As someone who’s studying psychology and has been interested in the psychology and physiology of sleep, I’m always thinking about how sleep affects the mind and body. This summer after reading up on sleep, I went out of my way to improve my sleep schedule as much as I could. I was consistently getting about 8 hours of sleep and waking up at a reasonable time. I was able to do this because I was living at home and I was totally on my own schedule. Going to sleep was something that I really looked forward to everyday. 

Moving back on campus, I found it really hard to sleep, simply due to the different environment. Something about the different beds and the blinds that don’t block the light keep me from getting good quality sleep. I also started a new job that required me to work at very late and early hours. These shifts would take time out of my schedule that I need for sleep, and when I did get to sleep it wasn’t the quality that I needed. Talking about the different ways that labor affects the body in class made me really consider if what I’m doing is worth it. 

On one hand, I really value my health and I usually try my best to make sure I’m doing healthy things. Losing sleep could lead to serious long and short term health issues. On the other hand, I also need money to do things that I enjoy and pay for things that I need. I want to be able to go out and eat with friends without cutting into my savings, but I also want to be awake and present while I’m doing it. 

Losing sleep from my job also might be affecting how well I’m able to learn in school. In all of my classes I often find myself fighting to stay awake. If I’m tired I don’t have as much capacity to pay attention, and if I’m not paying attention the memories from my classes won’t be as strong. Overall, it feels like a lose-lose situation.