“I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.”
These words, famously rapped by Grammy Award-winning artist Nas in his 1994 hit song NY State of Mind, have been on repeat in my head these last couple of weeks. While Nas might’ve been referring to “keeping an eye open” in the presence of his enemies, it resonated differently for me.
This is the result of burnout from the spring semester, an affliction not uncommon to the typical college student. Burnout is a state of exhaustion, stemming from physical, mental, and emotional stress. Just about seven weeks into the semester, I had all but become a victim of this experience. My life had become an apothecary scale attempting to balance my academic pursuits with my social and extracurricular obligations. As a result, my attendance and grades began slipping, and I distanced myself from my circle of friends.
The college lifestyle has normalized long nights and early mornings, whether it be studying for an exam or having 6:00 a.m. workouts for athletes. While this may be productive, the long-term effects it has on the physical and mental health of college students are noticeable, especially for students who have to balance education and off-campus employment.
I’ve seen a copious number of fellow students visibly exhausted, resorting to taking naps between or even during classes to make it through the day. The stress of both achieving academically and the fear of failure, especially for first-generation and lower-income students, is a direct cause of this.
How do you overcome this “spring semester slump,” as some would call it? The simplest, yet most effective way, to the dismay of Nas, is sleep.
Getting a sufficient amount of rest (7-9 hours for young adults) is essential for long-term success. As organisms that use energy, we only have so much in one day, and so much we can replenish. Not resting your body and brain enough can cause fatigue, focus issues, and increased irritability, all equally detrimental to the educational experience.
When I first arrived at Moravian, I spent my first three and-a-half semesters as a collegiate athlete, spending my time between practice, class, the weight room, and my dorm, all while trying to have any semblance of a social life and working on campus. During this time, I maybe slept for 5-6 hours on a good day, which correlated to my below-average GPA.
Once I started prioritizing my rest, as well as clearing up my schedule of obligations that I did not need for my long-term success, my grades slowly but surely got better, and resulted in my best academic performance last fall. Now that I had much more time to rest and gather my energy, I was able to become a much more efficient student.
But I started to sense the burnout coming this semester, which is why I am writing this. If you notice signs of burnout, especially stemming from sleep deprivation, take the necessary steps to prevent it. College is a stressful time for any student, which is why you should take care of yourself.
So, as we begin the second half of the 2024-2025 spring semester, please remember to set time aside to prioritize your well-being. Burnout is an especially challenging issue in the world of academia and the pursuit of excellence, so make sure you get your sleep and take care of your mental health.
Sleep might be the cousin of death, but rest assured (pun heavily intended), sleep will not only keep you alive but your aspirations alive as well.
