“I usually go to sleep between 2am and 3am daily,” said Universiti Malaya Geology student Hazwan Hamizan Azhari, 20, who forfeits sleep for both academic responsibilities and leisure.
Fully understanding the repercussions of sleep deprivation, Nur Fatin Sorfina felt like she has no choice but to stay awake to summarise everything that she has learnt for the exam. “Once, I experienced staying awake for up to 60 hours as I needed to finish an assignment that required a significant amount of commitment. But I don’t always stay up late as I know the value of sleep.”“I know that sleep deprivation can affect my health. After a night of little sleep, my body feels physically sore and I function slower mentally. I won’t be able to focus well but I can still get my work done at a slower pace.
“Having sleep problems is a significant issue among university students. We’re not talking about one or two students. When we asked them why they couldn’t sleep, the reasons ranged from assignments to video game addiction.” “After studying during the day, students need to have quality sleep to retain the new information that they have learnt,” said Dr Rusdi.
INTI International College Subang Counselling and Development Unit student counsellor Dhevaania C. Gendsen said: “As a counsellor, it is unfortunate to see many young adults with so much potential complaining about feeling tired and overwhelmed from their very first semester in university.” “Extreme exhaustion can lead to micro-sleep — which is a temporary episode where one can fall asleep suddenly for a few seconds.”“This is very dangerous as it can cause accidents and injuries or worse, death. It is also highly hazardous to students who have to conduct experiments at the laboratories, work with machines at workshops, or those in the field of medicine.”
“Additionally, it impedes learning as students may have a shorter attention span or even fall asleep during their lessons. Students are unable to focus, which may lead to procrastination,” said Dhevaania.Students who are experiencing sleep problems should seek medical treatment from healthcare professionals.
Dr Mohazmi added: “We also try to create a healthy campus culture by emphasising on a healthy diet, exercise and sleep. The faculties and residential colleges need to work together to better coordinate student activities to ensure they have sufficient sleep.”