Introduction

In today's Starbucks-driven colleges, as workaholics struggle to maintain their drug of choice and caffeine-induced bursts of energy reign supreme, the Western work ethic to "keep moving, don't stop for anything" continues to pervade in students' minds. Virtually flying from class to class in a race against his own deadline, a college student will sprint through casual conversations and hurdle over rows of un-smelt roses for the mere attainment of an alphabetical goal. One can only hope that an A minus will satisfy his ever-growing need for top-ranking speed. Therefore, as with all feverishly working students of any given college, only one comment can be made to their increasingly rapid eye movements:

"Give it a rest, man."

With all the hard work and dedication involved in living such a fast-paced college-life, students develop a tendency to ignore their personal health in order to succeed in the world around them. One of the most prevalent sacrifices made by college students rests in the basic human need to reenergize, in which both body and mind participate in an ancient ritual of replenishment - the act of sleep. Oddly enough, the subject of sleep deprivation rarely raises such heated debates or concerns as "binge drinking in anorexic athletes," for example, and consequently receives less attention. This apathy, however, introduces the purpose of my proposal to eliminate or, at least, lessen the detrimental effects that sleep deprivation might have on students' health. In order to do so, colleges must raise awareness and concern around the subject of sleep and execute this in a manner that every sleep-deficient student has the opportunity to participate and to help themselves. Thus, to facilitate a more health-oriented, successful college experience and to counteract the negative effects of poor sleeping habits on each student, I believe that college universities must implement a relaxation training program into their educational system.

Causes of Sleep Deprivation
First and foremost, before any steps are taken in the application of an educationally-based relief system, we as members of a college family must understand that sleep deprivation among college students stems from a number of school-related factors. The college academic workload's correlation between the outcomes of learning and a student's environment were observed in a recent study where researchers noted "students' perceptions of workload... link higher workloads to generally poorer learning outcomes and satisfaction with the learning environment" (Simons 37). Not surprisingly, the element causing the most anxiety dwells in heavy academic workloads, as college students' competitive environments push them to lose the most sleep.

Moreover, the increased amount of work in colleges today has done little to reduce the amount of time each employed student gives to their job. According to an article entitled "The Impact of Sleep on Learning and Behavior in Adolescents," the amount of sleep that adolescents obtain is largely determined by the increased academic workload coupled with employment positions needed to "supplement family income, increase independence, improve self-confidence, and develop interpersonal skills," all of which promote a healthier mode of thinking (Mitru 710). The consequences of all the positive increases, on the other hand, include having to work longer hours at work, which accordingly hinder opportunities for a sufficient amount sleep. Motivated by a paycheck and the desire to keep up with their classes, these soldiers of schoolwork ultimately forfeit a healthy amount of sleep with little to no regret. After all, the end justifies the means, right? Popular opinion would say that ajob well done validates students' disregard for sleep, but hopefully further examination of sleep deprivation's effects will deter this mentality.

The Need for a Program
To determine the absolute necessity of a relaxation training program, college universities should consider a primary analysis of students' sleeping habits. In order to ascertain a general idea of student's regular sleeping practices, a survey was conducted of over 100 Notre Dame students (less than 10% of the Notre Dame student body). Approximately 70% reported receiving only five to six hours of sleep on the weekdays, 28% receiving seven to eight, and only 2% receiving the healthy nine hours for teenagers. Because the majority of students receive significantly less than the healthy sleeping regimen, these first signs of sleep deprivation should signal the Notre Dame Administration to develop a form of action. Furthermore, the same survey sheds much light on the consequences of these poor sleeping habits. A shocking amount of students, more than two-thirds, reported to have missed either a class or a test this semester due to issues surrounding sleep. From these statistics, Notre Dame seemingly contradicts its original purpose of having students reach their fullest intellectual potential in one way: creating an environment conducive for a problem that actually inhibits learning. Subsequently, if Notre Dame may serve as a microcosm for all universities, perhaps these first steps in revealing an exceedingly accepted problem will push the call for some sort of action in all educational systems.

Relaxation Program as Education
In order to bring about the most successful program for students, the execution of such a relaxation course must primarily focus on raising sleep-deprivation awareness, including knowledge surrounding causes and effects of the widespread problem. To determine the present amount of awareness among students today, a survey conducted of more than 900 students on the subject of proper sleep hygiene reported the average correct response rate was approximately 50% (qtd. in Relationship of Sleep 33). Not surprisingly, these numbers specifically indicate a direct link between sleep hygiene awareness and the poor sleeping habits so rampant among college students. Their ignorance of the subject lends credence to the popular argument that irresponsible sleeping habits are not the students' fault; rather, many students are merely unaware of sleep deprivation's damaging effects. For example, a common misconception held by many university students states that "I can just catch up on the weekends" or "A little nap will make it all better," when in reality these practices actually worsen a person's sleep intake. Scientists have observed these destructive habits in three independent studies, concluding that "large variations in sleep schedules produce almost the same difficulties as receiving less than a normal amount of sleep," (qtd. in Applying Sleep Research 413). In that case, while allowing the instant gratification of closingone's tired eyes for an hour or so, taking naps only gives the illusion of a more restful day and night.

Along with the ill-conceived notion of "catch up" on the weekends remains another misconception regarding relaxation: unwinding through alcohol. Many people, including students, mistakenly believe that drinking promotes sleep when, in fact, it reduces sleep quality by "suppress[ing] REM sleep," an acronym for the integral sleeping stage of Rapid Eye Movement (qtd. in Applying Sleep Research 413). So while an overly-worked college student may feel a bit sleepy after a shot or two, repeated "nocturnal awakenings" that evening can interrupt the natural state of REM resulting in a lower quality of sleep and, therefore, cause a less restful night. Still, students will disregard alcohol's harmful effects on their REM's, acknowledging that they sometimes sleep even longer after drinking; however, a relaxation program possesses the potential of dispelling this idea through stressing the importance of quality over quantity. By doing so, the program raises awareness through flipping common mistakes around and separating the truth from the myths.

Moreover, considering various pieces of information, in particular, could stimulate a barrage of internal questions among students such as: "Do I display these sleeping habits? What is my sleeping schedule? What can I do to stop it?" Thus, by disclosing eye-opening situations to which every apt pupil may relate, students will approach the program with raised awareness and concern, paving the way for an educationally-based program.

Relaxation Program as Sleep Stimulus
Nevertheless, imparting information on sleep in an organized approach makes up only part of the program. The next step in preparing a successful system involves the creation of actual sleep promoting behaviors, which will consist of relaxation techniques and skills that students may take with them into the coming years of college. New methods of relaxation such as "sustaining passive simple focus" as suggested by Jonathan Smith, editor of Advances in ABC Relaxation Training: Applications and Inventory, introduce the idea of "centering" into a student's constantly outward range of thinking (5). Consider this analogy: An architecture major is forever consumed with the arches above a balcony, yet remains completely oblivious to the curvature of each bag beneath her eyes. A relaxation program, however, works to improve upon such lack of self-awareness on one's health. Students learn the value of slowing down, focusing inward, and later experience what Smith terms a "cycle of renewal," in which a person awakens refreshed and renewed (Smith 6). Thus, through focusing inward and away from the "discursive activities" of school life, such methods of relaxation like centering will eliminate the yearning for constant movement (Smith 5). As a result of slowing down, the program further encourages the worth of sleep and fulfills one element of the training.

Overall, a relaxation program with an informal atmosphere will not only add to its appeal, but support the various needs of each student in the group. A study cited within Advances in ABC Relaxation stresses the importance of this casualness when observing that "casual relaxation activities such as meditation, talking, listening to music and chatting... are most rewarding and effective" (Smith 190). In terms of promoting sleep, the study notes, "Interestingly, these activities are not particularly effective for evoking relaxation states of mind other than sleepiness," the goal of the program itself (Smith 192). Obviously, casual activities such as chatting do not solely produce a successfiil sleep and relaxation program. However, in encouraging a familiar environment that promotes relaxing behaviors, then, the program might succeed in its objective to promote sleep.

Additional Reasons for a Relaxation Program
A relaxation training problem offers solutions not only for problems directly posed by sleep deprivation, but irnproves the general performance of any student with a school-related problem. In particular, many students possess a high amount of anxiety surrounding exams and exhibit a kind of behavior called "test anxiety," a special case of a general anxiety related to fear of failure (S app 79). As a result of this constant concern about their performance, ensuing loss of sleep can wreak similar effects as with a student who simply loses sleep from late-night parties. In a multi-component treatment approach conducted by one researcher in the journal entitled Education and Treatment of Children, relaxation techniques and certain cognitive-behavioral interventions were used to treat a nineteen year old female with test anxiety. She eventually learned the importance of PMR, or progressive muscular relaxation, to be applied quickly in stressful situations like test-taking. As a result of applying these relaxation skills and knowledge during stressful times, trait anxiety level decreased and OPA increased substantially (Kennedy 2). In brief, the continued application of an organized relaxation procedure succeeded in all forms. Much like the female in this study, most students who feel the perpetual burden of anxiety could benefit from the relaxation skills offered in a program, both alleviating certain forms of apprehension and increasing the quality of a college experience.

Implementation
Under my plan, I propose that Notre Dame serve as an example for all universities by offering an optional 1-hour course every week within the current curriculum to raise awareness about sleep deprivation. The program would serve as a second rotation of the already required Contemporary Topics course. Therefore, the argument that "I have no time" is refuted because students would have had to take a second rotation anyway. Forcing students to take another class besides the commonly labeled time-consuming PE requirements and "Useless" Contemporary Topics might even appear silly. For example, out of the 100 students that answered "yes" to attending such a program, approximately 90% agreed that it should not be mandatory. One student from Dillon Hall even went so far as to write within the margins, "Making people do things is bad. People are not dogs." Indeed, hounding educated adults to complete another credit only intensifies their overloaded academic schedules, constraining the available free time they possess and, thus, contradicting its original purpose to improve relaxation and sleeping habits. Theoretically, by likening itself to another required course for first-year students, the program might actually cause some students to focus merely on getting through the class rather than growing from it. On the other hand, if students are given the opportunity to participate in a newly formed "nap class" as a second part of their required PE course, the relaxing connotations of a required health class will raise interest and, therefore, excitement to learn.

As for the audience that the program needs to attract, each session would be open to all students wishing to escape the high-speed movements from day to day, providing a calming center conducive for learning and relaxing. Franklin C. Brown, head researcher of Applying Sleep Research to University Students, proposes the basic ingredients for a student sleep education program in that "the first step is providing students with a brief literature summary of the impact that sleep difficulties have on their lives, e.g. lower grades, concentration difficulties, and irritable mood" (412). As outlined before, these sessions will primarily focus on eliminating misconceptions about sleep and providing information on the consequences of not receiving enough. In addition, sleep hygiene instructions will provide the students with some basic tips to sleeping well and how to avoid sleep deterrents such as caffeine, alcohol, unnecessary naps, etc. Perhaps a planned activity at each meeting will provide for specific needs, for example by having each student create a working schedule of when to sleep, when to exercise, etc. This method would not only improve the organization of the program, but also assist students in ridding the aforementioned problem of variations within sleeping schedules. As recently stated, the purpose of this first half of the session may hopefully eliminate the ignorance surrounding sleep deprivation expressed in many students.

To improve upon concentration and physical health, the second part of the weekly program will center on physical relaxation techniques and therapy. Successful therapy practices are documented in a study entitled "Effectiveness of Cognitive/Relaxation Therapy...," in which test subjects were given 30 minutes of deep relaxation muscle therapy, breathing techniques, and were encouraged to eliminate anxiety-inducing mentalities such as feelings of failure (Dendato 132). The test proved successful in eradicating feelings of anxiety, which in turn may improve the concentration skills of students that repeat these methods. By imitating these procedures, students can teach themselves how to relax and, therefore, sleep better at night.

Finally, the program offered should maintain a similar extracurricular counterpart, which will be relatively free of charge. To those students and faculty not familiar with PE rotations, certain courses that are offered, such as fencing, possess a corresponding club in which students with newfound interest in the subject may participate. In the case that some students leave the required relaxation training program wanting more, they are given the chance to enjoy its benefits during their own time.

In addition, the coexisting club, though probably requiring dues like any other student run organization, will remain free because a program which boasts "Learn how to sleep successfully for 20 dollars" might obviously detract from its popularity. Instead, the university should fund the program and its trainers. If money poses a large obstacle in its establishment, perhaps the university could "hire" upperclassmen to instruct incoming freshman; those instructors, in turn, would receive benefits such as credit hours if their major is Education, for example. Through attracting students to a program with "free" as a kind of bait, the goal of raising awareness about sleep deprivation has already been accomplished.

Conclusion
I was slowly made aware of the problem of sleep deprivation after settling into a lecture class of 150 students, observing the endless struggles to find the most comfortable position into which the student body could slowly sink unnoticed by the professor. Now, perhaps by introducing a program that furthers this awareness to others in my "position," Notre Dame and all universities may benefit from a program that helps alleviate the constant drag of sleepless nights and caffeine-driven days. Despite the 75% of Notre Dame students surveyed that responded "No" to attending such a proposed program (most of whom did not even meet the healthy sleep requirements), perhaps these kind of results only further the argument that we need to raise more awareness concerning sleep deprivation. Because of this speculation, I feel that such an untested program requires more research from both universities and students alike. Together with the support and eagerness of the sleepy students, themselves, such a program has the possibility of eliminating sleep deprivation. For, in a crude alteration of Steinbeck's words, problems of sleep are solved only with the conjoined efforts of a committee sharing them.

General Questions
1) Male or female?
2) What year are you?
3) Where are you from?
4) What is your major?
Please answer the questions from the following choices:					Answer	%	Answer	%	Answer	%
5) On average, how many hours of sleep do you receive on a weekday?					1-2 hours	0%	3-4 hours	3%	5-6 hours	62%
					7-8 hours	34%	9 or more	2%
6) On average, how many hours of sleep do you receive on weekends?					1-2 hours	0%	3-4 hours	3%	5-6 hours	15%
					7-8 hours	46%	9 or more	36%
7) Has lack of sleep ever kept you from class or a test? If so, how often?					Never	33%	once or twice this semester	36%	once or twice a month	21%
					once or twice a week	10%
Other:
8) What year (or time during the year) do you receive the least amount of sleep?
9) On a scale of one to twn, how would you rate yur normal sleeping habits?
Please answer the questions with one of the following choices:					Answer	%	Answer	%	Answer	%
10) If an hour long relaxation program offering different meditation techniques and relaxation skills was implemented at Notre Dame, would you consider attending?					Yes	24%	No	43%	Maybe	33%
11) Would you want such a program to be a mandatory credit for students at Notre Dame?					Yes	7%	No	75%	Not Sure	18%
12) Do you feel such a program would help your sleeping habits at all?					Yes	15%	No	61%	Maybe	24%
13) Would it affect your academic performance at all?					Yes	11%	No	33%	Not Sure	56%
Notes: 91% of students saying yes to question #10, said no to being mandatory

Works Cited

Brown, Franklin C. and Walter C. Buboltz. "Applying Sleep Research to University Students:
	Recommendations for Developing a Student Sleep Education Program." On the Campus 43 (May/June 2002): 411-414.
"Relationship of Sleep Hygiene Awareness, Sleep Hygiene Practices, and Sleep Quality in University
	Students." Behavioral Medicine 28 (Spring 2002): 33-37.
Dendato, Kenneth and Don Diener. "Effectiveness of Cognitive/Relaxation Therapy and Study-Skills
	Training in Reducing Self-Reported Anxiety and Improving the Academic Performance of Test-Anxious Students." Journal of Counseling Psychology 33 (1986):131-135.
Kennedy, D. Victoria and Karla J. Doepke. "Multicomponent Treatment of a Test Anxious College Student."
	Education and Treatment of Children 22 (May 1999)1-15. On-line.
Mitru, Georgios and Daniel L. Milirood. "The Impact of Sleep on Learning and Behavior in Anxiety with
	Undergraduate and Graduate College Students: Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnosis, Relaxation Therapy, and Supportive Counseling." Journal of College Student Development 47 (Jan./Feb. 1996): 79-86.
Sapp, Marty. "Three Treatments for Reducing the Worry and Emotionality Components of Test Anxiety with
	Undergraduate and Graduate College Students: Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnosis, Relaxation Therapy, and Supportive Counseling." Journal of College Student Development 47 (Jan./Feb. 1996): 79-86.
Simons, Roland, and AIf Lizzio. "University Students Perceptions of the Learning Environment and
	Academic Outcomes: Implications for theory and practice." Studies in Higher Education 27 (Feb 2002): 28-52. On-line.
Sleep Deprivation Survey." Survey. 17 Nov. 2002.
Smith, Jonathan. Advances in ABC Relaxation: Applications and Inventory. New York: Springer Publishing
	Company, Inc., 2001.