Diet contributes to in-class sleeping

"Bueller? Bueller?"

Ben Stein's portrayal of an economics teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is infamous for one reason: his monotonous and repetitive manner of speaking.

Students often cite monotonous lectures as a primary reason for in-class dozing, such as computer information systems junior Eric Lim. If the lecture is boring and he hasn't gotten enough sleep, Lim said, he will be asleep in an instant. Another culprit is the in-class video.

"If he pops in a video, I'm sleeping," Lim said.

But according to some recent studies, boring classes are not the main reason that students fall asleep in class.

"A lot of times people fall asleep in class because they're not getting proper nutrition so their bodies are run down," said Larry Harvey, clinical coordinator of Student Health Services.

The carbohydrate-heavy diet of college students might also be a cause. A recent article in American Family Physician reported that the amino acid L-tryptophan, found in bread, dairy products and meats, produces a mild sedative effect. The amino acid increases serotonin, a neural transmitter involved in sleep regulation.

So much for that healthy lunch of a turkey sandwich and milk.

Other studies mentioned in the report suggest iron deficiency decreases attention span, impairs learning and memory and interferes with school performance. Missing breakfast has also shown to have a short-term negative effect on reading and mathematics abilities.

"The best way not to fall asleep in class is a balanced diet, get plenty of exercise and an adequate rest at night," Harvey said.

Body temperature and alertness dip during mid-afternoon, preparing the body for bedtime, according to a recent article on onhealth.com
Several students have successfully found ways to stay awake in class: Coffee was the most often-cited solution.

But, coffee is an unhealthy alternative.

"The thing about caffeine and other stuff like that Ö is that after a certain point of time those wear off and you're more tired than you began with," Harvey said.
Natalia Garcia, an interior design junior, does not drink coffee. She has learned to stay away solely by focusing on the lessons to be learned.

"If I fall asleep, I'm going to miss out and fall behind," she said. Oyman Baydede, a junior in international business, agrees.

"I'm here to learn," he said. "It's pointless if you sleep in your class. Just don't show up if you're going to sleep."

Kim Vail, a finance junior, also tries to stay focused by taking good notes and reading the material beforehand.

Sleeping students not only affect the learning process, but can also affect the teaching process.

Economics professor Roy Anderson's handles sleeping students by taking students aside and talking with them, a technique he learned in the Army.

"I don't chew them out in front of everyone else," he said. "When we're alone, I tell them don't even bother coming to class. I've had good results. A lot of them that sleep don't come back to class."

John Timko, a lecturer in the criminal justice department, said that students rarely fall asleep in his class. But when it does happen, Timko does not think much of it.

"They're adults," he said. "They can do what they want to do, as long as it doesn't disrupt the class."

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