Anyone who is in college, or been in college will remember the sense of freedom that comes with college life. Deciding when or even if to go to bed, being able to eat or drink whatever and whenever they want are part of the college experience. Students are taking full advantage of their new found freedom, sometimes with serious consequences. According he the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism almost 60 percent of college student repot drinking in the last month and 40 percent report binge drinking in the past 30 days. Binge drinking is defined as drinking a level of alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentrations levels to 0.08g/dl. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men in about 2 hours. And the consequences could be far more severe than a bad hang over. In a report entitled Binge Drinking on College Campuses, the Center for Science in the Public Interest point out that binge drinking negatively affects college students' academic performance, social relationships and health. Frequent binge drinkers are 21 times more likely than non-binge drinkers to miss class, fall behind in school work, get injured, engage in unplanned and unprotected sex, and get into legal trouble. Sadly 1825 college students die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, while another 599,000 are injured while under the influence. While drinking is prevalent throughout the college experience, the first 6 weeks of the freshman year is an especially vulnerable time for heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year. Colleges are trying to address this issue through by providing alcohol education, limiting alcohol availability, more aggressive enforcement of underage drinking laws, and provide alcohol free campus activities. Parents need to take a more active role as well. While some parents may hesitate to discuss alcohol with their kids because they don't think would listen to them any or worse yet they may drink even more out of rebellion, the opposite is true. Research shows that students who choose not to drink or drink more responsibly, do so because their parents discussed alcohol use and its adverse effects with them. Because they are at the greatest risk, It would be especially important for parents to have an open, honest, non- judgmental conversation about alcohol with their kids preparing to enter their freshman year. As challenging as it may to get college students to avoid alcohol, or at least consume it more responsibly, it may be even a bigger challenge motivating them to get enough sleep. The American College Health Association report that 60% of college students claim that they are dragging, tired or sleepy during the day. Not surprisingly over 70% report getting less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night. While the consequences may not be as obvious or severe as binge drinking, sleep deprivation takes its tool as well. According the University Health Center at the University of Georgia, lack of sleep is associated with both physical and emotional health risks including: More illness, such as cold and flu, due to lowered immune system Feeling more stressed out Increased weight gain and obesity Lower GPA and academic performance Increase mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety Increased automobile accidents due to fatigue caused by "drowsy driving" Relationships issues as a result of being more irritable and quick to anger College students like the rest of us would benefit by following the standard tips for sleeping well, (see blog Catch More ZZZZZs Jan 2011). They would benefit by paying particular attention to these recommendations. Avoid alcohol close to bed time. Students may use alcohol because it helps them fall asleep quicker, unfortunately it can destroy the quality of sleep, creating the illusion that it helps when it actually makes matters worse. Avoid caffeine late in the afternoon and evening. Caffeine consumption , especially in the form of energy drink is becoming more common among college students. The use of such drinks late in the afternoon and evening can make it difficult to fall asleep, they then might use them to help, although not very effectively, to help compensate for insufficient sleep. Establish a relaxing pre-bed routine such as taking a warm bath or shower, reading or meditating, This allows the student to wind down and send signals to the brain that it is time to sleep. This is one of the most important things we can do and the one that college students ignore the most. Not surprisingly the biggest culprit is technology. Shortly before to going to bed, close to 70 % use their cell phones, 60% use computers, almost 20% play video games. All are contribute to less restful sleep. It may be difficult to convince students to follow the recommendation of turning those devices off a full hour before bed time, but they might consider shutting them down ½ hour before. Even switching their phones to vibrate or silent mode would help. The reality is that many college students will drink more than they should, (some of us probably did too) and they are not likely to sleep as much or as well as recommended. But most students also want to do well in college. They want to make good grades, they want to graduate, they want to get a good job and they want to make their parents proud. With a better understanding of the consequences of binge drinking and lack of sleep along with realistic recommendations, there is a good chance they will make better choices.
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