The KAIST Herald went to interview the dormitory inspector Young Hee Jang of Areum and Narae Halls to have a closer look at how KAIST students are coping with sleep, and visited Doctor Joo Yeon Kim of Family Medicine at KAIST Clinic Pappalardo Center in search of advice for some of the problems put forth by the dormitory inspector.

[Jang]I have observed students display a diverse range of episodes. Just to mention a few, going on patrol, I have found students sleeping on cold bathroom floors and common rooms, or snuggled up against the corners after drinking. Oftentimes, students fall asleep in the shower. During the day, we receive a lot of phone calls from students’ parents asking us to check on them; when we visit their rooms, they are usually asleep, oblivious to our knocking. Students seem to be alert during the night, leaving the dormitory as late (or as early) as 4 a.m. Yet during the day, students are absentminded, losing their student ID cards frequently and forgetting to get their foods from the microwave.

[Kim]The answer is rather simple: get more sleep. That is not to say spending long and mindless hours in bed is recommended; quality of sleep is extremely important. In other words, taking momentary naps may be refreshing, but it cannot compensate for the amount of sleep lost during the night. Therefore, it is important to fix yourself on a regular sleep cycle so that the body adjusts to it. Get an adequate amount of sleep during the night, and make sure it is of high quality.

Oddly enough, students seem to not be able to fall sleep at night. Do students consult you with the difficulty of falling asleep?

[Kim]A lot of students come to the clinic with the problem of insomnia. They say they want to sleep but just cannot. Students say that they go to sleep near dawn and wake around noon - I must mention that this is not necessarily because students spend the time awake doing work that is productive. Insomnia is difficult to treat once it becomes chronic; it is important to correct it as soon as it is suspected that you might be suffering from it. Here are some tips for dealing with insomnia: 1) Go to bed at a designated time; 2) Wake up at a designated time; 3) Avoid intense exercise and night meals two hours prior to sleeping (night meals will inevitably force the autonomic nervous system and digestive system to work during the night); 4) Avoid taking naps even when you are tired – save it for the night; 5) Your room should be quiet, dark, and comfortable - if you find small noises made by your roommate(s) disturbing, use an eye patch and ear plugs; 6) Try not to think of the day’s happenings in bed, and do not worry about what might come tomorrow, for high levels of stress and anxiety disrupt relaxation. Instead, take long deep breaths and focus on relaxing every muscle in your body, from head to toe; 7) If you cannot sleep in 30 minutes after lying in bed, try reading a boring book and see if it triggers sleep. Do not touch the radio, computer, or cell phone for they are more likely to make you more alert; 8) Do not drink alcohol before going to bed - it does help you to go to sleep at the beginning, but as it becomes habitual, there will be a withdrawal effect and it will become less effective, accompanied with low quality sleep.

[Kim]Setting priorities is important, and sleep should be one of everyone’s priorities. What are the things you value? What should you do first? How do you set order? What is the opportunity cost of doing one thing over another? Though students tend to think that dedicating to their studies during exam weeks is so crucial that reducing the amount of sleep seems almost natural and reasonable in KAIST, we must always remember that sleep is directly related to health, let alone efficiency, and that maintaining the balance is key to not only a healthy campus life but life in general. It is difficult to stick to such rules, but it helps to remind yourself that sleep is something you have to take prudent care of. Keeping a consistent and steady balance will eventually show its value in time. In the end, it all comes down to managing your time wisely, and this is essentially the quality of life that you want to strive for.