Check this out:

This time survey reported from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (which we found at Life Inc), indicates that college students get 8.4 hours of sleep on weekday nights. 

Sleeping Through College

Maybe I missed something, but I don't remember college being that restful. Between the almost constant stream of social interaction, studying for exams, working on the side, and trying to stay active, sleep was tough to come by.

Looks like I'm not alone, either: the Cornell Sleep Study indicated that some students think they average much fewer than 8.4 hours and actually get even less sleep than what they suspect (more to come about this in the future, care of Derek@Zeo).

What's the Deal?

Why the differences between this report and what I remember from my school days?

1. The Cornell Study only looked at a small group of students from one place - they may not represent the average college student.
2. However, the Cornell Study utilized objective sleep data - simply reporting an estimate of how much sleep you get probably won't be very accurate. It's like estimating your weight. You might be close, but if you don't keep tabs with a scale, you could actually be way off.
3. Time use surveys can be difficult to answer - think about it, could you split up your typical day on a pie chart? - but objective studies may sometimes only look at nocturnal sleep (when naps can go a long way for the collegiate types).

My Take Away

Either way, this reminds me that although far too many people aren't getting the sleep they need, it may not always be all that bad. It makes me want to fill out one of those pie charts for myself and see what it really looks like... It might give me the motivation to find a way to get more and better sleep.

Now that would leave me feeling better - if not smarter.