"6 hours of sleep is ideal for a busy college student"

Question

I chose to fact check the claim that “6 hours of sleep is ideal for a busy college student”. First off, without even reading this persons claim or their article, I partially disagree. I believe that for anyone, especially busy college students, getting 8 hours or more of sleep is vital. It’s better for brain cognition and energy. Now, reading this claim, I see that this person is actually going back on their original thought. In the article that they linked, “How Much Sleep Should a College Student Get?”, my original claim is confirmed that “the average sleep that college students should get is 7-8 hours a night in order to be productive during a busy day”. Not only does getting 6 hours of sleep a night disrupt your ability to think throughout the day, your REM production and circadian rhythms are messed with and decreased. A study at Cornell Health says that “seven to nine hours is most beneficial for students to avoid daytime drowsiness, altered mood states, weight gain, poor health, and low energy”. I know that academics, the changing of styles and lifestyle changes, and social adjustment play a factor in this lack of sleep, but as a busy college student myself, getting 7-8+ hours of sleep a night is needed.

Comments

Six hours of sleep can sometimes feel like the minimum for a busy college student, especially with all the demands of classes, assignments, and extracurriculars. However, it’s important to recognize that while everyone’s sleep needs are different, most adults, including college students, typically require 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal mental and physical performance.

Answer 1

After consulting with my roommates who are very busy college students, and who usually get 7-8 hours of sleep, asking how they would feel if they only got 6 hours was a shock to them. They said that they would be extremely fatigued and not be able to do anything that day. In the "Psychosocial Correlates of Insomnia Among College Students" it says that college students need at least 7-9 hours of sleep to be able to function properly. With the amount of homework and class, as well as the things they need to do on a day to day bases, 6 hours of sleep would not be beneficial. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2022/22_0060.htm#:~:text=The%20National%20Sleep%20Foundation%20and,sleep%20per%20night%20(2).

Comments

I like how you consulted with your roommates, but that may not be a reliable source because those two college students may need more or less sleep than the average college student. I do agree though with your source and that seems very reputable.

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I think that it was a great move to consult with a real-life source before moving to the internet to find a health source that backs this claim up, but I also do believe that two people is a small sample size. I do believe that some students are busier than others, and depending on mental and physical exertion throughout the day, sleep can be a tool that is used by some people a little more than others. Personally, sleeping for six hours a day as a busy college student does not sound sufficient enough to boost my productivity throughout my daily life.

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I like how you asked your roommates, 2 people who would know how the experience would affect them. I do agree that 6 hours of sleep may not be beneficial to some people, I believe that for other 6 hours may be more than enough. I think it's different for different people.

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Consulting with your roomates as well as CDC information shows both medical acendotes and personal anecdotes.

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I really liked how you included personally gathered information by consulting your college roommates to get their perspective in your answer. Backing up this information with credible sources and trustworthy facts made this a very solid fact check. To further support this claim I have found this source to back up your argument.
From my personal life as a college student I aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night and feel most prepared with 9, if I were to only get 6 hours of sleep a night I would feel debilitatingly tired.
https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/sleeping-to-succeed/#:~:text=The%20optimal%20amount%20of%20sleep,night%20for%20college%2Daged%20populations.

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I like that you used personal experience as well as a source to answer this claim. Your claim might be better though if you get a smaller sample size.

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Great Job fact checking. Using real people who are knowledgeable on the subject (actual college students who sleep) is a great resource and choice. Furthermore, to improve your fact check next time, you could explain why the source you cited is credible. You cite the CDC- are they particularly knowledgable on sleep? Additionally, you could improve your fact checking with specific reasoning. You establish that students need more than 6 hours of sleep- but why? You could add in details regarding why students benefit from more sleep. For instance, the article you linked explains that getting 9+ hours of sleep has benefits like restoring neural connections and assisting in optimal emotional control.

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Though your claim that college students need more than 6 hours of sleep is true, you didn't provide enough evidence to make that true. I think that talking to your college roommates about the matter is good input but because their experience doesn't apply to everyone it doesn't help support the claim. Linking a CDC website was helpful but you didn't talk about where they found d their information or even what the article said. In the future it would be helpful to link two or three articles so that you have multiple sources backing up your claim.

Answer 2

Seven to 9 hours is ideal for people from the ages of 18 and up/ typical college aged students. Getting under 7 hours of sleep affects you both mentally and physically. 6 hours of sleep every night is considered being sleep deprived.

https://health.cornell.edu/resources/health-topics/sleep

Comments

This claim is correct, I think using a source as reliable as Cornell university helped the reasoning and reliability of this statement. I think that sleep deprivation being at 6 hours isn't consistent with the data found in the article. This "deprivation" is more likely from 3-4 hours and can be supplemented with 30-60 minute "power" naps.

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I like that this fact check is concise, and you used a strong source, but it may be stronger to describe how it affects you mentally and physically, as well as why this is specific to college aged students rather than just anybody of any age.

Answer 3

The claim suggests that 6 hours of sleep is enough for college students to be at their best. This stands out because there's a lot of research on sleep needs, especially for young adults juggling academic, social and work commitments. The source, Cornell, referenced is a reputable institution, and its health program provides research backed advice for college students' wellness. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) similarly advocates for 7-9 hours for young adults, linking sleep deprivation to cognitive impairments, which is relevant for students needing focus and memory retention. The claim that 6 hours is ideal for college students isn't supported by reliable sources. According to Cornell Health and AASM, young adults need 7-9 hours to maintain their cognitive and physical health, which is super important for busy college students. Getting fewer than 7 hours consistently can disrupt REM cycles, weaken memory and increase stress. https://aasm.org/college-students-getting-enough-sleep-is-vital-to-academic-success/ 

Comments

I thought you did a really good job on this fact check. You added a lot of information that helps us understand what your claim was, and then backed it up with multiple good sources. I also liked that you included how having under 7-9 hours of sleep can affect Rem Cycles, increase stress, and weaken memory. As a college student myself I can confidently say that getting 6 hours of sleep is not ideal and you will wake up feeling tired, and not as productive and ready to go do things. well done on this fact-checking :)

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You’ve done well to reference reputable sources like Cornell Health and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Your argument is clear and well-supported by evidence that young adults need 7-9 hours of sleep for optimal cognitive and physical health.

One thing to consider adding is more detail on the specific consequences of sleep deprivation for college students. For example, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to significant issues such as impaired memory, reduced academic performance, and increased stress levels. Additionally, a study from Harvard Summer School highlights that sleep deprivation can have similar cognitive effects as alcohol impairment, which underscores the importance of adequate sleep.
Overall, your fact-check is thorough and well-argued.

Answer 4

From what I've found, the claim that 6 hours of sleep is the ideal amount for a busy college student is false. From the Harvard Summer School website, it says studies show that the "perfect" amount of sleep for a college student is 7-9 hours. 6 is close enough but to be able to fully function, those couple of hours of sleep are definitely still needed.

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

Answer 5

Being a college student and having relatively early classes, this claim is false. My roommate and I need a bare minimum of 7 hours of sleep to function in the morning, especially when we have 8:30 classes. Sleep is so crucial. It helps the body recover, it helps the brain, and it simply makes me feel refreshed and refueled in the morning allowing me to go about my day. Of course, when there is an extreme time crunch, 6 hours of sleep might need to occur, but it cannot be normal. According to the CDC, the National Sleep Foundation recommends young adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, but roughly 60% of college students get poor sleep, only averaging 7 hours per sleep (CDC 5). My roommate and I both have tons of homework, a part of clubs, and my roommate is involved in Greek life, and we both get a bare minimum of 6 and a half to 7 hours of sleep each night. On average, it's probably closer to 8 hours. Healthline has a chart of what the average bedtime should be according to what the wake-up time is. As students, we usually need to wake up at 7:30, roughly. If we have to listen to the graph, we need to be in bed and asleep by 11:45. Lack of sleep could lead to potential depression and anxiety, which could affect homework and social life. An average of 6 hours of sleep per night is unhealthy and shouldn’t be normal. 

https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2022/22_0060.htm#:~:text=The%20National%20Sleep%20Foundation%20and,sleep%20per%20night%20(2).

https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/sleep-calculator#sleep-needs