What is sleep? Why do we sleep? How is quality of sleep affected? How many hours of sleep should I get? How do I sleep better?
These questions come up often in my quest to better understand sleep. As a current graduate student studying occupational therapy at Dominican University of California, I am part of a master's thesis group researching how sleep affects college students. Our study is in phase two of three: focusing on how personal attitudes and beliefs affect college student's quality of sleep and participation in sleep hygiene practices.
You are probably wondering: What are sleep hygiene practices? Sleep hygiene practices include habits and routines that are beneficial to sleeping well. Research has identified several practices that are beneficial to improving sleep, including establishing a bedtime routine, not watching TV in your bed, avoiding caffeine, exercising and establishing a quiet comfortable room. If all these practices are effective, why aren't college students using them? The answer will surprise you.
Preliminary findings from our study showed students believe sleep is important, but they prioritize other tasks and activities over sleep. What are students prioritizing over sleep? The top responses included schoolwork and socializing. Students talked about their willingness to give up sleep in order to finish assignments; one participant said, "I would choose school over sleep because school dictates my life."
In our society why does work and school dictate our lives? During high school, my school counselor told me to participate in extracurricular activities, keep my grades up and volunteer in the community to help set me apart in my college applications. At 17 years old, I would wake up at 5:50 a.m. in order to leave the house at 7 a.m. and be in my seat at school by 7:35 a.m. I attended school until 2:35 p.m. then had 20 minutes to change and be in the gym or on the softball field for three hours. I would get home at 6 p.m., eat dinner and start homework at 7 p.m. At this point I would be exhausted. I'd have an option between starting homework or decompressing by watching TV. Normally I would choose the TV before I would even touch my homework at 8 or 9 p.m. The burnout I felt in high school continued to college. Because of the expense of attending a private school, I needed to support myself and work. My life was, and still is, dictated by school and work. I constantly put off sleep to fulfill assignments that I can't finish during the day. I have absolutely zero work-life balance, and I am in a profession that strives for balance among occupations.
So how do occupational therapists send a message that sleep is important, and our culture needs to change? Is becoming sleep deprived more important than putting off tasks that can be finished the next day? Where did our education system go so wrong where we require students to complete assignments, papers, tests, participate in clubs, sports and be a student leader just to build a resume, and sacrifice their sleep schedules?
My goal for this blog is to discuss how occupational therapy can affect sleep through modifying sleep beliefs, patterns and attitudes. I want to debunk sleep myths, explore different sleep problems and help students manage their sleep schedules. I hope to pass on what I discover in this study to those reading and following along with me.
Sweet Dreams,
Rhianna