Reclaiming the Night: an Essay

We, students, live in a sleep-deprived world. I can easily recall many dreadful early-morning classes – having rushed to a lecture before the sun had fully risen, sitting at a desk with a pounding headache, feeling warmer and warmer, eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. I was certainly not alone.

We, as complex biological systems, need to sleep. Sleeping protects us from predatory dangers of the night, allows our bodies to undergo maintenance, reinforces our learning and memory, and regulates our bodily growth (Myers). Doubtlessly, we would cease to exist without it. Yet, students, in particular, are burdened by the shadows of constant sleep-deprivation, at a time when our bodies and minds are rapidly maturing – a time when sleep matters the most. Therefore, in order to ensure our intellectual and bodily development, we must sleep earlier.

Having relatively longer periods of sleep will improve the intellectual development of students. Studies have shown that sleep is an important process in which learning is reinforced and retention of memory occurs (Weiten). By sleeping, our moods are boosted, memories strengthened, concentration increased. Having a better mood would encourage us to engage learning with a more positive attitude. With a stronger memory capacity, we would more easily understand and apply learned knowledge. As well, an increased concentration will allow us to better focus on and engage with learning. These factors combined would result in an obvious surge in our academic performance and intellectual development.

Not only is getting more sleep beneficial intellectually, but also developmentally. While sleeping, our bodies unconsciously work throughout the night to perform essential maintenance tasks such as cleaning out inhibitory neurotransmitters and releasing growth hormones. Research has shown that sleeping contributes to the moderation of hunger and obesity, and fortifies the disease-fighting immune system. By simply going to bed a few hours earlier each day, a great amount of stress and potential disease-causing factors can be eliminated, resulting in a stronger, more capable body to tackle challenges ahead.

There are numerous hazardous consequences for fighting against our biological clocks. Still, some may the question the true impact of sleep-deprivation. Take the example of our yearly spring-forward into Standard Time, where we loose merely one hour of sleep. Statistics have shown that there is, on average, a 7% increase in the number of single-car traffic accidents in Canada on the Monday after this time-shift. Some may still not be convinced. Immune system T-cells that fight off viral intrusions and cancer are suppressed by sleep-deprivation. Those who are chronically sleep-deprived are often outlived by those who get 7 – 8 hours of sleep per day. Older adults who do not suffer from sleep disorders live longer than those who do. Recent studies have also shown that chronic sleep debt alters hormonal and metabolic processes in a manner similar to the effect of obesity, hypertension, and memory impairment.

Only by sleeping earlier can we become more productive during the day and avoid falling into a negative cycle of working into the night. Not having enough time to study during the day is a common excuse for students to stay late into the night (or, in most cases, early into the morning). Some suggest that the day is simply too short for productive work, and that only by taking away precious sleeping hours can this false sense of productivity be accomplished. This is, mind you, a misconception. Those who are ineffective during the day are often sleep-deprived, to begin with. Not surprisingly, to compensate for this lack of day-time productivity, many resort to working late, thus falling into a miserable cycle of biological irregularity. However, there is hope. Absorbing more light during morning hours and less so during the evening will resynchronise our body clocks. Incorporating an early wake-time time with regular physical exercise into our daily schedules will also allow our bodies to drift into deep sleep easier, sooner.

Indeed, unnecessarily depriving ourselves of sleep is waging war against our intellectual and bodily development. To quote Herman Melville, we are all “but human”. Let us embrace this simple concept and grant our bodies the sleep that we badly deserve.

Works Cited
Myers, David G. Psychology Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2006.
Weiten, Wayne. Psychology: Themes and Variations. Denver: Wadsworth, 2003.

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