Transitioning from the lazy summer days to the 'staying up late and waking up early' aspects of school, sleep is something that I believe we all need more of and almost everyone can agree that it is something we don't get a lot of. Those late night coffee runs to finish that assignment, or the weekends where we are out till the early mornings always catch up to us one way or another.
The average hours of sleep each person needs a night is 8, while most Americans get anywhere from 5-7 hours a night. An article from The Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit state "signs you sleep deprived are:
->Struggling to stay awake when inactive, such as when watching TV or reading
->Feeling tired when waking up
->Needing an alarm clock consistently to wake up
->Waking up often and having trouble going back to sleep
->Falling asleep after a heavy meal
->Having difficulty remembering or concentrating
->Needing a nap most days
->Sleeping longer on weekends
->What you can do to get more sleep"
After reading these signs, I have noticed that I fall into a few categories, just like many of you may.
I feel that we all have had those days where we are non-stop from morning to night, with no time to rest. Thinking you get enough sleep and actually getting the right amount of sleep are two very different things that you make yourself believe you are doing. Taking care of yourself and making a set schedule, where you plan out what to do at certain times really does help.
In the end, the majority of us don't get the proper amount of sleep, but setting your mind and body to a daily schedule will really give you that extra boost you may need in the middle of the day.
examples found at:
http://www.seniormag.com/caregiverresources/articles/caregiverarticles/health/sleep.htm
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I feel like this post was meant for me because I definitely do not get the right amount of sleep at night. Between working nights 4 days a week and going to class in the morning my sleep pattern is extremely out of wack. But even though I only get 4 hours of sleep most nights I still manage to come home after class and take a "nap" for another 4 hours and I feel great afterwards. I'm wondering if that pattern is healthy? haha
ReplyDeleteI am one of those college kids that actually gets enough sleep, on average. I go to bed at around 11 every night and I wake up at 8:30. However, on the weekends my schedule becomes very different and I get all of those symptoms that were mentioned above! I feel more energetic and have more of a drive to get things done during the week compared to the weekend. Whenever I'm feeling too tired or stressed on a saturday or a sunday, I take about a 30 minute nap and I feel awesome afterwards. Anything longer and I feel groggy and awful. College students should definitely be aware of the amount of sleep that you should get. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good post, I think most college students are unable to get enough sleep every night do to either homework, staying up and watching TV or just going out drinking. I try my best to have the same pattern Monday thru Friday every week by getting to sleep by 11 and waking up by 8 because I always have something to do but each factor above has managed to screw up my hours at once or twice . For some reason though it never happens like this I always end up going to bed later but still waking up at 8. When I do get 8 to 9 hours of sleep at night I feel great in class and there is definitely a difference then the nights I get 6 to 7 hours of sleep.
ReplyDeleteI have a few to add to that list:
ReplyDelete-> Your job consistently makes you work double shifts
-> People decide to call you at the crack of dawn
-> People wake you up for reasons that are less than important
Between work and school I'm lucky if I get 2 hours some nights. Survival of the fittest!
I too am one of the rare college kids that tends to get enough sleep...most of the time. I try to go to bed around 11 and I usually wake up around 7. The weekends however are a differnt story. I definately agree with Jessie that I feel much more energetic and motivated during the week compared to the weekends. I too find that a quick power nap makes all the difference. Especially seeing that most of us are Movement Science majors we should be setting the right example!
ReplyDeleteWell I'm guilty of not sleeping that much and sometimes i do have a lot of those problems. It is pretty hard trying to get the right amount of sleep when everyone around you never sleeps as well. You gotta love college!
ReplyDelete