Counting sheep or getting sleep

By Jack Gillum

It appears that some Santa Clara students count activities rather than sheep.

The pressures of midterms, jobs and social responsibilities make some feel as if there aren't enough hours in the day. And that, according to wellness experts, can be the cost of precious sleep that students lose each day.

"College is difficult for time management," said Jeanne Zeamba, a health educator at the on-campus Wellness Center. "Students try to do everything all at once."

It may be a visceral fact that college living does not dictate plentiful amounts of rest. But some question if the quarter system - versus the more common semester system - worsens this problem by seemingly stuffing more academics in a shorter time.

Patrick Luck, a freshman psychology major, couldn't agree more. "We not only spend time with friends, but we are also expected to take 16 units [of credits] per quarter," said Luck, who also works part time as an usher at a local sports arena. "On top of the quarter system, you have to juggle the social aspects of college, too."

Administrators do recognize sleep's effects on academic performance. In a study last year, a small - yet sizeable - percentage of Santa Clara students said that incompletes or withdrawals from courses were due to a lack of sleep. Other students just find the idea of the quarter system inherently stressful.

"The system is jammed packed into [few] weeks," said Bryan Lorentz, a freshman McLaughlin resident. "It's like I'm taking a midterm every week. It's insanity."

Criticisms of the quarter system may have some merit but are part of a larger picture, according to Jeanne Rosenberger, dean for Student Life. She says academic concerns mostly revolve around students' need to create routines and learn new techniques.

"This is related to time management and study skills and taking advantage of resources available," Rosenberger said.

Some of those resources include seeking advice from the Drahmann Academic Advising Center, which can assist with perfecting time management or even finding a good study environment.

Danny Aijian, the freshman class vice president, says he has countered this intensity by creating "time blocks," and notes that a large portion of his week is spent on some school-related activity. But, he admits, that is part of the collegiate experience.

"Coming to college, I should expect to function with not that much rest," said Aijian. "But in the long run, I do feel it. It is affecting my performance."

Besides academics, some students can wear themselves on volunteer work - something integral to the university's theme of social justice. On average, Santa Clara student volunteers work more than other schools that participated in a nationwide survey, according to Rosenberger. Statistics show 40 percent of volunteers work up to nine hours a week, while other institutions report that only one in four students do similar volunteering.

According to another study published in the magazine Behavioral Medicine, sleep problems for college students in general are getting worse. Between 1969 and 1989, for instance, students slept an average of one hour less per night.

When sleep concerns get more serious, Rosenberger points down the hall to the Counseling Center, which can help students find a better understanding of why they are not sleeping and seek answers to potentially more significant problems.

While administrators had no statistics on what specifically motivates students to stay up late, Zeamba said it could be attributed to both the social and academic aspects of college, especially here at Santa Clara. "We have a very high achieving school," said Zeamba. Students are very involved and work [in jobs], and that adds a lot of pressure to their time."

Statistics offered by the Wellness Center paint a better picture of students' sleep habits. When asked in a survey of how many feel they get enough sleep to feel rested in the morning per week, a little more than half noted that between three and five nights were restful. About one quarter of respondents said that was true for only one to two nights a week, with 7 percent saying they never feel rested in the morning.

These statistics are about average - if not better - than a sampling of other nationwide institutions. In an assessment taken last spring by the American College Health Association, only 45 percent said they feel rested three to five nights per week, with 30 percent feeling restful after one or two nights. A little more than 11 percent of nationwide respondents believed that they never got enough rest. Sleep deprivation can do more than effect alertness in class - severe cases can cause stress reactions, anxiety, headaches and in some cases, depression, said Zeamba.

There are self-help sleep tips available to students, published on the Wellness Center's Web site. While some students may think alcohol can motivate sleep, Zeamba cautions against it. "Avoid alcohol as it produces irregular sleep patterns and does not give the body the necessary sleep it needs," said Zeamba.

The Wellness Center also warns that if a student is under "extreme" pressures - such as being involved in a severe crisis, that it may be necessary to seek professional help. Some problems, according to Zeamba, are also due to the missing guidance students had growing up.

"For the first time, no one is telling [students] to go to bed," Zeamba said. "They're on their own trying to manage their time, and how to get everything on a schedule.

Zeamba says there is relief to tireless days, but it requires work of the part of the student to limit his or her activities.

"It takes a concerted effort to make some lifestyle changes," said Zeamba. "Sometimes, you need to learn ways to just say 'no.'"