohol intake, and exercise daily.
