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ENGLISH ARTICLE SUMMARY

“WHY DO STUDENTS NEED SLEEP ?”

COMPOSED BY :
TERILIAN SYIFA HARIANA
(23.086)
EMPLOYEE CLASS

ACADEMY OF NURSING
BERKALA WIDYA HUSADA RS. MEILIA
2023
Why Do Students Need Sleep?
May 25, 2021

Sourc article : www.oxfordscholastica.com

Studying for exams is always difficult, but it can seem even harder with complicated topics
and long night shifts sitting at your desk ahead of the big day. Wouldn’t it be great to have a
superpower that made studying easy?
As it turns out, we might all have one lying dormant that we’re not making enough use of!

What is sleep?
As you might have guessed, we are talking about sleep. Sleep is an incredibly important
recurring state of altered consciousness that allows for the maintenance of our bodily
functions, but we hardly think about it unless we’re in dire need of some shut-eye.
Sleep is a common activity across species: mammals, birds, reptiles and even insects will enter
into a sleep-state, or something very similar. (1)
So, why do we need sleep?

What happens without enough sleep?


Maybe the right place to start thinking about this topic is to look at what happens if we don’t
get enough sleep.
If you stay up a little too late one night – whether you’re studying, watching an addictive
series or spending time with friends or family – you might notice that you’re in a bad mood
the next day, your concentration capacity may be reduced and you’ll likely feel exhausted.
Indeed, research shows that a lack of sleep disrupts our ability to learn and is a serious health
risk. (2) There are many theories as to why sleep is so crucial, but ultimately, the true value
of sleep still remains a bit of a mystery to science.
What we do know is that getting enough sleep not only makes us feel good, it can also boost
our mental ability.
Sleep helps us to recall facts and memorise images, smells or sounds. It may even help us to
find creative solutions to problems faced the previous day. (3) The secret to a “fresh pair of
eyes” really lies in a good night’s sleep!
Memory replay while we sleep
It has been shown that specific brain activity of mice exploring their environment can be seen
again while they sleep after the exploration. The next day, this brain activity is even more
pronounced when the mice explore the same environment – as if sleep is replaying the
experience and strengthening the memory of it. (4) Whether the observed activity is indeed
a replay of memories, whether it corresponds to dreaming, and whether we can manipulate
it to boost memory is a hot topic in current research.

How much sleep do I need?


The short answer to this question is that there is no short answer.
As with many things in medicine and neuroscience, every individual has individual needs and
the optimal amount of sleep can vary between an average of 7 to 9 hours for adults and up
to 11 hours for children and adolescents. (5) That said, there are some general factors that
influence our sleep requirements.
Generally, the longer we are awake, the more we need to sleep. Research also shows that
learning and new experiences make us sleep more deeply. We are also more likely to sleep
well during the night and in darkness. This tendency varies with age: when we are teenagers,
we tend to sleep rather late in the night and like to get up late in the morning – that is, we
would if there weren’t an early start for school waiting for us.
So how do you find your optimal sleep duration and how do you get enough shut-eye?

Boost your sleep while you’re awake


Completing a driving simulation task will make the brain area controlling fine motor skills
sleep more deeply afterwards. If a challenging waking experience is combined with a long
time awake, these brain areas fall asleep even earlier than the rest of the brain – a
phenomenon called ‘”local sleep”. (6) This suggests that we can literally be half asleep if we
are pushing ourselves to study late at night after an already busy day!

What does it mean to have a good night’s sleep?


The easiest way to find your personal sleep duration is simple: don’t set an alarm. If you have
nothing waking you up, your body will take the sleep it needs. If you sleep much longer on
days without a set alarm, such as on weekends, it is a good indication that you had too little
sleep previously.
Sleeping in on the weekends is one way to compensate for previous sleep loss but it doesn’t
change the fact that you’d be sleep deprived for most of the week – exactly the time when
you need to be most focused for effective studying!
So, what is the solution to getting enough sleep if you have to get up early? Obviously, it is to
sleep early. This is easier said than done, as most of us can’t just fall asleep whenever we’d
like to. Luckily, there are quite a few tips to help us fall asleep earlier, sleep better and be fit
for the next day.

A recipe for better sleep


While there is no single trick to getting a a perfect night’s sleep, there are a few tips that help
most of us. (7)
Avoiding bright lights before bedtime – including PC screens and smartphones – as well as a
slightly reduced room temperature, can benefit sleep.
Any stressful or exciting experiences can delay sleep onset. This could be browsing social
media, watching videos or even ruminating about the next day. It can be a good idea to
develop a routine of winding down and relaxing before going to bed, such as reading a book
or writing a to-do list for the next day.
In summary:
– no bright light or screens one hour before sleep
– bedroom temperature between 14°C and 18°C
– no exciting or stressful activities before sleep
– no big meals or caffeine
– … and any personal routine that helps you wind down and relax.

Why do we need sleep?


You might still wonder why our health and ability to function is dependent on a state that can
so easily be disrupted by our lifestyle. Why do we need to enter a dreamland to gain these
benefits? And what other secret advantages might the sleep state hold that we still don’t
know about?
These are questions yet to be answered. While this exciting research is going on, you can
already harness the benefits of sleep to boost your waking life.
As it turns out, sleep is not a superpower, but it does reveal how able we can be on our own!
Summary :
The article explores the importance of sleep for students and its impact on cognitive function.
It begins by highlighting the challenges of studying for exams, especially when dealing with
complex topics and late-night study sessions. The article suggests that sleep might be an
underutilized "superpower" that can aid in learning and memory.
The article delves into the concept of sleep, emphasizing its significance as a recurring state
of altered consciousness that maintains bodily functions. It then discusses the consequences
of insufficient sleep, including mood disturbances, reduced concentration, and exhaustion,
pointing out that research underscores the disruption of learning and its potential health risks
due to lack of sleep.
The benefits of adequate sleep are then outlined. Sleep aids in memory consolidation, helping
individuals recall facts and memorize information. It may also facilitate creative problem-
solving. The article mentions research on mice showing that brain activity during exploration
is replayed during sleep, potentially enhancing memory.
The article addresses the question of how much sleep an individual needs, acknowledging
that it varies based on individual factors but generally falls between 7 to 9 hours for adults
and up to 11 hours for children and adolescents. It explores factors influencing sleep
requirements, including the duration of wakefulness and the impact of learning and new
experiences.
The importance of getting sufficient sleep and avoiding "local sleep" is emphasized. It suggests
that pushing oneself to study late at night after a busy day can lead to suboptimal sleep and
decreased cognitive performance.
To improve sleep quality, the article provides tips, such as avoiding bright lights and screens
before bedtime, maintaining a slightly cooler room temperature, reducing exposure to
stressful or exciting activities before sleep, avoiding large meals and caffeine, and establishing
a relaxing bedtime routine.
The article concludes by addressing the ongoing mysteries surrounding sleep's true value and
potential advantages. It encourages readers to harness the benefits of sleep to enhance their
waking lives, emphasizing that sleep may not be a superpower, but it reveals the potential of
human capabilities.

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