American university students work too much – at jobs, not school

By Richard Morris. US students get jobs to help pay for college. It has me missing Britain – and wondering if this trend will come to the UK. Upon my arrival in the states from Britain, one of the first conversations I had with my roommate was about sleep. I stated that I tend to go to bed around midnight no matter what, even if I don't have classes the next day until the afternoon.
"You'll soon learn to live without sleep, being an American college student," my roommate said. I thought he was joking. My roommate often talks about how exhausted he is. He isn't alone. Each year, thousands of American college students report to health centres because of exhaustion, yet only recently have the true effects of poor sleep on young adults been documented. The health centre nurses at my US university look at you sympathetically, then prescribe sleeping pills. These, of course, don't actually solve the problem, they just make it worse. Read more...