Living the College Life: What Time Should I Go To Sleep?

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"It's the worst thing when you don't get enough sleep. The alarm is five times as loud as you thought it was, you swear you just went to sleep 10 minutes ago, your eyes are screaming as you desperately try to put your contacts in, and somehow, you're running late. You just have to get up and go." -Debra Trevino, University of Texas at Austin,

With so much happening just about every minute of the day, it's no wonder that college students find it easiest to cut back on sleep when the alternative is cutting back on schoolwork or socializing.

It's an easy, and usually harmless, choice if it's done once in a while. But persistent neglect of sleep can adversely affect students' lives"they may skip early classes, not pay attention or fall asleep in class, take long afternoon naps, or sleep in until 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The result is a constant cycle of catch-up that can only be broken by getting sufficient sleep every night in the first place.

In a response that may not solve the problem, but may help alleviate some symptoms, Duke University has made it easy to avoid classes that start at 8 a.m."by eliminating them. Starting in the fall, no classes start before 8:30 in the morning. The reason: Students avoided the 8 a.m. classes so much that the university was forced to reconsider its scheduling patterns.

Duke's students were getting too little sleep to benefit from class, according to university officials. "They begin to get into a pattern of sleeping four to five hours," James Clack, Duke's director of counseling and psychological services, told The Associated Press. "They really think it doesn't bother them, but that really isn't the case."

This article will explore students' sleep patterns"how they make sure they get enough rest to be alert in class, how they catch up on sleep when they need to, and how they manage when sleep takes a back seat to other priorities.

You might have a sleep plan when you arrive at college, even if it's something you've only given a moment's thought to. And while it's possible that you'll stick to the hours you envisioned, it's more likely you'll need to adjust to what's going on in your life. What's your workload like? When do your classes start? What are the hours of your part-time job? How much sleep do you need? What are your commitments to extracurricular clubs and groups? What's your roommate like? How much will you be hanging out with your floormates?

The answers will dictate whether your lights go out at 11 p.m., midnight, 1 a.m., or later.

John Andersen's first semester at the University of Missouri, Columbia involved major adjustments to his personal routine, including his sleep habits. Although he got along well with his roommate, John had to get used to the fact that their different schedules sometimes meant he'd get disturbed while sleeping. "He was rushing a fraternity," says John, a member of the class of 2007. "Anyone who had a roommate do this knows exactly what I am talking about. He was never around when I decided to go to bed and then usually around 2 or 3 a.m. he would finally get into the room. He would sneak in, trying to be as quiet as possible so I would not wake up. However, I usually did."