Sleep...

Written by rahul karthik

Illustration by Ellen Lan

Sleep. As college students, we don’t get nearly enough of it though most of us can attest to how important it is. Sleep impacts our lives in more ways than one, and it is vital in the academic sphere. 

On February 13th, 2023, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science focused on finding a correlation between sleep and GPAs. The researchers sampled freshmen from three universities, collecting various data points surrounding their sleep and academic performance. The most glaring conclusion was that “every hour of nightly sleep lost was associated with a 0.07 decrease in end-of-term GPA” (Creswell et. al).

That observation quantifies ideas that have long been understood in society. However, what we still lack is an emphasis on getting that sleep. The “all-nighter” is a phenomenon that most students have been through, pushing their brains to the limit as they memorize information for their exam the next day. At the same time, any professor will likely tell you that cramming is the worst way to study. I have personally seen multiple Neuroscience professors state that same idea, and have later seen my classmates (and myself) disregard their advice, both intentionally and unintentionally. That has likely happened every semester since the university opened.

Many factors could contribute to this never-ending cycle of sleep-sacrifice. Procrastination and the pressure of academia are just a few. Regardless, it is imperative that we take steps to encourage sleep in our university. Other universities, including Washington State, James Madison, and Wake Forest, have taken that step by implementing sleep centers. The sleep centers allow students to rest between their classes without having to leave campus. In doing this, these universities have positively impacted student wellness and mental health, which could eventually lead to increased student success. UT Austin could do the same, creating a better environment for its students in which self-care is valued as much as academic achievement.