Sleepless in Kentucky
Kentucky ranked among most sleep-deprived states by CDC
Luke Finster
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: News
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A nation-wide study released by the Center for Disease Controls and Prevention last month revealed that people in Kentucky are not getting enough sleep. More than 14 percent of Kentuckians said they did not receive a single good night of sleep in the last month.
Being a college student doesn't seem to help with getting the recommended amount of shut-eye. There are many obstacles that cause college students to miss sleep, experts said. Cramming all night for an exam, or staying out all night socializing with friends can play a role in students not receiving the sleep they need.
Young adults are recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
Students like Tristan Willis, a sophomore criminal justice major from Grayson County, say that's hardly the schedule they adhere to. Willis said he manages five or six hours a night.
"I'm up mostly for social reasons. Studying, computer, women," he said.
Meghan Scott, a health educator at Eastern, said needlessly staying up is a harmful habit.
"For every hour of sleep that you miss each night, it makes catching up even more impossible," Scott said.
Experts at the CDC point to the stress levels in Kentucky concerning economic hardships and the role it may play in the high sleeplessness rate in the state.
The stress of being in college can also play a factor when you try to lay your head down at night.
"If you're stressed when going to bed, it's hard to just turn that switch off and forget about the thousands of things flying through your head," Scott said.
Many other factors can play a role in the problem of students not getting enough sleep while in college.
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