6 hours of sleep is ideal for a busy college student

Question

While reading this article, I gathered information that would prove my claim otherwise. College students are relatively very busy and it is difficult sometimes to get good quality sleep with the amount of work to get done and classes to attend. According to this article, the average sleep that college students should get is 7-8 hours a night in order to be productive during a busy day. Some of the reasons why students do not get enough sleep is because of academic demand, irregular schedules, lifestyle transitions, and social adjustments. These are just some of the reasons why 6 hours would not be ideal and also less sleep decreases REM production for students and circadian rhythms. Overall, 6 hours is definitely not ideal especially if one is a very busy college student with multiple extra-cirriculars.

Answer 1

Six hours of sleep for college students is not ideal. College students need at least seven to nine hours of sleep. In my research I have found the same. Cornell Health has an article talking about this. Cornell Health says that seven to nine hours is most beneficial for students to avoid "to avoid daytime drowsiness (inability to concentrate or remember and slowed reaction time), altered mood states (anxiety, irritability, and depression), weight gain, poor health, and low energy." In order to be a better student and healthier person you need to have seven to nine hours of sleep. Seven hours being the minimum. Having less than seven means that you are sleep deprived and not at your best. The CDC backs this up too. They say that students starting at the age of 13 need to start aiming for "8-10 hours of sleep per 24 hours." Overall six hours of sleep for college students is not ideal and students need to be putting in the effort to have quality sleep. 

Sources:

https://health.cornell.edu/resources/health-topics/sleep#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20according%20to%20The,poor%20health%2C%20and%20low%20energy. 

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sleep.htm 

Answer 2

College kids definitely need more than 6 hours of sleep in order to be productive, and need closer to 7–9 hours of sleep in order to avoid daytime drowsiness, altered mood states, weight gain, poor health, and low energy.

The National Sleep Foundation, a credible source, listed the recommended sleep for each age group and suggested that adults (18 years and older) get 7 hours or more.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

This was last updated May 13, 2024 for anyone interested.

Answer 3

I agree with your sentiment. To say that 6 hours of sleep is "ideal" for a college student is misleading. Just because someone can operate on 6 hours of sleep, doesn't mean its ideal for that individuals bodily health. The claim that 6 hours is ideal is purely circumstantial as well. Depending on the students class schedule and workload, they may only be able to give themselves 6 hours of sleep every night. But that still does not mean that 6 hours of sleep is optimal for your bodies physical and mental performance. According to a health report by Cornell University, the ideal amount of sleep for most college students is within the 7-9 hour range.

Answer 4

This claim is false, and 6 hours of sleep is not optimal for a college student. I researched this topic, and Harvard Universities summer school article states that “According to the National Sleep Foundation, high school students (ages 14-17) need about eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. For young adults (ages 18 to 25), the range is need between seven and nine hours.” Which proves this articles claim false. Although it is difficult to get enough sleep as a college student, it is important to maintain a quality sleep schedule, as the consequences can be dangerous as stated in the same article, “ According to the CDC, staying awake for 18 hours can have the same effect as a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 percent. Staying awake for 24 hours can equate to a BAC of 0.10 percent (higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent)”.

https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/why-you-should-make-a-good-nights-sleep-a-priority/