While college life can be a wonderful and exciting new adventure, it does come with its share of challenges. Academic, financial, personal, and social stressors on top of a new environment and a hectic schedule mandate students’ vigilance in putting their physical and emotional health first and foremost. Why is sleep so important to a college student? Unfortunately, irregular sleep schedules can lead to inadequate sleep and daytime sleepiness, which plague many college students and put … [Read more...]

A woman once asked me if I think the recommendations for appropriate sleep durations of 7–9 hours of sleep are totally unrealistic (with much emphasis on the word totally). I explained how very few people are truly “short sleepers” —about 3% of the population by some estimates. Many are short-sleeper wannabes, trying to function on less than they need—which usually does not yield good results. The woman insisted, “no one I know can afford to spend that much time sleeping.” My response was that … [Read more...]