College students should be getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night, according to Harvard research.
But with college life being so busy between going to classes, hanging with friends and doing homework, is it possible to get this much sleep and still wake up early?
There are five sleep cycles that last 90 minutes each. These cycles are called one, two, three, four and REM. During stages one and two, one can wake up easier but during stages three and four it is more difficult to wake up because one is in a deeper sleep cycle. REM is in the middle of the sleep cycle and is moderately more difficult to wake up from.
According to a New York Times article, Dr. Charles A. Czeisle, a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, called early rising a “performance killer” because regularly getting four hours of sleep is the equivalent of the mental impairment of being up for 24 hours.
Yselle Barajas, freshman psychology major, works an average of nine hours and has to wake up for her morning shifts from 3 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“I don’t have the energy to socialize or do simple tasks after not getting enough sleep the night before,” Barajas said.
However, she experiences a difference when her sleep time differs. Barajas said the nights she gets more sleep, her mood is better.
“Sometimes I do have days where I wake up energized and stay a decent mood throughout the day,” Barajas said.
Kaelyn Mondo, sophomore psychology major, used to wake up early and said that it resulted in her doing more within her day.
“Waking up early makes me feel I have a whole day to do something and have enough time to get things done rather than waking up later,” Mondo said.
Both students had different perspectives but they felt the same way about being more energized when getting enough sleep.
According to research conducted by Christopher Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany, people who tend to wake up early are more persistent and cooperative and tend to have more likable, disciplined and appreciative traits.
The term “beauty sleep” is a very common saying and is actually proven to be true due to a study by the University of Stockholm, which found those who are more tired are viewed as unhealthy and less attractive.
Sleep does not only affect how you look, but can also change within age.
“The circadian rhythm and age affects your sleep schedule as well,” said Veronica Regueiro, professor of psychology.
Circadian rhythm starts shifting at each age, which is why older people tend to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. Going to sleep at a reasonable time can change one’s mindset by completing a sleep cycle, Regueiro explained.
Feeling tired or groggy throughout the day means that one did not get enough sleep to complete their sleep cycle.
Anyone can become an early riser and program their mind to it, but scientifically it all depends on how many hours of sleep you get the previous night.
So can waking up early really change your mindset and can we program our brains differently? The simple answer is yes — the more sleep one gets, the more your mindset can be ready to accomplish greater things.
