COLUMN: Stop sleeping in class
I have never fallen asleep in a class before, and I honestly don’t know how people do it.
There are more than a few classes out there students consider boring — like watching-a-blade-of-grass-grow boring. Whether the professor has a monotone voice or the material is presented in a way that lacks depth or passion, every one of us has had a class where glances at the clock are constant. But no matter how boring the class is, I find it impossible to doze in a deep, snore-filled slumber.
Maybe it’s my paranoid instinct. I feel like if I were to fall asleep in class, I would be placing myself in a vulnerable position. I have this fear that someone will mess with me while I’m sleeping. I know it's highly unlikely, but for some reason, I would not want to risk someone playing a cruel joke on me. I can just picture someone ripping off a piece of paper and tickling me on the ear in some huge lecture hall.
I also know when I sleep, I sleep very deeply. A fire alarm probably couldn’t wake me up. What if I fall asleep in class and someone does not wake me up? How embarrassing!
Not to mention, when I sleep in my bed I wake up with white crust on my pillow from drooling; apparently I sleep with my mouth wide open. According to many sources, I have a loud, distinctive snore. I don’t want to punish anyone in my class with that.
But most of all, I would feel extremely guilty. Maybe I’m too nice, but it feels a bit rude falling asleep on a professor.
Some seem like they would be offended, even angry, if someone fell asleep in their class. My guilty conscious won’t let me do it. But believe me, there have been times where I have literally forced my eyes to stay open. Every one knows how it feels to nod off; when your head starts to fall, then you jerk it upward and strain your eyes to remain open.
Nodding off sucks, because it happens in cycles, too. I hate nodding off and would rather just lay my head on the desk and rest my eyes for a bit, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.
I’ve had so many friends tell me they sleep in class regularly, and I see people do it all the time when I’m in class, so I feel like I’m left out of some amazing ability to escape a boring lecture.
I know it’s wise to get abundant rest the night before so sleeping won’t happen in class, but sometimes I have to stay up so I can get things done. We are in college, and a lot of the time there’s a choice between getting all of your work done, having a social life or sleeping, and it seems like I’m forced to pick two out of the three.
