UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – With finals week approaching at Penn State, a good night’s sleep is very important. Many students, however, do not always get good sleep with their busy schedules.

A recent study led by Penn State found that when students were asked to extend their sleep by only an hour, many of them experienced less sleepiness during the day and had lower blood pressure.

Senior public relations major Chelsea West said that she typically gets six hours of sleep per night but it differs on weekends.

“This past weekend I was super busy and only got four hours of sleep,” said West. “Last night [however] I made it a priority to get seven.”

Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Nursing Anne-Marie Chang said that the findings of the study suggest that getting more sleep is a feasible and attainable goal for most college students.

Chang also said that not getting enough sleep could lead to a range of issues such as impaired mood and cognitive performance.

Sophomore Labor and Employment Relations major Samantha Goldman said that she gets an average of seven hours of sleep per night but could benefit from more.

“I would probably be more focused in class,” said Goldman.

This sleep study was recently published on the online journal, “Sleep Health.”