By CAMMIE BAGLEY

Living/Athens Editor

Through the hustle and bustle of college life, it can sometimes feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to take time for one’s self. 

All day long, students are rushing between classes, jobs, the dining hall, sports and any other extracurricular activities they may have, leaving little time for things that are important to this generation, such as checking social media and communicating with friends. 

On top of being busy all of the time, this generation has a tendency to be unwilling to put aside having a social life, regardless of limited time. This is made possible by the use of smart phones and other technology that gives access to social media. If one wasn’t able to hang out or catch up with his or her friends throughout the day, he or she has the accessibility to communicate with them late at night instead. Many times this means staying up later to be on one’s phone or being on it throughout the night, when one should be sleeping. 

Mixing this technological age of constantly using social media with the busy lifestyle of college leads to a recipe for a sleep deprivation disaster. 

Sleep is extremely important when it comes to health.

According to nhs.uk, without an adequate amount of sleep, one can become irritated, more stressed and even get physically sick. 

It may seem as though just a few hours of sleep is enough, but that isn’t necessarily true. As a rule of thumb, everyone needs between seven to eight hours of sleep, some people need more and some less but regardless, three hours of sleep won’t cut it for anyone. 

The use of technology right before one falls asleep affects the quality of the rest one is getting. According to webmd.com, Mark Rosekind, former director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Program at NASA, said that our brains’ electrical activity increases when using technology, which causes our neurons to race. That is the opposite of what should be happening right before falling asleep. 

He also says that when playing a video game or typing up an email, our bodies become tense. This causes the release of the stress hormone cortisol, making it much more difficult to fall asleep.

 Another surprising downfall of electronic use prior to sleep that Rosekind brings to light is the affect that the glow from electronic screens has on people. The light from the screen passes into the retina, which can then delay the production of melatonin. 

Using technology while trying to fall asleep biologically prevents one from being able to get to sleep and stay asleep well. 

In order to make it through the day successfully, it’s vital to get a good rest every night of the week, so it’s a good idea to set a time that technology should to be put away for the night. This way, one can get the sleep needed and still be able to function properly throughout the day. 

Put away the cell phone at bedtime. Twitter and Snapchat are not worth losing sleep over.