JRN 200 @ MSU is fun!: Out-Of-Class #1: A Good Example ...

... of a rewrite, with my comments in CAPS BOLD. Please note I allowed the survey from a newspaper as data because (1.) the survey was actually conducted BY the newspaper, and not just reported on from another source; (2.) the survey size was large enough to be credible, and (3.) the author asked to make sure I was okay with it and it did not fit the description of simply "borrowing" from other media.

Please note the creative yet factually-based and contextual lede, the many sources (both neutral experts and everyday people), the frequent use of data to show the proof behind claims and observations, hard details to support general ideas, etc. Really, a nice job all-around:

JRN 200

10/15/14

Slug: Sleep Deprivation

According tojj dfjkdhjfkdfdf…

Fall asleep on your keyboard again?

If you are thinking it’s time for a nap, you are probably right.

Sleep experts say students with good sleeping habits generally get better grades and have higher levels of productivity and happiness as opposed to students who skimp on sleep for schoolwork.

According to the report of an online survey conducted by Carnegie Mellon University’s student newspaper, The Tartan, 73 out of 102 students said “they felt they performed inadequately on an assignment or exam due to lack of sleep.”

Jennifer Grzegorek, a counseling psychologist at Michigan State University’s Counseling Center, said she has noticed that students view sleep deprivation as a sign of hard work and dedication.

“Students increasingly post on social media that they stayed up the entire previous night or only got a few hours of sleep, as though it’s something to brag about. That’s a problem,” said Grzegorek via email.

Caroline Cooke, a James Madison University psychology graduate and former sleep researcher, said sleep deprivation among college students is an epidemic and good sleeping habits, including daytime naps, are necessary to function optimally.

According to a brochure distributed by the Florida Institute of Technology’s Counseling and Psychological Services, college students sleep an average of two hours fewer per day now than they did in the 1980s. HOW MANY HOURS IS THAT, TOTAL? I KNOW; I’M NIT-PICKING

Cooke said she established The Nap Nook at JMU in attempt to change negative attitudes associated with napping.

According to The Nap Nook Website, The Nap Nook is a quiet place on the university’s campus where students can reserve a beanbag to nap on for up to 40 minutes.

“The purpose of The Nap Nook was to abolish the negative stigmas associated with napping and to shift the cultural perspective on napping towards a healthier attitude,” said Cooke.

STILL NEED NAP NOOK USER DATA

Cooke said napping has numerous benefits including improved memory, increased attention span and reduced stress levels.

In a study published in “Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,” study participants were presented a set of word pairs and then tested once before and once after a 12-hour period COMMA HERE including a phase of sleep.

According to the study, participants remembered an average of about five more word pairs after sleeping than they did immediately after studying the information. Participants tested after 12-hours without sleep showed insignificant improvement.

“Power naps are an effective and efficient way to boost performance as opposed to coffee and stimulants,” said Cooke.

According to Cooke, coffee alone is not a solution for sleep deprivation, however, a “coffee nap” in which you drink coffee and then take a short nap, is the best kind of nap.

WHY?

Cooke said, in order to avoid post-nap grogginess, naps should be no longer than 20-25 minutes.

“After that point in time you start to fall into deeper stages of sleep and so you will actually wake up groggy. It’s called sleep inertia. An object at rest tends to, well, stay at rest,” said Cooke.

Cooke said a nap as short as 10 minutes is effective in a time crunch.

MSU senior Brooke Merrill said she would appreciate a place like The Nap Nook at MSU but she would want to sleep for more than 10 minutes.

“If I have a large block of time I will take a nap, but I don’t usually have that,” said Merrill.

Merrill said she usually sleeps five to six hours per night and cannot sleep well if she does not complete all of her schoolwork before going to sleep.

Grzegorek said students need to make time for sleep and it should be just as routine as their other responsibilities.

“Although it can be challenging for students to juggle school, homework, their social life, and maybe a job or other responsibilities, it’s very important to prioritize sleep. I suggest that students who are having trouble finding time to sleep actually put it on their schedules until it becomes routine,” said Grzegorek.

Cooke said students who struggle finding time to sleep should consider how much more productive they could be if they were fully rested and less likely to get distracted.

MSU freshman Jennifer Meyer said she sleeps five to six hours a night and would need a two to three HYPHEN HERE hour nap to feel rested.

Meyer said she finds herself mindlessly going on Facebook when she feels tired, spending about two hours on social media daily.

According to Cooke, when you don’t sleep enough, “You’re cognitively drained,” and “you’re not functioning as well. You find yourself back on these social media sites not really realizing why you’re back there again,” and “you’re not doing very productive work.”

MSU senior and swim team member Alexandria Merritt said she tries to make time for a daily nap in addition to sleeping six to seven hours at night, but she occasionally stays up all night to finish assignments and study for exams at the last minute when she needs to.

Merritt said she feels tired but does not call herself sleep deprived because she is “used to it by now.”

Jeff Dyche, an associate professor of psychology at JMU, said he worries about students with poor sleeping habits. While he notices tired students dozing off or becoming distracted in his classes, he said he worries more about how they are affected outside of class.

In an email, Dyche said a lack of sleep can make students “more moody and this can impact personal relationships,” and “I worry about them driving cars to school in the morning as most fall asleep crashes occur in younger people and in the early hours of light.”

Dyche said he recommends eight to nine hours of sleep each night and “even well rested individuals benefit from a brief mid afternoon nap.”

Word Count: 960

Source List

Jeff Dyche – Ph.D.

Associate Professor at JMU

540-568-4965

dychejs@jmu.edu 

Caroline Cooke

JMU Graduate and founder of The Nap Nook

417-800-2807

cscooke623@gmail.com

Jennifer L. Grzegorek, Ph.D.