University students ''too stressed to sleep''
13/08/2009
By Elizabeth Mewes
Sleep is a major issue for university students - so much so that they could be doing seriously bad things for their health, it has been asserted.
A new study by Roxanne Prichard and her colleagues, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota, found that 68 per cent of respondents in the US were worried enough to skip on sleep at least once a week.
It was also discovered that just one-third of respondents were getting the eight hours of sleep which is recommended by most health professionals across the world.
Dr Prichard said: "Students underestimate the importance of sleep in their daily lives.
"They forgo sleep during periods of stress, not realizing that they are sabotaging their physical and mental health."
Earlier this month, Plamen Palev of the University of Chicago linked a lack of sleep each night to the onset of diabetes.
