Blog Post 2
Austin Johnson
Dr. Jenkins
Blog Post #2
April 5th, 2022
The Important of Sleep for Student-Athletes
A student-athlete requires an enormous amount of dedication and sacrifice, and few students are able to or even have the desire to do it. It is common knowledge that college is challenging, imagining having to handle all the same school work and double it with half the sleep. Student-athletes are not able to get enough sleep each night because of a busy schedule which includes weights, class, film, practice, making dinner (proper nutrition), homework, and personal time and it is a problem. For the second Blog Post of the semester, I am discussing a student athlete's ability to have proper sleep and the impacts it has on the mind and body. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, “Lack or loss of sleep can also be due to the many competing demands for time, which is a prominent concern in the student-athlete population. Either way, understanding and dealing with sleep problems may have a profound effect on mental clarity and health. (Grandner 2020). Yes, you can try and plan time to sleep, but the sporadic schedule you get from sports and school makes it impossible to maintain the schedule. Consequences of lack of sleep include the creation of bad tendencies such as missing class, forgetting assignments, and oversleeping. The impact of improper sleep affects numerous aspects of the mind and body. Student-athletes who regularly sleep less than eight hours a night are more likely to sustain an injury. Short and long-term sleep deprivation lowers endurances in runners because when runners are not properly energized before a race there is no energy to give during the race.
One perspective on this issue is derived from my own personal life. Got out of my third class of the day, then headed to an hour-long film session, and followed two-hour practice. After all that is completed, I have to drive back to my apartment and my a nutritional dinner for myself, Afterwards, I sit down at the kitchen table and am finally given the opportunity to try to do at least some of my assigned homework or hours of textbook studying. Once the schoolwork focus time of the evening is complete, I go back to my room and look at the clock that tells me I am only able to sleep for six hours before it all begins again the next day. The next day comes and as per usual I wake up late, which on occasion leads me to miss my first class of the day, and then it becomes a cycle of oversleeping and absences. This then causes grades to start to slip thus lowering school performance. Pressure to perform daily in all classes and on the field gives me stress and anxiety the night before a game or before a big test. It causes me to either stay up all night or oversleep and resulting in me performing badly or losing focus on the test.
Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep to maintain optimum functioning, and younger adults need more (eight to 10 hours). However, many people – including student-athletes – do not get the amount of sleep they need, often due to insomnia, sleep apnea, or another sleep disorder. “Why does it matter?”, a person outside the athletic world may ask. It matters because the physical and mental health of a student must always come first. Athletic performance can be the first noticeable difference for a young student-athlete. Poor sleep can be associated with delayed response time, fatigue, and poor decision-making. Mental Health will decline next if not taken care of properly. Inadequate sleep increases the risk for mental health synonyms and disorders, and mental health symptoms and disorders may reduce sleep quality and quantity.
One solution for solving the issue is creating good habits to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle. Setting oneself up for success is the first step in every morning routine to get a person going. According to the National Institute of Aging here are some of the following ways to maintain a healthier sleep schedule: Getting plenty of light during the day and avoiding screen time at night, avoiding excess caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, especially in the evening, reduce the screen time throughout the day, take breaks all the time and try and be more efficient with the time you have. Also keep a day planner to stay on top of homework, visually see what is occurring each day, remember important events and activities that need to be taken care of, and block off personal time for breaks to decompress and relax. (National 2021). Having this listed habit will encourage student-athletes in all fields of study to become better rest and more mentally sound. A second solution to the issue of student-athletes experiencing a lack of sleep is having the option for classroom accommodations to be set up for the student.
After thinking about solutions to this problem I have realized there isn't really a specific answer to it just ways to cope or assistance. For instance, I thought the professor could give student-athletes more leeway on class selection and assignment late turn-in policy. Another possible assistant athletes could get more options with professors offering online and in-person classes. Also, I found that it shouldn't always be the professor's problem to solve, but being a good communicator with your professor can always help. Finally, at the end of the day, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, and if it gets too bad you can always quit your sport.
Work Cited
Grandner, M. (2020). Mind, body and sport: Sleeping disorders. NCAA.org. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2014/11/5/mind-body-and-sport-sleeping-disorders.aspx
National Institute on Aging. (2021). A Good Night's Sleep. National Institute on Aging. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/good-nights-sleep