It seems that as age increases, time of sleep at night decreases. I remember in middle school and elementary school going to sleep between nine and ten with no stress about homework, tests, or school in general. Also, the lack of a job or a phone removed any reason for not staying at home, especially on school nights. The only reason at that age to stay up late came from a late soccer or basketball practice. In high school, however, many late nights manifested from sports, friends, jobs, and schoolwork. Falling asleep by ten progressively became midnight or one at the earliest.
My parents, over the summer, repeatedly said, “Make sure you get your sleep in now, you won’t once you get to college,” knowing that in the short future I would experience my first semester of college matched with a fall sport. Although my experience only expresses half of a semester, I can surprisingly say my sleep habits have improved from high school to college. With less class time during the day I have much more time to get work and studying finished much earlier in the day. My schedule also allows for sleeping in where my high school schedule forced waking up at six every morning. So far this semester I average six to eight hours of sleep each night, with subsequent naps throughout the day, if time allows.
A realistic goal for a college student without a job would be what I am acquiring right now. When waking up after a night with that amount of sleep I feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. Some improvements I would make pertain more to sleep schedule than habits. With the ability to sleep later in the morning, I tend to stay up later at night. If I persistently go to bed earlier, the few days that require me to wake up early would prove to be tremendously easier.
Garrettscollegeblog 
Hi Garrett,
I am glad to hear you are getting good sleep! During elementary and middle school I also got more sleep compared to being a high school student due to the workload and increase in social and sport activities.
While your parents were kind in making sure you sleep enough, their idea in “stocking up” on sleep doesn’t work. The body can’t ration out sleep and requires each stage of sleep to function at its best. When a person “stocks up” on sleep, it can produce a jet lag effect which ends up making the person feel more tired as their body’s circadian rhythm cannot be synced with the sleep patterns. It would also help you to wake up easier in the mornings since you wouldn’t be shifting between sleeping patterns.
As we learned in class, it’s better to just wake up at a consistent time and sleep when you feel tired. Also, sleeping for 6, 7.5, and 9 hours since it matches the 90-minute sleep stages the body cycles through. It’s important to get sleep because when the body doesn’t get enough sleep, it can micro nap since the REM and awake brain waves are so similar the brain will steal tiny moments of sleep.
You’re right in that a good and consistent routine of sleep time is helpful for the body’s circadian rhythm and thus waking up too. Be careful with naps, since those who have troubles falling asleep can cause disruptive sleep patterns but, it sounds like you’ve got it under control. As Dr. MacFarlane noted, consistency is key for healthy sleep hygiene. I’m glad you are getting good sleep and hope it stays that way!
– Rachel B.
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