Courtesy of Marshall University Photos

Kaye Godbey, coordinator of wellness programs

“Sleep is foundational to success as a human,” said Kaye Godbey, the University’s wellness coordinator.

She cited sleep’s importance regarding focus, weight control and mood management as reasons for students to build sleep into their schedule.

She also expanded on sleep’s benefits for a person’s memory.

“When we sleep, we move the things from our short-term memory that we need into our long-term memory,” Godbey said.

She went on to apply this to ways of improving students’ study habits. According to her, small chunks of studying and then slee ping on that information can transport it into long term memory, resulting in less time spent studying.

Godbey also discussed how an increased use of drugs and alcohol can prevent a person from sleeping. She went on to discuss how a lack of sleep can negatively impact a person in the long term.

“People who have disrupted sleep regularly have an increased risk of dementia,” she said.

However, Godbey did mention ways students can incorporate sleep into their busy schedule. She said that students should set an alarm that serves as their “winding down time,” or an hour before they go to bed.