Colleges hope to lure owls, offer midnight classes

All-night cram sessions and “after-hours” parties are nothing out of the ordinary in the average college town. Some universities are starting notice the night-owl habits of students and are scheduling classes late. And we’re not talking about traditional night classes. These schools are holding class at midnight.

The extremely late classes are to reach out to shift workers and keep up with an increase in enrollment and demand.

An article in this month’s issue of The Scientist profiles the midnight program at the College of Southern Nevada. The school’s main campus is in Las Vegas, which has among the top shift workers per capita in the U.S.

Classes offered include biology, math and appropriately, astronomy.

Bunker Hill Community College in Boston and Clackamas Community College in Oregon also offer midnight classes. Clackamas holds welding classes until 2 a.m.

This is all par for the course for college students who would be up anyway. A recent study found a majority of college students are poor sleepers. Only 30 percent of students reported sleeping at least eight hours per night.

College Students & Parents: Sleeping in Different Time Zones

Earlier this week Michelle Slatalla wrote in the New York Times about how her sleep was disrupted when her two older daughters came home from college for winter break.

The nocturnal habits that her daughters developed as teens had escalated. At 3 a.m. they texted, made phone calls, played video games and watched TV as if it were daytime.

“It seems as if my husband and I live in a completely different time zone from our children,” Slatalla lamented.

AASM secretary/treasurer Dr. Nancy Collop told Slatalla that these habits tend to reinforce a late-night schedule.

“There are lots of environmental issues that play a role in altering people’s sleep patterns,” said Collop. “The most obvious would be the computer.”

Light is an important timing cue for the brain. It is a signal that tells the brain it is time to be alert. Staring at a brightly lit computer screen at night sends a stimulating signal to the brain.

So will Slatalla ever see her children again?

Sleep researcher Mary Carskadon, PhD, told her not to worry. Their brains are still developing. So their sleep patterns are likely to shift as they get older.

“The brain tends to correct itself,” said Carskadon.

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Insomnia Cookies for College Students

Late nights will be common as college students head back to campus for the winter semester. Whether studying or partying, sleep is often put on hold.

Hungry students typically have to choose from the three late-night food groups: pizza, burgers and tacos. But on some campuses a company is delivering cookies and milk for students who crave something different after dark.

The idea began in 2003 when some students at the University of Pennsylvania began baking cookies for their friends. Soon other students started calling.

So they began delivering late-night cookies and milk across campus. Insomnia Cookies was born.

Now the company has expanded to nearly 20 campuses. Cookies and milk are being delivered to night owls at schools such as Cornell, NYU, Purdue and South Carolina.

But hunger isn’t the only nighttime problem for college students. A recent study of college students found that more than 60 percent were poor sleepers.

These students were much more likely to have problems with their physical and mental health. Tension and stress were significant predictors of sleep quality.

The study also found that students were sleep deprived. Only 30 percent of students reported sleeping at least eight hours per night.

Learn more about sleep and college students.

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Caffeine & Alcohol: “Caffeinated Cocktails” in College

Campus life at college tends to involve poor sleep and sleep deprivation. Often caffeine and alcohol are a part of the problem.

Each substance by itself can be disruptive to sleep. Now a popular trend among college students is to combine the two together.

Some make their own “caffeinated cocktails” by mixing alcohol with high-caffeine energy drinks. Others simply buy caffeinated beer.

A 2007 study surveyed 496 college students. Results show that 54 percent of energy drink users consumed the drinks with alcohol while partying.

In 2008 more than 4,200 college students completed a Web-based survey. Results show that 24 percent of current drinkers reported mixing alcohol with energy drinks.

The belief is that caffeine blunts the negative effects of alcohol intoxication. But is this true?

In a study published last May rats were given rum mixed with a soft drink. The caffeine did not reduce the metabolic effects of alcohol.

In another recent study women consumed an energy drink with alcohol. The mixture had a negative effect on cognitive performance.

A 2006 study found that caffeine had no effect on the degree to which alcohol increased errors. But caffeine did reduce how people perceived their alcohol intoxication.

Earlier this week the FDA reported that it is going to look into the safety and legality of caffeinated alcoholic beverages. It notified 30 companies that make the drinks.

In the past year both Anheuser-Busch and Miller agreed to discontinue their caffeinated alcoholic beverages. They also agreed that they would not produce these drinks in the future.

Earlier this year the Sleep Education Blog reported that adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are using more sleeping pills. Some students also are taking “smart drugs” to improve their academic performance.

Back on Campus: Stress, Sleep & College Life

A new study shows that sleep problems will be common as college students return to campus for the fall semester.

The study involved 1,125 students at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. They completed an online survey about their sleep habits, mood, health and related factors.

Results show that more than 60 percent were poor sleepers; these students were much more likely to have problems with their physical and mental health. Taking medications to sleep better also was common.

What was the primary cause of sleep problems? The authors report that students “overwhelmingly stated that emotional and academic stress negatively impacted sleep.” Data analysis revealed that tension and stress were significant predictors of sleep quality.

The study also shows that students were sleep deprived. Only 30 percent of students reported sleeping at least eight hours per night. Twenty percent of students stayed up all night at least once a month; 35 percent stayed up until 3 a.m. at least once a week.

This sleep loss had an effect on class performance; 12 percent of poor sleepers reported falling asleep in class or missing class at least three times a month.

"Students underestimate the importance of sleep in their daily lives,” study co-author Roxanne Prichard, PhD, said in a prepared statement. “They forgo sleep during periods of stress, not realizing that they are sabotaging their physical and mental health."

The AASM reports that stress can lead to adjustment insomnia. This involves disturbed sleep or sleeplessness that may last for a few days or a few weeks. Other symptoms may include anxiety, worry and tension.

The study authors state that intervention programs are needed to help college students prevent and overcome sleep problems. Some schools have already taken action.

In March a UC San Diego program educated students about the benefits of napping. Last fall the Boston Globe reported that schools such as MIT are using seminars, workshops and contests to promote good sleep habits. And at Stanford a “Sleep and Dreams” class has been offered for years.

Virtual Reality: Video Games & Sleep Loss

A study that was presented this week at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., reports that excessive video-game playing can interfere with your sleep.

The study involved 137 college students. They had an average age of 22 years; 63 percent were women. Casual game players were compared with excessive game players. “Excessive” was defined as playing more than seven hours per week.

Results show that almost 13 percent of participants reported that they are addicted to gaming. These participants slept one hour less on weekdays than other gamers; they also reported feeling sleepier during the day. In general, excessive gaming was associated with more sleepiness.

But study author Amanda Woolems told the AASM that only some of these college students realized that they were losing sleep.

“Of the people who admitted being addicted to gaming, only about a third of them recognized an interference with their sleep,” she said.

Playing video games also can have an effect on the sleep of children. One study involved children between 6 and 12 years of age in Japan. Playing video games had a negative impact on sleep. Children also were more active before bedtime if they had a video game system in their bedroom.

Another study involved teen students in Belgium. Teens with a gaming computer in their rooms went to bed significantly later on weekdays. Those who spent more time playing computer games also went to bed later on weekdays and weekend days. They spent less time in bed on weekdays and reported higher levels of tiredness.

More Young Adults Using Sleeping Pills

The New York Times reports that the use of sleeping pills by young adults has risen dramatically. The biggest increase from 1998 to 2006 came among adults between the ages of 18 and 24.

The report is based on an analysis by Thomson Reuters. It examined drug claims by adults under the age of 45. Overall sleeping pill use was highest among adults between the ages of 35 and 44.

The most popular sleeping pills were Ambien CR and Lunesta. The drugs were prescribed for an average of 93 days.

AASM president Dr. Mary Susan Esther told the Times that chronic insomnia often is linked to other problems. These include depression and anxiety. In these cases a sleeping pill won’t address the related problem.

Insomnia also can be caused by disruptions to the sleeping environment. This is called environmental sleep disorder. Dr. Esther pointed out that a noisy dorm is a common sleep disrupter for college students.

The report did not examine the use of other treatments for insomnia. One of the most effective treatments is cognitive behavioral therapy. Following the tips of good sleep hygiene also helps some people with insomnia.

Like any other drug, sleeping pills may cause some side effects. These side effects can include sleepwalking, sleep eating and other complex sleep behaviors. Some people also may experience memory problems.

The AASM offers these Guidelines for Taking Sleep Medications. Contact your doctor or pharmacist if you have any other questions about taking sleeping pills.