According to a recent Louisiana Tech study, only 11 percent of college students reported receiving quality sleep. The majority of college students practice unhealthy sleep patterns, according to the study.
Unhealthy sleep habits include "any sleep loss that produces sleep deficiencies," said Frederick Brown, associate professor of psychology at Penn State.
Catching up on sleep over the weekend helps, but, "if people are chronically sleep-deprived five out of seven days, the two days of the weekend are not enough to make up the sleep lost," Brown said.
Brown said he recommends that students establish a regular sleep regimen, sleeping and waking at about the same time most days of the week.
"I didn't get a chance to [sleep later during break]. I had to get up and go to work at the same time I usually went to class," Courtney Young (freshman-forensic science) said.
Young said if work hadn't forced her to wake up earlier, she would have taken the opportunity to "get caught up on sleep."
For many students wishing to grab some extra sleep, an afternoon nap is the first answer.
"If it's been a day when I'm really worn out, then I'll take a nap. I think I need to take more naps though," Randi Anderson (freshman-Japanese) said. She said she tries to keep her naps less than an hour long.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 20- to 30-minute naps can be helpful. These "power naps" can maintain or improve alertness, performance and mood.
"The longer the nap, the greater the amount of sleep inertia," Brown said. Sleep inertia is a sluggish, tired feeling that may last for an hour or more after a nap.
"The smart thing to do is to get sufficient sleep at night so that you're functioning at your most efficient rather than dragging around sleepily throughout the day," Brown said.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's tips for getting a good night's sleep include avoiding large meals and beverages late at night, not exercising late in the day and avoiding caffeine and nicotine.
Brown said to remember that "adequate sleep is not an option, it's as important as eating the right foods and exercising."
