If you did not already know, September is the month for self-care, bringing awareness to the need to take care of yourself. Self-care is where you take care of your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It is not all about bubble baths and binge watching a show because it makes you feel better, but about giving yourself a well-earned break you need to keep working hard. Sometimes self-care is as easy as getting enough sleep, instead of staying up all night.
Sleep is not just about sleeping but giving your body the time to repair itself. Sleep is where your brain consolidates memories, your body heals, and emotion regulates. Without it, even the best self-care would fall flat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults aged 18-25 need around 7-9 hours per night, however over 35% of college students report getting less than 6 hours, (CDC,2020).This lack of sleep will not just leave you groggy but will chip away at your ability to think clearly, regulate emotions, and stay physically healthy.
Not getting enough sleep could impair your concentration, decision making, and memory retention, skills you rely on every day for classes and studying. Over time a lack of sleep could lead to negative effects on your body in ways like weakening your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illnesses and making it hard for you to recover from being sick. Another would heighten your emotional reactivity. A study from Harvard Medical School found that sleep-deprived individuals are 60 percent more reactive to negative emotional stimuli, meaning stress hits harder and lingers longer when you are tired, (Harvard Medical School,2021).
When you are sleeping it allows your body to heal and is the simplest form of self-care. Mentally it can help enhance learning and emotional regulation and gives you time to process the day’s events. Physically it allows time for your body to repair tissues and regulate metabolism. Emotionally, it helps balance your serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood, motivation and empathy. When you are well rested you are more ready.
In the end, sleep is not a luxury. It can be the simplest form of self-care, because self-care is not about doing less, but about taking a break to give yourself the proper tools to keep going. So instead of pushing through exhaustion, and sacrificing sleep for a last-minute cram session, take that well deserved rest.
Zoe Booth is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
