Students at Hamilton are not underachievers. All of us are attending an elite, small liberal arts school. We have on campus jobs; we are athletes; we are tutors; we are volunteers; we are club members; we are friends.
It is difficult, sometimes impossible, to complete all the tasks we are assigned in the span of one day. By the time we get back to our dorm rooms and crawl into bed, our minds are buzzing with information. School, friends, that party this weekend, that text message, it goes on and on. It sometimes feels impossible to calm the thoughts down and fall asleep. Cue the Melatonin and ZzzQuil. While sleep medication is in issue in itself, this issue stems from pressures of and practices found in society.
This issue is further perpetuated by the consumption of neuroenhancers and other caffeinated or stimulant medications. College students today face a more competitive environment than ever before.
In order to stay ahead, to accomplish all that we are required to, it sometimes feels unavoidable to pop an Adderall, a caffeine pill or even a Five Hour Energy to complete, and excel at, all of our tasks. We have been taught and trained that we must be the best at everything that we do, and faced with situations where we feel we are lacking in time or ability, we will do what it takes to get ahead.
It is difficult in today’s society, especially on college campuses, to resist the pressures placed on young people to meet the demands placed on us by school and extracurriculars. It is challenging to refuse any kind of advantage that can be found, especially when your peers are participating in such activities. I think it is essential for students to start putting their health first and success secondary when today, it comes at such a risk.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, ⅓ of adults struggle with medically diagnosed insomnia. It is possible that college students are so overworked that their brains too wired to fall asleep and these problems are beginning at an earlier age. Resorting to sleep medicine, however, should not be the first step. Besides the obvious fact that anyone thinking about starting medicine should consult their doctor, there are other ways to get back to the 9 to 11 PM. sleep routine.
According to a study at University of Georgia, college students get 6 to 6.5 hours of sleep when we should be getting 8. While it has been mentioned that college students, and Hamilton students especially, pack their days full, it is good to be reminded that every student everywhere has a circadian biological clock. Normally, your body starts to release higher levels of melatonin, the hormone that makes you tired, about two hours before you are routinely set to sleep. So, if you were in a habit of popping a Nyquil or some melatonin-inducing pill around 1 a.m. and falling asleep soon afterward, instead of continuing that cycle, challenge your body to readjust on its own. A big part of this means limiting caffeine in any form, that includes coffee, energy drinks, and drugs, close to bedtime.
So yes, if you are a diagnosed insomniac and are prescribed by your doctor to take sleep medicine, do it. But if not, the tried and true routine changes of less caffeine, earlier exercise, and monitoring the sleeping problem exists. If you do try these, and you still find you are having a hard time sleeping, try the medicine. But do be aware many of the long term effects have yet to be discovered, and by taking the medicine, you are disrupting your body’s natural clock. So next time you pour that huge cup of coffee or tea to re-energize post-dinner and tell yourself you will just pop some sleep medicine after you are done, swap the drink for a fruit and water and keep the pills in the bag.
