The sleep doctor explains why students are so lazy

Being tired at university is something a lot of us suffer with. Jada Guest speaks with sleep doctor Adrian Williams to find out what makes students so tired  Jada Guest 

 It’s lecture time on a Thursday afternoon, you partied hard the night before and haven’t slept a wink; before you know it you’ve nodded off and drool is running down your chin.

Sound familiar? Simply put, we all need sleep. Otherwise we will become ill, feel run-down, irritable, and, worse still, drop off during  class.

It affects us all

Students are often slated for being lazy. This isn’t true. We manage to get ourselves out of bed and to the lecture despite wanting to switch our alarms off and go straight back to sleep. In fact, fitting in a cheeky 10-minute nap while in a lecture (without being caught) requires great skill. There is something about the comfort of a lecture theatre that makes nodding off effortless.

Sleepiness is not just a problem among students. Research by Professor Adrian Williams, an expert at the London Sleep Centre, suggests that five per cent of adults are affected by sleepy episodes at inappropriate times.

Two main causes

There are two main reasons why tiredness occurs. The first and most common cause is insufficient amounts of sleep.

Shift work or long hours may also lead to a lack of sleep and complete confusion to your general sleeping pattern – neither is ideal.

The second reason for sleepiness is interrupted sleep. If you have noisy housemates or a boyfriend that snores, blame them. Their inability to be silent has an effect on your well-being and the amount of sleep you get.

The sleep doctor reveals all

Professor Williams suggests that the sleep we need in order to function properly and efficiently is “genetically determined”. Have you ever wondered why your mates can go out five nights a week, get smashed and still get up for lectures and complete the work? Unfortunately, their body allows them to do so, but the same might not be true for you.

Professor Williams says: “Sleep well and you’ll live well.” If you suffer from sleepiness then make changes to the way you think about sleep and its importance. It should be a priority – so make it one.”