The Importance of Z's

Art school is tough. With class all day, internships and tight deadlines, sleep is often put on the back burner. What we don’t realize is how crucial sleep really is to our normal bodily functions and clear, creative thinking. Sleep deprivation is quickly becoming a major epidemic in the United States, deeply affecting our concentration, memory and creativity. Without sleep, our bodies start to breakdown, our immune systems weaken and we become more stressed out–something we know we don’t need anymore of. It also affects our ability to control and handle our emotions, increases appetite and can even increases mortality rates by 15%! 

So how much sleep do we really need?

Pulling all-nighters is not okay. The average person between the ages of 18-25 needs about 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Most college students are getting 6 or less. While we all want to perfect our portfolios it is important to remember that without sleep, that may not be possible.

The benefits of sleep far outweigh the consequences of working late into the night and early morning. Our brains do amazing things in those 7-9 hours of shut-eye. The recommended hours of sleep enable us to make better decisions, improve memory, increase creativity, clean out toxins and give us better control over our exacto blades–saving fingertips and trips to the hospital. It is proven that students perform better when they are well rested and can think and process thoughts clearly as opposed to staying up late and cramming the night before.

Looking at our workload for the semester is definitely overwhelming, but to cut back on stress and increase creativity and performance there are plenty of tips and tricks to help keep focused and sane.

1.     Coffee is amazing–what would we do without it?! BUT any coffee after 3 pm is doing more harm than good. Caffeine stays in your system for 24 hours! A cup of coffee in the afternoon will still leave you with caffeine at about 50% strength when you try to go to sleep. Even if you can fall asleep, caffeine will disrupt your REM sleep, not allowing your body to recover fully. If you are feeling tired in the afternoon, try a short nap instead of an extra cup of coffee.

2.     Stop working so late into the night. This one is tough. It is nearly impossible to not work on homework late at night, especially with our busy schedules. However, the light from your laptop, phone, and tablet all contribute to keeping your mind and body stimulated when in fact it should be working on shutting down. Set a time for yourself to stop working, an hour or two before you want to sleep, and read a book, doodle or work on anything else that does not involve a screen and allows you to relax. You will find yourself feeling a lot more rested!

3.     Set a wake up time. Waking up at the same time helps keep your body on a schedule and you will find yourself less tired. Along with this is not sleeping in until 2 pm on the weekends. This throws of your schedule and leaves your body confused.

4.     Exercise! Regular exercise will help you sleep better and also decrease stress! It also helps to clear your mind and boost creativity.

This semester doesn’t have to be so scary. Get some sleep and you will find yourself feeling better and able to think much more clearly and work much more efficiently!