School schedule alters sleeping habits

College students are known for their unusual sleep patterns. Pulling all-night study sessions, sleeping until late afternoon and sleeping during class are all common sights on campus.

These occurrences may be caused by the human body's biological clock, which regulates sleep patterns.

The biological clock is "a master programmer that says to be awake or be asleep," said biology Prof. Steve Easter.

"Ordinarily, the clock is sensitive to stimuli from the outside. It's set accurately to be in phase with the light cycle," Easter said.

This explains why people experience jet lag after traveling. But their biological clock can adjust to the change.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily SNRE first-year student Rylend Grant reads the precautions on a box of Vivarin. Some students use drugs to keep from falling asleep.

LSA first-year student Ari Derrow said he knows the importance of sleep. He said he sleeps more than any of his friends.

"I sleep maybe four or five hours per night, but any chance in the day I get, I'm sleeping," Derrow said.

Derrow said he gets an average of 12 or 13 hours of sleep each day.

"I can't stand to go to sleep around 10 o'clock at night - I'm usually waking up around then," he said.

Instead of sleeping long hours, many students use daytime naps to re-energize themselves.

"I can sleep anywhere, anytime," said Engineering junior Wesley Lummis. "Just let me sit still for a couple of minutes."

Lummis said he does not think his talent for napping is due to a lack of sleep.

"I could sleep 10 hours and the same thing happens," Lummis said.

But not all college students depend on caffeine to keep them up until the wee hours of the night.

"I'm useless the next day," said LSA junior Katie Geary. "I don't drink any caffeine - ever - because I think it's really bad for you."

Coordinating sleep schedules often is a problem for roommates.

"My roommate goes to bed at 5 a.m. every morning and gets up at 8 a.m. ... she can't sleep," Geary said.

Sleep deprivation leads to "decreased attention, concentration, and changes in mood," said neurology Prof. Beth Malow.

"Total sleep deprivation is worse than partial, but even partial can affect cognitive functions," Malow said.

The amount of sleep needed by people varies, Malow said.

"Some people can get by with five hours, but other people need nine or 10," Malow said.

There are many reasons why students do not get enough sleep - such as exams and papers.

"I woke up one morning and didn't go back to bed until the next night because I had a 15-page term paper due the next day," said LSA first-year student Chris Munoz.

Even the most simple organisms, such as plants and algae, have biological clocks that affect their behavior, Easter said.

"It's all genetic," Easter said. "It seems that from the most primitive cells, they've all got (biological) clocks."

Scientists do not fully understand these genes, but future research hopefully will reveal more information in the field of sleep patterns, Easter said.

"There are a variety of sleep disorders based upon the biological clock," Malow said. "It's becoming an important area to try to understand."

02-10-98