Under the influence or sleep deprived? According to WebMD, it may be hard to tell the difference.

An article on the medical information website WebMD states that people who exhibited sleep deprivation showed similar slowed reaction times to individuals under the influence when tested using the same hand-eye coordination tests that are commonly used on people under the effects of alcohol.

WebMD said sleep deprivation’s major effect on the human body can have even more negative effects. The popular website said that loss of sleep may cause loss of memory, a weakened immune system, increased perception of pain and even deeper psychological issues such as depression.

Coinciding with the predictions of the website, Lynne Martin, LPC and associate director of University Health Services and Counseling and Disability Service at Bennett Infirmary, said that sleep deprivation

more than just physical health. She said that, in very intense cases, even extreme hallucination has been known to occur.

“A lot has to do with the underlying issue of poor self-care,” Martin said. “Most traditional-age college students need at least eight hours of sleep, but that will vary from person to person.”

Lynne said that the anxiety of sleep deprivation can be compounded by having too much on one’s plate. She suggests limiting activities that deprive one of rest unless that activity is absolutely necessary. If ever a student does feel overwhelmed, Martin said that UNA’s counseling services are always available and can help students that feel they are taking on too much.

“If you keep (overexerting yourself), you will crash and burn,” said Martin.

She said that getting the eight hours of sleep needed to be healthy is extremely important.

“I feel like it adds to the stress already present in college,” said Honors sophomore student and mathematics major Michael Thaxton. “I tend to be more easily agitated when I don’t get enough sleep, which lately has been fairly often.

“It also tends to adversely affect the quality of my work, in and out of school. I think that performance in everything would improve by getting more sleep.”

Thaxton said that around half of his sleep deprivation is caused by school-related activities, and the other half is due to his own habits regarding schoolwork.

Thaxton jokingly suggested mandatory naptime as a solution to sleep deprivation in students, but, in reality, he’s not sure what would help.

“I don’t know that there is much to do besides better time management and perhaps commitments to fewer organizations,” he said.