Zzzzzzzzzz

Hello, my name is Elsie. And I am a sleep addict. 

I awoke from my peaceful slumber right at the crack of 12:45 pm today. Granted, I stayed up very late last night creating this blog. Once I published my first post, the butterflies began to flutter. I don't know what it was. ?? I couldn't sleep!! Which is EXTREMELY uncharacteristic of a sleep addict. I would equate my nervous/excited sensation to that feeling I got after I just received that first special kiss. You are excited that it happened, but also hesitant and skeptical of the direction it will take. 

Now I would not have stayed up so late if I did not know that I could sleep in this morning. When I have class or something scheduled for the next morning, I always make sure I will have AT LEAST 7 hours of sleep. Though, I prefer 8. 

In your college years, sleep becomes an elusive entity that is somehow always just out of reach. If you have an exam the following day, sleep is irrelevant. You find yourself at Club Lib and your books and notes become your companions. As well as our good trusty old friend, Mr. Starbucks. 

According to the published work of Harvard Medical School, "a sleep-deprived person cannot focus attention optimally and therefore cannot learn efficiently." Is that not what we are striving to do in college? Learn? So if you do not possess the capacity to retain information because you are sleep deprived, then this whole learning thing is going to prove to be much more difficult than you want. 

Research demonstrates that 'good' sleep is vital to our health. In the words of HealthyPeople, "Adequate sleep is necessary to fight off infection, support metabolism..., perform well in school, and work efficiently and safely." Those that are sleep deprived have been linked to several health symptoms that resemble depression, increased risk of heart attack and decreases in immune system strength. We all know what happened to the test subjects of the Russian Sleep Experiment. (This experiment is considered to be unethical by today's standards. Viewer discretion is advised. You may determine if you believe this experiment to be fact or fiction based. If you simply Google search, many other results will appear.) 

 Now I am not going to say that you have the ability to sleep 8 hours every night. I study at a university; I know how it is guys. You justify with yourself and think, "Oh, I can take this exam after only 4 hours of sleep." Which if you can pass an exam with little to no sleep, I deem you inhuman! A demi-god such as Thor perhaps! I simply can't do it. I can not even function before the hour of 10 am. That is why I enjoy the fact that I can choose my own class schedule. An 8 am lecture for me is nothing less than a bad joke.

That is why I did not arise from my chambers until 12:45 pm on this lovely day. Many may argue that waking up that late is a "waste of your day." I debate that maintaining my health is NEVER a waste of my time. 

 Once again, always exceptions to the rule. If you have a billion things to do that day, then sleeping in till 12:45 is inadvisable. Know your limits. And if you feel you are at your limit and are in dire need of a nap DO it! TAKE ONE! It has been proven that a 10 minute power nap can do wonders for your body! I know disrupting a schedule can be a struggle, but only 10 minutes will not kill you! Rather it will make you feel better! It can help control stress.  

Don't hate on sleep guys. Do not overlook such an imperative benefactor!

Well time to start my day. Remember, stay whole! Live whole and prosper! 

Elsie <3