Daylight Savings Ends, Helping Sleep-Deprived College Students

According to a recent LearningAndLife.com poll, 66 percent of visitors to the education and career tip site are not getting the recommended amount of sleep. Similar findings from the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) support the need for all adults--particularly students--to get more sleep and avoid unnecessary health risks. With the recent end of Daylight Savings Time, students and adults can invest their extra hour in much-needed sleep and develop better sleep habits.

(PRWEB) October 30, 2006 -- More than half of visitors to LearningAndLife.com--an online resource of practical career tips, education advice, and school listings--report getting only five to seven hours of sleep per night, consistent with National Sleep Foundation (NSF) findings on Americans and sleep deprivation. The end of Daylight Savings Time (DST) gives college students one more much-needed hour of sleep and the opportunity to establish better sleep habits. College students are a particularly high-risk group for sleep deprivation. The health risks associated with sleep deprivation are much more serious than most people realize.

A LearningAndLife.com poll asked visitors, "On average, how much sleep do you get each night?" Only 9 percent find time to sleep more than eight hours a night and a quarter of people reported sleeping seven or eight hours nightly. A tired 11 percent answered, "Sleep? What's that?" With the remaining 55 percent sleeping five to seven hours each night, sleep-deprived students should take the extra hour afforded by the end of DST and commit to getting more sleep.

Sunday, October 29, marked the end of DST, which is planned to expand by four weeks in 2007. The Department of Transportation original 1975 findings measured the probable impact DST would have on energy use and transportation safety, citing a savings of 100,000 barrels of oil daily during the months of March and April. More recently, the National Sleep Foundation has used the event to make people more aware of the importance of sleep.

According to the NSF's 2005 "Sleep in America" poll, only half of adults can say they get a good night's sleep at least a few nights each week. Though almost everyone occasionally suffers from a night of poor sleep, students may be particularly vulnerable. School-related pressures trigger stress, and stress is considered the number one cause of short term sleeping difficulties. Though sleep needs vary, most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Not getting enough sleep may result in various problems that can impact a student's education:

* Negative mood and behavior

* Decreased productivity

* Safety issues in the home and on the road.

LearningAndLife.com features helpful information and tips on education, career options, and job training, including creative careers (http://www.learningandlife.com/creative-careers/). The site offers the advice and tools you need to enrich your life and advance your career.

Contact:

C. Rankin

LearningAndLife.com

800-504-7782

http://learningandlife.com

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