Well it turns out that college students generally suck at getting a healthy amount of sleep (2). Falling asleep in class, taking frequent naps, and sleeping at odd hours are all side effects of not getting enough consecutive sleep. Pulling an all-nighter is common when trying to cram long essays to make up for lost time, but does it really help in the long run? It can sometimes feel like there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done.
Poor sleep patterns were studied (1) from a sample of 17-24 year old students. The ones that had poorer sleep habits ran into more health problems than the students with healthier sleep schedules (more commonly reporting on negative moods). Additionally, it was linked with poorer academic performance and more issues with mental health.
Students who got less sleep also reported on more skipped classes and a higher use of drugs to help with the sleep issues.
There didn't seem to be a difference between the amount of coffee consumed between the students that slept well and the ones that didn't, so perhaps coffee is a safe bet ~
Sounds like sleep is just generally a good thing to have.
So how is it applicable to my future career?
Well, if I want to go into animation (or really anything), sleep is gonna be a crucial part of it! After all, we all spend about two-thirds of our lives sleeping. Without a consistent schedule, my working life could be thrown into chaos. Punctuality is key!
As cheesy as it sounds, it really is that simple! Maybe not exactly...but building a schedule takes time and practice. Changes are gradual, but worth it. There's a lot of stuff I could probably fine tune in order to hit that eight hours of sleep every night, which will hopefully bring about a better mood (and grades!) with it as well :D
