Sleep is a diverse, complex, multifaceted series of stages that make important contributions to our daytime functioning. Sleep is induced and maintained by our homeostatic sleep drive, a physiological process that strives to obtain the amount of sleep needed to provide for a stable level of daytime alertness. Wakefulness is induced and maintained by a clock-dependent alerting process, which is controlled by our biological clock.
While there are individual differences, most people need to sleep 8 hours a day. Recent research suggests that ten hours of sleep is required for optimal performance. Energy, vigilance, critical thinking skills, creativity, and ability to effectively process information are all enhanced. Conversely, we accumulate a sleep debt if we do not get adequate amount of sleep consistently. Consider this: Going sleepless for a day could affect performance as much as a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. One hour sleep loss every night for an entire week is equivalent of having pulled one all-nighter.
Making the transition from high school to college can be difficult. There are many new challenges that first year college students face. Here are some tips on how to be successful as a first year college student:
Stress is a part of our everyday lives and college students are no exception. Here are some stress management tips for all students, freshmen to seniors:
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Stress can impact both our physical and emotional health. It is important to not only be aware of the effects of stress but to also have some tools for effectively coping with stress. This video from WellCast describes the effects of stress and some ways to cope with stress. |
What is stress and what should we do to manage it? This video from the BBC discusses what stress is and some tools for relieving stress.
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