Anthony Jauregui
 The Runner Staff

With everything that goes on in a student’s life, it can be hard to remember to get a good amount of sleep.

The effects of sleep deprivation aren’t often known to students.

Because students are constantly studying for exams, the forecast calls for endless nights of studying.

Unfortunately, college students don’t get to have this luxury.  

Tomorrow will be just another day during which most students sacrifice their sleep for getting their work done.

Having been on staff since 2005, CSU Bakersfield’s staff physician Dr. Christopher Gambrioli understands the side effects well, and has seen his share of sleep-deprived students.

“There is a variety of ways sleep deprivation can affect students. Fatigue is common. You’ll also have changes in your mood, if it’s prolonged, so you’ll be more irritable. You can even sometimes see other things like depression. Certainly, you’ll see impaired performances,” said Dr. Gambrioli.

Despite all of these effects, some students still do not mind getting fewer hours of sleep.

Senior and geology major Mike Johnson said he doesn’t sleep much since he commutes from Tehachapi to CSUB every day.

“I’m here [CSUB] 5 days a week, and I usually work weekends. I commute, so six hours of sleep is a good night,” said Johnson.

Dr. Gambrioli said sleep depends on the person and the quality of sleep, as opposed to the number of hours a person would sleep.

“There are some people that might get by and feel comfortable with five or six hours of sleep,” he said.

One of the side effects of sleep deprivation is anxiety.  Students may be feeling the symptoms of sleep deprivation without realizing that they are.

Freshman and undeclared major Maria Olversa says that the difference in her sleeping pattern has to do with all the things going on in school and all the new things she has to worry about.

“It’s harder to fall asleep now. I notice changes in the way I sleep. Now I have more anxiety,” said Olversa.

Dr. Gambrioli said sleep is a vital part of everyone’s life, but is most important for college students.

“If you don’t get the required amount of sleep for you, it can lead to all these other issues,” he said.

According to a study conducted by the Department of Psychology at the University of Turku in Finland, they stated, “working hours are constantly increasing for people along with an emphasis on active leisure.”

Students in college face sleep restriction because they tend to stretch their capacity and compromise their nightly sleep, becoming chronically sleep deprived.

Though sleep deprivation has negative effects, including performance impairment, some students think sleep deprivation enhances creativity.

“Sleep deprivation kind of fuels my creativity, but I definitely like sleep,” said Johnson.

Aside from the creativity enhancement, students like Sullivan internally create a wired feeling from lack of sleep.

“It’s a lucid feeling. I feel like I’m not in my own body, and it’s really weird for how clear things are, almost like I’m in a dream, but I don’t really drink coffee or energy drinks to keep me awake,” said junior and history major Austin Sullivan.