First to go and last to catch up. This could describe how I feel in any running race ever, but I mean it here as a description of sleep while in college.
College kids — we party, stay up late, sleep in till noon and skip class all the time, right? Well, maybe not at Grove City. However, instead of filling late nights with crazy adventures (which does happen sometimes) Grovers get stuck in a groove of constantly putting school work first. It is easy to do with myriad assignments, tests and projects. Grove City is known for our rigorous academics, after all. Though we are at college to receive an education, we are still humans with daily needs.
On top of school work, it is easy to be overcome with opportunities on campus. Personally, I love playing intramural sports, I work for the Collegian, I am a member of Women of Faith, and I am an active member of Covenant Church in town. Though school work is a priority at college, this formative time incorporates many other learning experiences. Time escapes into writing articles, reading, talking for hours with a friend and necessary coffee breaks.
I value my morning routine greatly. Workout, shower, fix coffee, read my Bible, get dressed and ready and eat breakfast — then rush out the door to my first class. When I suffer a lack of sleep, my morning is off and I end up in a funk. My usual sleeping need is seven-and-a-half hours, but not everyone needs the same. Listen to your body and find the amount you need to function. When our bodies are tired, we are hungrier, more irritable, and way less productive.
As a senior, I have finally learned the necessity of getting enough sleep. Though the reality that handling sleep, work, and social life is quite the balancing act, it is possible to do. Dr. Joshua Mayo in his prayer before class today asked the Lord, “Give us the balance between caring and not caring about the grades of our work.” His point is that yes, we are to work with all our hearts for the glory of God, but we are not to idolize that work and the grades we get in school. Instead, we need to learn and enjoy the material before us, because that is how we can glorify God.
In the college setting, where mind and body and soul must be alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic, sleep cannot be lacking. Though it may seem like pulling an all-nighter to study for your mid-term is the best use of your time, it detriments your brain power when you get to the class. As an old high school teacher of mine recommends, put the books away and get a good night’s sleep. Your brain, body, and grade will thank you for it.
