Students are an at-risk group in danger of sleep deprivation, especially with finals coming up, because demands in student lifestyles and schedules are typically unstable, according to the director of OU's Counseling Psychology Clinic.

"The side effects of lack of sleep are so sensitive and so individual that it's hard to be accurate and be general with information," said Terry Pace, also a licensed psychologist and an OU professor. "The effects vary in terms of each person's lifestyle."

Pace said some factors related to sleeping patterns are differences in diet, exercise, medical problems disturbing sleep and how different people cope with stress.

"It depends on the time of year for some students because of the fact that tests come up at different times," said Jeffrey Ogar, microbiology junior. "Finals are going to hit everyone at about the same time."

Pace said almost any kind of health problem that can be named has a link to sleep or the lack thereof. Many diseases can cause sleep deprivation problems. There are a wide range of treatments, from behavioral to medical treatments, that can cause side effects related to sleep, he said.

Pace said some direct effects of sleep deprivation are reduced understanding and concentration, making impulsive or reactive decisions and displaying negative emotions such as irritability.

"[Students] need to get enough sleep so they can go to class and won't sleep through lectures if they do go," said A.J. Williams, communications senior.

Pace said there is little question that the ability to learn new, complex information or to be creative is undermined by short-term sleep deprivation. This can hinder the ability to recall or apply old information to emotional or academic situations, he said.

All of these prominent side effects can directly and indirectly be the death of someone, he said.

"There is evidence of accident rates going up, when you look at factories or hospitals, that the quality of decision-making goes down," Pace said. "There is a decrease in the ability to think through problems, so rash decisions are made."

In long-term sleep deprivation, chronic sleep disturbances result in suppression of the immune system, which arguably can be a long-term but direct cause of death, he said.

"Sleep is associated with regulating the immune system, and people who often don't get enough sleep are more vulnerable to health problems, typically respiratory problems, that can occur," Pace said.

Ogar said he has noticed friends who don't get enough sleep because they are working on papers and studying tend to get sick easily.

Adolescents need about 9.2 hours of sleep each night, compared with the 7.5 to eight hours that adults need, according to studies by Mary A. Carskadon of Brown University Medical School.

"For me, eight hours is too much at one time," Williams said. "It's better to get a minimum of four hours of sleep and then take a two-hour nap."

Ogar said he has fallen asleep standing up at work when he hadn't slept for 24 hours because he was studying for an Organic Chemistry II test.

"I wish I had gotten a nap," Ogar said. "Naps have proven helpful, and a few hours of napping would have helped me get through the day."

"People should take advantage of the break coming up and rest up this Thanksgiving," he said.

Pace said the best recommendation to prevent the irreversible effects of sleep deprivation is to create a regular sleeping pattern. This way the body learns when it is time to go to sleep, like after reading, drinking milk or any kind of relaxed action, he said.

Williams said that if people have good time management, everything will fall into place, including time to sleep.

There is such a thing as too much sleep, Pace said. Too much sleep can result in some of the same effects as those that are by-products of lack of sleep, such as irritability.

"People who sleep too much may find it hard to function or focus," he said. "It also gets in the way of holding jobs and having relationships, which is what most of us are trying to do with our lives."
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