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Sleep requirements seem to vary for college students By
Debbie Lamb
Sleeping is known to many college students as that time when nothing else is going on and the eyes shut just long enough to revive some energy to go on. To others it is a must, to get eight hours of sleep per night. Joseph Pinnel, an author of a physiological text, feels that the human body could get by on less sleep than once thought required, said David Bush, staff psychologist at USU Counseling Center. Pinnel suggests that people rebound much more quickly from sleep depravation than supposed. Other scientific literature suggests for young college students that eight hours is still the recommended dosage, Bush said. "I don't know whom to believe," Bush said, "because I read experts on both sides of the issue -- those who say we need eight hours of sleep and those who say we don't need that much." The amount of sleep an individual requires seems to vary significantly, Bush said. There are those who can get by on four or five hours of sleep and those who require eight, he said. "I personally find that if I get at least six to seven hours of sleep I function fairly well," Bush said. Studies have shown that the human body operates on a 25-hour clock, Bush said. If a person was put into a cave where there was no clue to the sun a body would adjust to a 25-hour clock instead of 24 hour clock and that person still require seven to eight hours of sleep, he said. "I would guess a college student gets close to six hours of sleep per night," Bush said. "That's not scientific but as I talk to students I find many are up 'til 1 or 2 and they have to get up to get to their 8:30 classes." Nate Whittaker, a junior at USU, sleeps between six and seven hours a night and often wakes up feeling unrested and not ready for the day. On the flip side, Starr Stoddard a junior at USU, sleeps six to seven hours of sleep a night and wakes up feeling ready for the day. "It's very consistent," Stoddard said. "I feel revived after the six or seven hours of sleep. Some days I do need a nap other days I don't -- it depends on how busy my day is." "Normally I end up taking a power nap in the library or come home and nap," Whittaker said. "I defiantly need more sleep at night. By missing sleep my study time isn't as affective because I usually fall asleep while studying." Sleep depravation studies find that if a person who has been deprived of sleep for a few days takes a boring test, then his or her performance dramatically declines, Bush said. But on the other hand when the tests are more mentally engaging, the decline is not nearly as noticeable, he said. "There are some folks who liken it almost to the Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD," Bush said. "Incidents of depression seem to increase during winter season because of less exposure to light. Subject will suggest that there is a similar phenomenon to that if the person doesn't get enough sleep. The flip side of that is that some people sleep too long to manifest symptoms of depression. "There are some things we do in our daily routine that facilitates good sleep. One of the most obvious is our stress level, financial stress, academic stress or relationship stress, and we take those worries to bed with us, it is harder to fall asleep and sleep if more fitful. A person may want to do is to address those problems to find some ways to alleviate the stress. Eating properly, and exercising three to four times a week can reduce stress." Studies have found that as far as Rapid Eye Movement, REM., sleep or the dream state of sleep people rebound quickly by making up REM. sleep. "We go for 24 to 48 hours without any sleep in the next period of sleep we have more REM. sleep than we normally have during a sleep cycle," Bush said. "It seems as if that is one of the key elements in terms of the necessity of rest. It's also interesting to note in some of the extended sleep depravation studies that they've done usually some persons rebound period is about 24 to 48 hours even if they've been deprived of sleep for a week or two. It only takes a day or two to make up what their body seems to need that is why there is some real controversy on what's the purpose of sleep and could we get by on less sleep."
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