Western should abolish 8 a.m. classes
Amanda Heidman
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Opinion
It's every student's worst nightmare: The day rolls around when you are scheduled to sign up for next semester's courses, and all that is left are 8 a.m. classes. You rub your eyes or maybe refresh the page hoping to have misread it, but finally with a sigh, you bravely enroll in the early classes, simultaneously enlisting in a semester of unforgiving sleep deprivation.
An inexcusable number of college students suffer from sleep deprivation as a result of stress, a curricular overload or an unruly social life. For this reason, Duke University abolished 8 a.m. classes at the beginning of its Fall 2004 Semester. The school felt that sleep deprivation was a large problem in the student body, and officials recognized the negative impact it can have on a person's mind.
Without the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep for a college-aged person, the brain cannot function properly and has difficulty reaching into its long-term memory. This makes it extremely difficult to pay attention during a lecture or to pass a test after a late night of cramming.
It could possibly improve grades, health and the overall morale of the student body if Western's administration considered taking the same steps as Duke University, but as the chances of this happening are slim, there are things you can do to avoid deprivation.
The most obvious way to cure sleep deprivation is to sleep. While you sleep, your body replenishes and re-energizes itself, and your mind takes advantage of its ability to dream by sorting through ideas, emotions and the colossal amount of information you put into it every day.
If your day is too busy for you to sleep any longer, or you have difficulty falling asleep early enough, your best course of action is to keep yourself as healthy as you can by exercising regularly and ingesting a sufficient amount of nutrients. The more nutrients your body has, the less sleep it needs. However, a sleep goal of at least eight hours never hurts.
The best way to ensure a full night's sleep is to do your homework and other tasks as early as you can, possibly right after class. It is also a good idea to make a list of things you need to do the next day to avoid the stress that keeps many people awake at night.
Though sleep medication may seem like a great way to make sure you are getting plenty of sleep at night, it is best to avoid it. The use of such drugs sometimes leads to reliance on them. Your body should be able to fall asleep on its own and form its own individual sleep pattern and routine.
With the many responsibilities and distractions that come with attending a university, it is easy to fall into habitual sleep deprivation. However, until Western decides to model Duke University in pushing class times back and ending those appalling 8 a.m. sessions, students need to take responsibility of their own sleeping habits and accompanying health.
An inexcusable number of college students suffer from sleep deprivation as a result of stress, a curricular overload or an unruly social life. For this reason, Duke University abolished 8 a.m. classes at the beginning of its Fall 2004 Semester. The school felt that sleep deprivation was a large problem in the student body, and officials recognized the negative impact it can have on a person's mind.
Without the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep for a college-aged person, the brain cannot function properly and has difficulty reaching into its long-term memory. This makes it extremely difficult to pay attention during a lecture or to pass a test after a late night of cramming.
It could possibly improve grades, health and the overall morale of the student body if Western's administration considered taking the same steps as Duke University, but as the chances of this happening are slim, there are things you can do to avoid deprivation.
The most obvious way to cure sleep deprivation is to sleep. While you sleep, your body replenishes and re-energizes itself, and your mind takes advantage of its ability to dream by sorting through ideas, emotions and the colossal amount of information you put into it every day.
If your day is too busy for you to sleep any longer, or you have difficulty falling asleep early enough, your best course of action is to keep yourself as healthy as you can by exercising regularly and ingesting a sufficient amount of nutrients. The more nutrients your body has, the less sleep it needs. However, a sleep goal of at least eight hours never hurts.
The best way to ensure a full night's sleep is to do your homework and other tasks as early as you can, possibly right after class. It is also a good idea to make a list of things you need to do the next day to avoid the stress that keeps many people awake at night.
Though sleep medication may seem like a great way to make sure you are getting plenty of sleep at night, it is best to avoid it. The use of such drugs sometimes leads to reliance on them. Your body should be able to fall asleep on its own and form its own individual sleep pattern and routine.
With the many responsibilities and distractions that come with attending a university, it is easy to fall into habitual sleep deprivation. However, until Western decides to model Duke University in pushing class times back and ending those appalling 8 a.m. sessions, students need to take responsibility of their own sleeping habits and accompanying health.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
E-Guy
posted 1/27/08 @ 10:24 PM CST
Why not just abolish classes altogether - and their associated homework? That should give us all plenty of time to party and sleep to our heart's content! It sure would make college a lot more healthy (not to mention fun) for all of us. (Continued…)
David
posted 1/27/08 @ 10:32 PM CST
While pushing back classes may seem like the solution, it may not solve the real problem: over-commitment and/or time-management. Many schools have indeed been phasing out 8am classes, but where do those extra time slots go? In the evening. (Continued…)
AngelD
posted 1/27/08 @ 10:55 PM CST
Though many of the suggestions here are good, the overall message of the piece, that WIU should drop 8 a.m. classes is foolish and absurd. College is education and preparation for the REAL WORLD. (Continued…)
Connie Lankford
posted 1/28/08 @ 2:54 PM CST
First we get rid of the 8:00 classes, and then the 9:00 classes, then the 10:00 classes, get the point, some students get up in the afternoon. Should we start classes in the afternoon, just for them? How about one class a day, is that too much? There is no solution to fix the problem for everyone. (Continued…)
Partying at 50
posted 1/29/08 @ 2:06 PM CST
This is the real life. Get up, go to school lazy person because "IF" you graduate.......you have to get up early to then GO TO WORK!
DUH
Partying at 50. (Continued…)
Joe
posted 1/30/08 @ 9:46 AM CST
Abolishing 8am classes? How about abolishing 6am commutes? If you can't make it through college and make it to an 8am every once in a while, you don't deserve a degree. (Continued…)
Anna Nemos
posted 1/31/08 @ 3:52 AM CST
Great. An example of the brain surgeons who get to evaluate professors at the end of the semester. And we wonder why America is in the toilet.
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