--Original published at Caleb C's College Blog

The first idea brought up in the talk falls under the “restoration” concept of why we sleep, the second is “energy conservation” and the third is “memory consolidation.” When discussing the restoration concept, this is the theory that we restore what we burn up during the day. This goes back to the Aristotle age, and has been backed up by modern researchers who have connected certain genes which turn on during sleep in order to perform certain functions to restore what we lost during the day. Energy conservation refers to restoring energy which we lost, though this idea is not very supported due to the fact that on average we only restore about a hot dog bun worth of calories when we sleep which is quite minimal. When discussing memory consolidation or brain processing, this is the most convincing because if you are sleep deprived and you learn a task, it becomes a lot harder to learn overall. When getting a good amount of sleep, this actually enhances our creativity as well as our ability to solve complex problems. This happens due to the fact that those neural connections in our brain become strengthened when we sleep, thus improving our memory of those skills and enhancing our ability to recall them.

--Original published at Kate's College Blog

College students lifestyles varies differently from people younger and older than them. They have to balance a heavy academic load, social life, work, studying, and even athletics for some. Most students stay up late studying and become stressed easily from a lack of sleep and an overwhelming schedule. I think a realistic goal for amount of sleep per night a college student should get is around 7 hours. Also, at least once a semester there is always a night where students stay up studying or writing an essay and they get 3 or 4 hours of sleep and they are drained for the rest of the week.

This semester, my current sleep habits changed due to having academics plus athletics. Last semester without having lacrosse everyday, I had more time during the day to complete my homework so I could watch a tv show at night and go to bed around 11 or 12 at the latest. However, this semester I have less time during the day to get done my homework so I have to do it later at night after practice. This pushes back the time I go to bed to around 12:30-1:00am. I wake up tired in the morning, even though this semester I have later classes and not 8:00am’s everyday. Overall, I think I get a decent amount of hours to sleep per night, around 7 or 8 hours. I also tend to take naps during the week, some days I take only 30 minute naps while other days I take an hour or longer naps. I can improve my sleeping habits by getting more assignments done on the weekends so that I can go to bed earlier on the weekdays. I should start doing assignments that are not only due earlier in the week but also later in the week so that I am less overwhelmed during the week and can get to bed at an earlier time.

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Sleep seems to be the thing college students can’t seem to get enough of. School, social obligations, sports/extracurriculars, and work take up the majority of the day, stretching past the typical 9-5 schedule. It’s a common occurrence to see students studying and finishing work into the wee hours of the morning on a regular basis, not just during finals. Of course, it’s no secret that this isn’t exactly a healthy way to live, but it has become almost excepted to just put off sleep until everything is accomplished.

In regard to my own sleep habits, there is definitely room for improvement, but I have also come a long way. I remember in middle school and the beginning of high school I would get an average of around 5 hours of sleep, especially my sophomore/junior year when stresses of college deadlines became more intense. Those years were rough and looking back, I would have been more productive if I stopped staying up all night to finish work I could have done in the morning when I woke up. Then, one day my mom came to me and essentially told me that sometimes you just have to choose sleep. Since then, I’ve changed my sleeping habits a lot. Now during the week, I tend to go to sleep around 12:30-1:30 and wake up around 8:30-9. This has drastically changed m overall energy and health. However, there is more that I can do to enhance my sleep. I recently invested in a Fitbit tracker and one of the features it has is sleep tracking. Each morning I look at my own stats compared to the “average” Fitbit user with my same age, and I have found that I’m spending an almost negligible amount of time in deep sleep and upwards of an hour and fifteen minutes awake throughout the night. While I’m getting more sleep, I’m getting a lower quality of sleep; which could also be attributed to stress, anxiety and electronics usage before bed.

A realistic amount of sleep for students could be around 6-7 hours of quality sleep per night. However, this amount of sleep would only be attainable through proper time management and prioritization of tasks. Sleep can’t be a “back-burner” task, but one of importance. The amount of sleep could also vary person to person, as the quality of sleep an individual gets per night isn’t predetermined. Some ways to improve the quality of sleep is to develop a routine that gets your body ready for sleep each night, like not going on the phone right before bed or making it a point to do a nightly self-care routine. At times it’s simple enough to start a routine with good intentions, but if you’re anything like me, keeping up with them is a struggle. By remaining steadfast to the routine and remembering that sleep is very important, my sleep could improve.

--Original published at Jessie's PSY105 Blog

For my first impression post this week I chose Option #2. This asked us to assess our own current sleep habits and set a realistic goal for hours of sleep per night for a college student. In my own opinion, my sleep habits are relatively good. In general, it seems as though college students struggle to find a good sleep schedule. Most find themselves staying up very late each night to complete homework or other activities. On average, I go to bed between midnight and 12:30 on each night of the week. I feel that this is fairly good, especially since I do not have any classes that require me to get up earlier than 8:15 in the morning. However, this schedule often gets disrupted if my amount of homework increases or a have an exam coming up. On nights like these, i find myself staying up until two or possible three in the morning. This, however, is a very rare occurrence. Another way that I find my sleeping habits rather healthy is that, on the weekends, I do find myself staying up later, but I will sleep in later the next morning. This allows the average amount of sleep that I get per night to stay roughly the same throughout the week.

While the recommended amount of sleep is approximately eight hours per night, I do not feel that this is a realistic goal for a college student. The work load is very large seeing as a lot of preparation for class must be done outside of the class room. Also, in order to have a balanced life and to not feel overwhelmed and lonely by the fact that homework is the only thing you spend your time doing, I find it very important to engage in other activities on campus (such as sports, clubs, etc.) Maintaining this balance is difficult to do within a day. Because of the packed schedule that college students have, I feel that approximately 6-7 hours of sleep is a more realistic goal. While this definitely not the recommended amount, it is more than most college students typically get on average. I feel that I can personally improve my sleep habits by first improving my schedule of study. By planning ahead and being more efficient, I could avoid the extra late nights that occur just before an exam.

--Original published at MelanieBlevins

For a college student, getting eight hours of sleep is almost as common as not getting sick during the first semester. From personal experience of myself and my friends, it is clear to me that college students do not get nearly enough sleep throughout the week or on the weekends. Many students struggle with time management as they try to juggle all of their academics, as well as a job, sport, club, or hobby. Most of the time I am feeling exhausted and it is obvious that other students in my classes are as well.

Having just got off spring break, I am feeling well rested and rejuvenated because I spent most of the past week in bed. However, as I type this at 11:19pm on Sunday night, I am thinking to myself that I may have made some bad choices. I have the tendency to relax and have fun during the day, whether it be taking a nap or hanging out with friends. Then, I usually stress myself out at night and cram to get all my assignments done as a motivation for me to go to bed. I am very aware of how unhealthy this is, and it causes my sleep patterns to be based on how much work I have to do instead of how much sleep I should be getting.

On average, I get about 6 hours of sleep during the week. I am sure some students get less, but over break I was finding myself sleeping 9 or 10 hours simply because I was sleep deprived from the weeks prior. My current sleep schedule is very messed up and it is going to be a rough next couple of days as I try to get back into my old routine. Also, losing an hour of sleep due to daylight savings time definitely did not help my case.

I think a realistic goal for myself as a college student should be 7.5-8 hours of sleep every night. There are many factors that stress me out and I have noticed that if I have a longer nights sleep I am more productive and focused throughout the day. To improve my sleeping habits, I think that I should make more time throughout the day to get my homework finished and then plan to have social interactions once my work is one. This will still motivate me to do my work because I will be looking forward to seeing my friends, but it will also help me to lower my stress levels and go to sleep at a decent time. Along with this, I should set a time that I want to be in bed by and shoot for that every night. I think that a good goal for college students is to be in bed no later than 11 or 12 o’clock, then they can plan their day around the curfew and make sure everything is finished early.

I hope to use my analysis, as well as what we learn in class, in order to form healthier sleeping habits and receive all of the gains that may come from getting a good nights sleep!

--Original published at Emily Garvin's Psych Blog

College students are often heavily sleep deprived as they sacrifice sleep in order to study, work, and/or have a social life in addition to their academic commitments. Assess your current sleep habits and how healthy you think they are. What is a realistic goal for amount of sleep per night for a college student and how can you improve your sleep habits?

Sleep is considered “essential for a person’s health and wellbeing” according to the National Sleep Foundation. Not only is an adequate amount of sleep essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it also can sharpen attention, improve memory, and lower stress.  Despite all the benefits that come from sleep, college students still seem to not sleep an adequate amount. Personally, my sleep habits vary and are not consistent. For instance, during school week I barely get any sleep since I have a hectic schedule with various tests and due dates. In addition to balancing school work I play lacrosse, so our practice and game schedule are also factors for my sleep deprivation. During the week I average on 5 to 6 hours of sleep, however on the weekend I average 8 to 9 hours. I use the weekends to “catch up” on my sleep, although I know that theory is not proven to make a lasting difference. Therefore, I don’t think that my sleeping habits are healthy at all.

I think a college student should strive to get 8 hours of sleep per night. Logically 8 hours of sleep would allow students to reap all of the benefits sleep has to offer. College students should also try to keep their sleep schedules regular and consistent. This would mean that students should try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday including the weekends. If sleeping soundly through the night is a problem for some students, taking a melatonin supplement or some other drug that promotes sleep.

--Original published at Sarah's Blog

As a college student studying music, I am always doing something. Whether it be homework, practicing my instrument, or going to class, I am always keeping myself busy. Even with a bunch of classes and practice time, I still try my best to go to bed before or at midnight each night, and I wake up between 6 and 8 in the morning for class. For a college student, I believe my sleep schedule is relatively realistic. I toss and turn a lot at night, and some nights anxiety keeps me up longer than I would like, but in general I believe I get enough sleep to be able to function. On weekends I frequently ignore my sleep schedule and sleep in until 10am, and then I lay in bed and am not functional for most of the day. I would like to work on my sleeping habits though, as I still wake up tired some nights and other times I totally ignore my sleep schedule as a whole and stay up a lot longer than I should. I also would like to work on making it a habit to keep my sleep schedule on the weekends as well, so I can be more productive and start my day earlier. For college students, around 8 hours of sleep should be sufficient, but I believe that the more you do during the day can tire you out a lot more. As long as you have a set sleeping schedule that works with your classes and schedule, that should be enough to be able to function and go about your day.

--Original published at Brittany's Thoughts

Sleep is something that I always seem to have a difficult time getting enough of. In high school, I would go to bed around midnight on school nights and 1 AM on weekends. Then, I would wake up at 6 AM on weekdays to go to school and 9 AM on weekends. Summer always made it harder since I slept in most days during the summer. Once I got a job after I graduated high school, that made my schedule worse since I was not consistently scheduled during the same shifts on occasion and that would mess up my already poor sleeping schedule.

My sleeping habits now are even worse. The first semester this academic year, I was going to bed at about the same time, which was midnight to 1 AM, and I woke up around 9 AM every day. This semester has not been like that though. My sleep schedule has gotten all messed up, and the times I wake up and go to bed vary greatly. Some days I wake up at 7 AM, others at 8:30 AM, and then 10 AM on weekends. The times I would go to sleep vary anywhere from midnight to 3 AM, leaving my sleep schedule pretty spontaneous. The amounts of time I would be asleep would fluctuate from 5 hours to 9 hours depending on when I went to bed and when I woke up. I know for a fact that this is not healthy since it is recommended to wake up and go to sleep at the same times every day, and I would have many nights where I only got 5-6 hours of sleep. I truly discovered that I am most certainly a night owl and that I do the most work anywhere from 8 PM to 2 AM during my days, especially homework.

I think the realistic amount of sleep a college student can get every night is about 7-8 hours of sleep. If the sleep schedule is consistent, a student can go to bed around 11 PM to midnight and wake up around 7-8 AM every day and get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Something I have actually planned on doing is getting to bed earlier every night and having a more consistent sleeping schedule. I would like to get to bed around 11 PM-midnight every night and wake up around 7-8 AM every day to keep a consistent sleep schedule intact, even on weekends and over breaks. Even though I am a night owl, I know the days are structured in ways that are detrimental to that lifestyle, so I need to try and break that. Hopefully, a consistent and healthy amount of sleep will help me function in my academic work, my work life on campus and home, and my social life.

--Original published at CurtisCollegeBlog

I believe my sleep habits are poor at best. Most nights I go to bed some point later than 1:00 AM. A lot of times I just find it difficult to go to sleep. There’s been nights where my roommate and I just have funny conversations until late in the morning like 3:30 or later. We also have a visitor from next door to us, who walks into our room around 1:30 and tells us good night and how he loves us. Then, we also have our nights where we’ll watch Drake & Josh episodes when it’s midnight or later. Even with all that  in consideration, I think I am a pretty healthy person. For the most part I eat healthy, I work out just about every day, I try to stay in shape. I feel as if my sleep has little to no effect on my general health, due to how little I usually sleep.  A realistic goal for me to sleep is 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night, I usually sleep less than that. To improve my sleep, I think I have to stop doing my work so late, and also stop using my phone in bed. I will get in bed at 12:40 and be looking at my phone until 1:30 then try to sleep and it just doesn’t work.

--Original published at Max'sPHY105blog

For this week’s first impression post, I choose to comment on option 2, in which I assess my current sleep habits. The prompt mentions that college students get sleep deprived when they sacrifice sleep to work, study, or have social time. I can see how it would be tempting to do this, as there is a lot to stay on top of in college and sometimes, students feel that they need more time to get their tasks done than the time they are used to staying up. Sometimes, this is the case, but I have heard many times that a lack of sleep decreases academic performance, which is also important in order to succeed in college. So getting enough sleep should be a priority for college students. Even when I first came to college, I realized that I needed to stay up later than the time I have been staying up to get things done, but I realized that I will be fine as long as I receive at least eight hours of sleep every night. So on week days, I perform my tasks for the day and get as much done as I can and make a priority to be in bed no later than midnight and wake up at 8:00 am the next day to start working. As a result of this, I also set a time each day to have leisure time, but my tasks and sleep always come first, so I sacrifice leisure time on some days if I really need to. I think that this is a good habit. I find that I have enough time to get my work done well and efficiently and have a least one hour of downtime every day. I also realize that eight hours of sleep is sufficient for me. I find that I do fine in my academic work with exactly eight hours of sleep. I can also notice a decrees in my academic performance when I receive less than eight hours of sleep. I feel that eight hours of sleep is a realistic goal for the amount of sleep a college student should receive. After all, this is the recommended amount of sleep teenagers should receive in order to drive according to the Pennsylvania drivers manual. Given that driving requires full attention, I can conclude that eight hours of sleep for college students is sufficient because it is sure to allow them to have full attention in a classroom if it can allow a teenager to have full attention to the road. If I were to improve my sleep habits, I could be willing to set an earlier time to get to bed before days where my first class is a 8:00 am. For this semester, I have one class on Tuesdays at begins at 8:00 am. Sometimes I try to get to bed earlier on Mondays, but this is hard to do as I also work in the evening, so I have relied on drinks with caffeine to help me stay awake later in the day. While a drink with caffeine might help me stay awake, it is addictive. So I might want to get into the habit of getting to bed earlier if I have a task beginning earlier the next day.