College Students and the Subject of Rest: Uses, Benefits, Side Affects, and Warnings Regarding Daily Naps between 15-90 minutes for Young Adults Ages 18-24

I called this "A Time to Dream"; below, "Coffee Deity", "In Deo Speramus?" and "Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place"



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 Sleep PSA: The Importance of Naps 

From A College Student's Perspective

 Male and female college students between the ages of 18 and 24 should try to get 8.4 hours of sleep a night to keep their minds focused and sharp. However, few college students actually get their recommended nightly value of sleep, while 73% have at least occasional problems sleeping and 15% report serious problems with sleep. (Buboltz, Brown, and Soper, 2000) This PSA aims to bring an awareness of napping to those students who do not have pre-existing conditions, such as insomnia, that would be worsened by daily naps. Don't nap if you have insomnia!

 How Naps Can Help Us

Napping is an easy and useful skill that many students in college can learn to enjoy more of their time in school to the fullest. In fact, studies show that naps of less than 30 minutes duration during the day promote wakefulness and enhance performance and learning ability in healthy adults. (Dhand and Sohal, 2006) Who knew? Taking short naps or getting a good night's sleep have also been found to improve performance on verbal memory tasks (Mednick, Cai, Kanaday, and Drummond, 2008) and difficult visual judgment tests (Mednick, Nakayama, and Stickgold 2003). Oh Wow! This type of rest could be absolutely vital to college students who wish to use more of their time and mental and physical resources to study hard and enjoy their lives. (WPSYC55 - Keepin' you dazed and confused!)

Musical Interlude: Pillowcase

(Cover of "Ball and Chain" composed and performed by Sublime) 

People listen up, don't stand too near, 

I've got something that you all should hear

All the sleep, all the sleep you're losing now,

Forms a little mess that'll make you frown 

Now I was always taught to go to bed, 

 Wake up feeling great and use my head 

But time, time is so hard to find, 

If you don't sleep enough, you'll lose your mind

I just take a nap, 

When I get out of class

For 15 to 90 minutes

I step into the great unknown

A pillowcase I call my home, ta nana na na naw

Alcohol, Sleep, and College: 

How Rest Can Help Students Stay Safe and Have Fun

One of the major challenges to getting a good night's sleep facing our age group today is alcohol; not only does alcohol affect circadian rhythm of sleep, users ages 18-24 have an elevated risk of injury due to accidents and other health problems. (Hingsen, Heeren, Winter, and Wechsler, 2005) While ethanol initially improves sleep in non-alcoholics at both low and high doses, high doses of ethanol cause disturbance in the second half of the night's sleep. (Roehrs and Roth, 2001) Students who do not get a good night's sleep because of, or in addition to, alcohol use also have been found to be more exposed to harm from cigarettes, binge drinking, and unprotected sex than those who do not engage in alcoholic consumption. (Raynord and Levine, 2009) Go figure. It is very important that one act as rationally as possible when entered into a scenario involving controlled substances; daytime napping is one possible way to boost awareness of risk factors in an environment for students who have a hard time getting the recommended 8.4 hours of sleep a night but still with to engage in these activities. All students should have the best of their ability to avoid harm from impairment, exhaustion, and situations of risk. By using short naps, people of many lifestyles can improve performance in work and in play.

Musical Interlude 2: Sleep Again

(Cover of "See You Again" composed and performed by Miley Cyrus) 

I've done some research and, I know when I'm right

Performance and ability grown overnight

When you take naps of 15 to 90 minutes

Sleep can help you do all of this

Improvement with practice on visual tasks

Also improves when you, take some naps (yeah)

A good night's sleep or just 90 minutes

Naps can help you do all of this

The last time I went out
I just kept passing out
I st-st-stuttered when you asked me what I dreamt about
Felt like no memory
Had stuck at all with me
My best friend Cindy asked "Why are you dressed like Miley?"
The next time we go out
I will think more about
All of the sleep I lost
Ooh I, I can't wait, to sleep again

Don't Rush! Things to Know Before Napping

There are a few things you should keep in mind when planning a nap. One cannot live on naps alone; they are not a substitute for nighttime sleep that improves one's circadian rhythm. Studies have actually shown higher morbidity rates in people who nap for longer than 90 minutes a day, so be sure to train your mind to awaken after a short nap using an alarm. (Dhand and Sohal, 2006) The effects of daytime naps will only benefit you if you are close to getting the recommended amount of nightly sleep; nothing but long, health periods of sleep can make up for large sleep debt. Finally, make sure to check with your doctor to see whether you are influenced by a slep disorder such as insomnia. Not only do insomniacs have much longer sleep onset latencies during the night, they also rarely have successfull daytime napping that increases wakefulness. (Haynes, Fitzgerald, Shute, and Halls, 1985) What's worse is that insomniacs rarely visit their physicians about their problems and four out of ten insomniacs self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs and alcohol, which worsens their sleep conditions. (Roth, Ancoli-Israel, 1991) It is estimated that about 6% of the general population has some form of insomnia. (Ohayon, 2002) Major depressive illness is greatly associated with insomnia, so one should make sure that they are not at risk of agitating symptoms of sleep-related illnesses through napping.

 Musical Interlude 3: Umbrella

(Cover of "Umbrella" composed and performed by Rihanna)

I gotta rest, But I got a test

What can I do, To make it through?

If I nap a bit, I won't feel like shh

But will I learn my facts, So I can follow this track in Psychology?

When we all sleep together

We all sleep a little better

If it's taking naps just with a friend

Or sticking it out until the end

Now that we're sleeping less than ever

I'm just glad we have each other

You can nap under my umbrella

You can nap under my umbrella

Ella ella eh eh eh

Under my umbrella

Ella ella eh eh eh

Closing Statement

Everything from music to sports to academics and beyond can be improved by getting adequate rest, and if one cannot get a full night's sleep, they should consider taking a daytime nap between 15 and 90 minutes. I hope you've enjoyed this PSA, and hopefully through the power of napping more college students will be energized and active in accomplishing their goals and dreams!  

Sources

Dhand, R., & Sohal, H. Good sleep, bad sleep! The role of daytime naps in healthy adults. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, Volume 12, Issue 6. November 2006. Pages 379-382

Haynes, S., Fitzgerald, S., Shute, G., & Hall, M. The utility and validity of daytime naps in the assessment of sleep-onset insomnia. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 8, Issue 3. September 1985, Pages 237-247.

King, A., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H. Performance impairment consequent to sleep loss: determinants of resistance and susceptibility. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, 26 August 2009.

Mednick, S., Cai, D., Kanady, J., & Drummond, S. Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps, and placebo on verbal, motor, and perceptual memory. Behavioral Brain Research, Volume 193, Issue 1. 3 November 2008, Pages 79-86.

 Mednick, S., Nakayama, K., & Stickgold, R. (2003) Sleep-dependent learning: A nap is as good as a night. Nature Neuroscience, 6, 697-698. In: Blake, R. & Sekuler, R. Perception, Fifth Edition, page 202. New York, NY: McGraw Hill 2006.

Ohayon, M. Epidemiology of insomnia; what we know and what we still need to learn. Sleep Medicines Review, Volume 6, Issue 2. May 2002, Pages 97-111.

Pilcher, J., Michalowski, K., & Carrigan, R. The prevalence of daytime napping and its relationship to nighttime sleep. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 27, Issue 2. 2001, Pages 71-86. 

Raynor, D.A. & Levine, H. Associations between the five-factor model of personality and health behaviors among college students. J Am Coll Health, Volume 58, Issue 1. July - August 2009, Pages 73-81.


Roehrs, T. & Roth, T. Sleep, sleepiness, sleep disorders and alcohol use and abuse. Sleep Medicine Reviews, Volume 5, Issue 4. August 2001, Pages 287-97.

Stickgold, R., James, L., & Hobson, J.A. (2000) Visual discrimination learning requires sleep after training Nature Neuroscience, 3, 1237-8. In: Blake, R. & Sekuler, R. Perception, Fifth Edition, page 202. New York, NY: McGraw Hill 2006.

Wechsler, H., Davenport, A., Dowdall, G., Moeykens, B., & Castillo, S. Health Behavior and Consequences of Binge Drinking in College"  JAMA 1994; 272(21). 1672-77.