Sleep on
By Ryan Johnston
Sleep deprivation can affect a student’s grades, but it may also affect their health.
Counselor Thomas C. Johnson said that those students who attend school and work full-time and deal with family and personal issues, need to create a sleep pattern in their lives.
“Once we decide we’re going to rest and sleep, we don’t need too much stimulation before that time,” he said. “We need to prepare to go to sleep.”
He explained that there are many distractions when attempting to sleep that could prevent people from sleeping. Those distractions include television, radio and music.
As adviser for the Black Student Alliance, Johnson took a trip to Texas A&M for a conference, while at the conference, he said, students were talking on their cell phone, listening to iPods and multitasking.
“What struck me was that they don’t take time to sit down and relax,” he said.
Another factor Johnson said decreases sleep was diet and the amount of caffeine that enters the body.
“Sodas and drinks are highly loaded with caffeine,” he said. “They keep us awake and going. Those things get in the way.”