2008 Woodie Awards
Got sleep?
Tracy Johnson
Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: Opinion
Hi. My name is Tracy, and incredibly I'm sleep deprived.
Sleep tops the charts as one of life's essesntials next to water and sunscreen. It replenishes our bodies, clears our heads, heals us when we are sick and keeps us in top-notch health so that we can open up a can on the stresses of college and everyday life.
What would you do if one day, you had to either give up sleep for a long amount of time, or had to rearrange your sleeping schedule? No more relaxation, no sleeping in, no more happy morning with your head still cluttered and your body still exhausted.
Welcome to my world.
I recently started an amazing internship for the Sarah and No Name Morning Show on Alice 97.3. I knew when I applied that I would have to be in San Francisco by four a.m. three days a week, which is enough to send people running the other way. Since it is my dream to work for that show, I've battled through it, drained but still smiling.
Then, I was hit with an even bigger blow: school. The time slots where I normally took my naps to get my eight hours of sleep a day were now taken up by class, work and this fine newspaper.
Sleep experts from the National Sleep Foundation say adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. To my extreme disliking, I now get about four to five hours of real sleep per day during the school week. On the bright side, I guess I can blame school if I get injured or sick.
It's only been three weeks since school started and a little over a month since the internship started, but I've already experienced many of the symptoms of sleep deprivation that the experts talk about.
For one, I've noticed that my cheery, energetic personality is wilting away. I'm easily angered and frustrated. I'm moody and developed this snappy tone with others that is very un-Tracy. I can cry on a whim. I try to stay happy and focused, but I really just want a nap.
I've noticed the sleep affecting me more and more in the car. I can fall asleep in a car in a heartbeat. Driving to the city at 3:30 a.m., this is a ticket for disaster if I've ever seen one.
Sleep tops the charts as one of life's essesntials next to water and sunscreen. It replenishes our bodies, clears our heads, heals us when we are sick and keeps us in top-notch health so that we can open up a can on the stresses of college and everyday life.
What would you do if one day, you had to either give up sleep for a long amount of time, or had to rearrange your sleeping schedule? No more relaxation, no sleeping in, no more happy morning with your head still cluttered and your body still exhausted.
Welcome to my world.
I recently started an amazing internship for the Sarah and No Name Morning Show on Alice 97.3. I knew when I applied that I would have to be in San Francisco by four a.m. three days a week, which is enough to send people running the other way. Since it is my dream to work for that show, I've battled through it, drained but still smiling.
Then, I was hit with an even bigger blow: school. The time slots where I normally took my naps to get my eight hours of sleep a day were now taken up by class, work and this fine newspaper.
Sleep experts from the National Sleep Foundation say adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. To my extreme disliking, I now get about four to five hours of real sleep per day during the school week. On the bright side, I guess I can blame school if I get injured or sick.
It's only been three weeks since school started and a little over a month since the internship started, but I've already experienced many of the symptoms of sleep deprivation that the experts talk about.
For one, I've noticed that my cheery, energetic personality is wilting away. I'm easily angered and frustrated. I'm moody and developed this snappy tone with others that is very un-Tracy. I can cry on a whim. I try to stay happy and focused, but I really just want a nap.
I've noticed the sleep affecting me more and more in the car. I can fall asleep in a car in a heartbeat. Driving to the city at 3:30 a.m., this is a ticket for disaster if I've ever seen one.