A revolution is coming, and it does not involve pirates, knights or fighters. It is rather a campaign called #SleepRevolution that is set to spark national conversation about the importance of sleep and the hazards of sleep deprivation.
More specifically, the campaign from Huffington Post centers on the Sleep Revolution College Tour, which will go to 50 campuses across the United States. The team aims to raise awareness by imparting the latest on sleep science.
The website partnered with different brands to help its members achieve their goals. The companies will help set up sleep fairs and slumber parties, provide tools for enhanced sleep and help transform lives.
What Sleep Means For College Students Nowadays
The sleep crisis in college campuses nowadays has deepened. People from different universities describe how sleep is generally perceived in their respective institutions.
Fernando Hurtado from the University of Southern California says he feels like not getting enough sleep is a significant badge of honor, even saying how some people have started to perceive a campus library as a hotel because students always stay there late.
For Luis Ruuska from the University of Tennessee, sleep is not a priority in the campus. Seeing well-lit dorms and apartments is not an uncommon thing.
A more striking scenario provided by Madeline Diamond from Bucknell University is getting Snapchats of people sharing how late they stayed in the library like it's a competition.
What they do not know is that sleep deprivation can do more harm than good. An example of which is having an increased risk of sustaining injuries due to odd behavior after lack of sleep.
Why Did The Sleep Culture Change?
In today's world, the youth has developed a sense of FOMO or fear of missing out. This notion urges them to stay awake and do things as much as they can, whether it be partying, studying or checking their social media accounts, day in and day out.
In one study by California State University, researchers found that college students feel anxious when they get separated from their smartphones and that they are likely to be glued to their gadget screens until the very last minute before they fall asleep. What's more, the team found that the participants often wake up in the middle of the night to check their phones.
Another contributing factor of lack of sleep is the youth's drive to excel academically, while still having a great social life. Of course, they cannot do everything, so the tendency is to cut off the things they think they can forego, and for most people they'd rather let go of sleep.
"Up against this unforgiving definition of success, sleep doesn't stand a chance," writes The Huffington Post's editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington, who released her new book entitled The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time.
The team from the Sleep Revolution College Tour will be giving away free copies of the book during the event, in the hopes of strengthening students' understanding of the importance of sleep.
