How College Changed my View of Sleep

Trading in night owl for early bird.

Originally published on May 9, 2016

During high school, I was on the crew team, which meant from January to June I woke up at about 4:45 every morning. Since I was an extremely busy person, my free time got bumped to when it should have been lights-out. So for three years, I got about five hours of sleep every night. I will admit, there were perks to getting up that early (sunrises, for one thing), but during high school I would find myself dozing off in class and struggling to get through the day. I knew before coming to college of the “never-sleep” stereotype and thought that between my night owl tendencies and 8 AM classes I would not be getting enough sleep for the next four years either. I surprised myself at how wrong I was.

It is true that I am a busy person, with homework and practicing and rehearsals and meetings throughout the week. However, I found that a careful planning ahead of time left my evenings relatively free. My homework was done, my obligations were completed. I didn’t have the “free time at 11” problem like in high school. This became a habit once I started to feel the benefits.

Except for getting “that three o’clock feeling” occasionally during warm days around, well, three o’clock, I have barely zoned out in class. This I have found to be extremely important, since many classes I have taken rely not just on PowerPoints but also the little tips the professor gives during the lectures. The best part is waking up in the morning. Sometimes I even wake up before my alarm and feel well-rested. I get up and listen to some music and eat some breakfast (sometimes. That’s a whole other article) and head to my first class. My thoughts aren’t usually in my warm bed. They’re in the classroom.

I have no set bedtime, and on the weekends sometimes I cheat a little later, just because I can sleep in the next day. But even when I would go home on breaks I would find myself getting tired between 10 and 11. I could then wake up earlier and have more time in my day. I am hoping that I can continue this trend over the summer, instead of staying up until three and sleeping in until 12.

The other topic that must be brought up here is napping. In high school I was a chronic napper. I would nap once I came home from school, Saturday afternoons, and Sunday mornings. Once coming to college, I can count on one hand the times I have taken a nap. I think that is because I have been getting enough sleep at night. I have felt like napping but have been able to talk myself out of it. I could not do that a year ago.

Overall, somehow, college has improved my sleeping habits. I now feel ready for every day and have developed a habit I wish to continue into the future.