“A woman should wear fragrance wherever she expects to be kissed”-Coco Chanel
Laura Reynolds looks at some of the cheapest beauty products available
I’m pretty sure we’re all familiar with the idea that you need eight hours of sleep a night to be a normal productive member of society but, oddly, nowhere can I find an expert prepared to put their name to this magical number. In fact it would seem that everyone’s sleep needs are different. The individual amount of sleep you need is based on your ‘basal sleep need’ (how much your body needs to get) and your ‘sleep debt’ (how much you’ve missed out on of late).
Somewhat alarmingly for the average student, there has been research carried out which suggests that getting more than eight hours a night might actually be harmful to your health. University of California researchers tell us that those who sleep between nine and ten hours a night seem to find it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Even worse news is that people who find it hard to sleep need to spend less time in bed so that they find it easier to rest at night.
In this study, though, they did find that the optimum sleep time was between seven and eight hours a night. But what happens to you if you get less? I’m not just talking about pulling the odd essay all nighter or somehow staggering in from The Gallery at four then having to get up for a 9.15. There is extensive research into the effects of chronic and prolonged sleep deprivation and let me tell you, they are not good. Clearly, there’s fatigue, but you can also add to that anxiety, increased stress levels and even weight gain.
If my A level Psychology memory serves me correctly, an American radio DJ who underwent voluntary sleep deprivation on his show hallucinated that his desk was on fire.
In my opinion one of the major advantages that we as students have over the general population is the viability of incorporating napping into our daily lives. And the good news is that naps are extremely good for you in terms of energy and concentration.
New Scientist reports that participants were more successful at a series of gruelling tests if they had a 60 minute nap in the middle of them, and the BBC news health site affirms that taking a nap in the afternoon can reduce your risk of death from heart disease.
So now we’ve decided that sleep is so important what can we do to ensure we’re making the most of it? In terms of food and drink we’ve all heard the one about how cheese gives you nightmares and it would seem sensible to steer clear of tea and coffee for at least a few hours before sleeping.
As you’re probably well aware alcohol can make you sleepy but too much causes restless sleep. If you’re drinking in moderation, that should help you drift off, but remember that dehydration can keep you awake so also drink plenty of water.
Being stressed clearly makes it harder to sleep; to combat this scientists suggest keeping your bedroom just for sleeping in but clearly the university ‘study bedroom’ is hardly ideal for this. Another technique for clearing your mind before you try to sleep is to keep a pen and paper beside your bed a write down anything that’s playing on your mind and keeping you awake. Which will also come in handy for jotting down all the crazy dreams that you know you won’t remember in the morning now that you’re getting so much good sleep.
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