After Part-I and Part-II, the finale of the 25 facts about sleeping that a college student should know are here.

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18. Grab a Mid-Day Sleep Sooner, Rather Than Later

The time of your mid day sleep should ideally fall between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., because this is the time which doesn’t interrupt our regular sleep cycle and hence would help the body and mind stay rested. So a nap after 4 p.m., is actually counter-productive since it disturbs the sleep cycle making it more difficult for you to get sleep at night.

19. Candy  - Not A  Substitute For Sleep

Sometimes a bar of candy or can of soda can keep you energized for a period, but it’s most definitely not a substitute for sleep, because sugar would give you an initial lift, but it would were off fast and when it does you are even more tired than you were before you drank that can of soda. If you have noticed when you are sleep deprived and when you are trying to stay awake, you tend to eat food with a high glycemic index(such as soda, chocolate, chips, pretzels etc) this is because the body craves such food to get an instant boost in energy levels.  So stay away from that candy bar and grab a nap instead.

20. The Sleep Test

You can easily check if you are sleep deprived or not. If  it takes you under 5 minutes to fall asleep at night, you can be assured that’s because your body is wanting the rest and it is so tired that it goes into sleep mode ASAP. The ideal time to fall asleep at night is 10 to 15 minutes, which would mean that you are not so tired that you sleep instantly yet, not so tired that you feel all sleepy during the day.

21. The Younger You Are, The More Sleep You Need.

In 1970 researchers from the Stanford University observed that younger people require more sleep. Hence if you are in your freshman or sophomore year and you’re still in your teens, your body requires 10 hours of sleep. And in the hectic college life with all the assignments and homework, the social life, internships etc., it will be really difficult to grab 10 straight hours of sleep. This is where the mid day nap comes in handy, you can catch up on the sleep missed and keep that 10 hours of sleep that your body needs.

22. Without Sleep, 6 = 3!!

The record for the longest duration without sleep is 18 days and 21 hours and during that time the record holder had reported paranoia, slurred speech, lose of memory, blurred vision and hallucination. The effect of loss of sleep is that great. It has also been studied that after a hectic week at college with less sleep, 3 glasses of alcohol would induce the same effect of 6 glasses of alcohol consumed during a completely rested state. Hence it makes the body more tired and reduces resistances by 50%.

23. Drowsy And Driving – Don’t Mix

We have already learned that lack of sleep severely impairs concentration and awareness, and also dulls the senses. Hence you would not be able to take precise decisions while driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sleepy drivers are responsible for at least 1,500 deaths every year and cause more than 100,000 accidents. So it’s best if you take short naps when your driving to stay alert and focused.

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 24. How Einstein Took His Power Naps

We’ve already seen that many famous personalities took their mid day nap. This includes the science genius, Albert Einstein. He napped frequently during the day, since he had said that these naps helped him think more clearly. However, Einstein was very particular about the duration of his naps, he didn’t want himself to get into deep sleep, so he had this nifty little trick to stop him from doing just that. He would have a pencil in his hand and would doze off purposefully, and when he falls into a deep sleep, the pencil would fall from his hand. And this would wake him up and he would continue with what he was doing, now refreshed. You could follow this pencil trick used by Einstein to get these power naps.

25. The Importance Of Sleep At Your Age

The effects of sleep deprivation is greatest at the ages 18 to 24, when compared with other age brackets. The effects of lack of proper rest to the body could have temporary as well as permanent effects on you. So take your seriously and you could notice the improvement in your overall performance.