Senior year burnout: Too many responsibilities and zero sleep

redharbor9 said:I'm not even giving advice...

Trying to make up for lost sleep... yeah, right. Such a spoiled brat, thinking she can just sleep her way out of it.☕

Yeah, she'd sleep more if she actually believed she was sleep-deprived... You want to go down the rabbit hole of actual sleep studies and the data behind it?🙂

It’s not about her being "convinced" of anything—she actually isn't getting enough sleep. I think she knows better than anyone whether she's exhausted or not. We can definitely talk about research, and honestly, I'm all ears if you have something interesting to share, but telling her she's just imagining things because you read some study somewhere feels like a bit much. Maybe instead of that, you could offer some tips on how to get more out of less sleep—you know, making it "quality" sleep? Right now, she hasn't figured that part out yet, and she's definitely running on empty... 🙂

driftingcanyon16 said:It’s not about her being "convinced" of anything—she actually isn't getting enough sleep. I think she knows better than anyone whether she's exhausted or not. We can definitely talk about research, and honestly, I'm all ears if you have something interesting to share, but telling her she's just imagining things because you read some study somewhere feels like a bit much. Maybe instead of that, you could offer some tips on how to get more out of less sleep—you know, making it "quality" sleep? Right now, she hasn't figured that part out yet, and she's definitely running on empty... 🙂

Is this lack of sleep a subjective guess or a clinical finding?

The girl probably knows if she's sleep-deprived or not.

Obviously she knows. 🙂

We can debate the research—actually, I'm down to hear if you have anything interesting, but saying someone is imagining things just because you read some studies is overkill.

Where did I say she was imagining it just because I read research?
My take that she's making it up comes from that obsession with needing tons of sleep. In my years of experience dealing with this, it’s always the same story with people asking me how to sleep less or how I manage to function on 2-3 hours a night... Once they stop convincing themselves they need massive amounts of sleep or that they aren't sleeping enough, the whole problem vanishes...

Maybe you could give her tips on how to get "quality" sleep while sleeping less. Right now, she doesn't know how to do that and she's exhausted. 🙂

She already got that advice.
🙂
Instead of constantly repeating that she's tired, she should focus on how 5 hours will be plenty... Like, if she actually wants this, she needs to focus on how much sleep she'll get before hitting the pillow—specifically what time she plans to wake up. That forces the brain to compress REM cycles into that window and space them out so they finish right when she wakes up, letting her wake up naturally (which is why I haven't used an alarm clock in years). It results in total refreshment. She'll feel more rested than someone who slept 10 hours but got jerked awake mid-REM...

Jose Hayes4 said:Are you saying you didn't get enough sleep for five days? No way you didn't close your eyes for 120 hours, especially if you were actually using your brain.

To the OP: if you actually manage your time right, you can get everything done, sleep normally, and still have some downtime to chill. After four years of school, you should've figured out the drill by now.
What kind of university is this where things are that intense?

Look, I’ve been getting maybe two or three hours a night, but let’s be real—that doesn't even count as sleeping. 🤣

redharbor9 said:Is this lack of sleep a subjective guess or a clinical finding?

The girl probably knows if she's sleep-deprived or not.

Obviously she knows. 🙂

We can debate the research—actually, I'm down to hear if you have anything interesting, but saying someone is imagining things just because you read some studies is overkill.

Where did I say she was imagining it just because I read research?
My take that she's making it up comes from that obsession with needing tons of sleep. In my years of experience dealing with this, it’s always the same story with people asking me how to sleep less or how I manage to function on 2-3 hours a night... Once they stop convincing themselves they need massive amounts of sleep or that they aren't sleeping enough, the whole problem vanishes...

Maybe you could give her tips on how to get "quality" sleep while sleeping less. Right now, she doesn't know how to do that and she's exhausted. 🙂

She already got that advice.
🙂
Instead of constantly repeating that she's tired, she should focus on how 5 hours will be plenty... Like, if she actually wants this, she needs to focus on how much sleep she'll get before hitting the pillow—specifically what time she plans to wake up. That forces the brain to compress REM cycles into that window and space them out so they finish right when she wakes up, letting her wake up naturally (which is why I haven't used an alarm clock in years). It results in total refreshment. She'll feel more rested than someone who slept 10 hours but got jerked awake mid-REM...

It’s subjective, though....😁 ...I mean, everyone has their own take on it, regardless of what it actually is.

redharbor9 said:Is this lack of sleep a subjective guess or a clinical finding?

The girl probably knows if she's sleep-deprived or not.

Obviously she knows. 🙂

We can debate the research—actually, I'm down to hear if you have anything interesting, but saying someone is imagining things just because you read some studies is overkill.

Where did I say she was imagining it just because I read research?
My take that she's making it up comes from that obsession with needing tons of sleep. In my years of experience dealing with this, it’s always the same story with people asking me how to sleep less or how I manage to function on 2-3 hours a night... Once they stop convincing themselves they need massive amounts of sleep or that they aren't sleeping enough, the whole problem vanishes...

Maybe you could give her tips on how to get "quality" sleep while sleeping less. Right now, she doesn't know how to do that and she's exhausted. 🙂

She already got that advice.
🙂
Instead of constantly repeating that she's tired, she should focus on how 5 hours will be plenty... Like, if she actually wants this, she needs to focus on how much sleep she'll get before hitting the pillow—specifically what time she plans to wake up. That forces the brain to compress REM cycles into that window and space them out so they finish right when she wakes up, letting her wake up naturally (which is why I haven't used an alarm clock in years). It results in total refreshment. She'll feel more rested than someone who slept 10 hours but got jerked awake mid-REM...

Glad we're on the same page here.🙂

redharbor9 said:Is this lack of sleep a subjective guess or a clinical finding?

The girl probably knows if she's sleep-deprived or not.

Obviously she knows. 🙂

We can debate the research—actually, I'm down to hear if you have anything interesting, but saying someone is imagining things just because you read some studies is overkill.

Where did I say she was imagining it just because I read research?
My take that she's making it up comes from that obsession with needing tons of sleep. In my years of experience dealing with this, it’s always the same story with people asking me how to sleep less or how I manage to function on 2-3 hours a night... Once they stop convincing themselves they need massive amounts of sleep or that they aren't sleeping enough, the whole problem vanishes...

Maybe you could give her tips on how to get "quality" sleep while sleeping less. Right now, she doesn't know how to do that and she's exhausted. 🙂

She already got that advice.
🙂
Instead of constantly repeating that she's tired, she should focus on how 5 hours will be plenty... Like, if she actually wants this, she needs to focus on how much sleep she'll get before hitting the pillow—specifically what time she plans to wake up. That forces the brain to compress REM cycles into that window and space them out so they finish right when she wakes up, letting her wake up naturally (which is why I haven't used an alarm clock in years). It results in total refreshment. She'll feel more rested than someone who slept 10 hours but got jerked awake mid-REM...

Just through sheer willpower? I'm not mocking you or anything, but I find that a little hard to wrap my head around—it seems like such an incredibly difficult thing for most people to actually pull off.

redharbor9 said:Is this lack of sleep a subjective guess or a clinical finding?

The girl probably knows if she's sleep-deprived or not.

Obviously she knows. 🙂

We can debate the research—actually, I'm down to hear if you have anything interesting, but saying someone is imagining things just because you read some studies is overkill.

Where did I say she was imagining it just because I read research?
My take that she's making it up comes from that obsession with needing tons of sleep. In my years of experience dealing with this, it’s always the same story with people asking me how to sleep less or how I manage to function on 2-3 hours a night... Once they stop convincing themselves they need massive amounts of sleep or that they aren't sleeping enough, the whole problem vanishes...

Maybe you could give her tips on how to get "quality" sleep while sleeping less. Right now, she doesn't know how to do that and she's exhausted. 🙂

She already got that advice.
🙂
Instead of constantly repeating that she's tired, she should focus on how 5 hours will be plenty... Like, if she actually wants this, she needs to focus on how much sleep she'll get before hitting the pillow—specifically what time she plans to wake up. That forces the brain to compress REM cycles into that window and space them out so they finish right when she wakes up, letting her wake up naturally (which is why I haven't used an alarm clock in years). It results in total refreshment. She'll feel more rested than someone who slept 10 hours but got jerked awake mid-REM...

I'm running into that same dilemma again, looking at your quote above...😁...but hey, could you walk me through that in a bit more detail if you don't mind? Like, how long does this repetition or focus period actually last? I'd love a little more info on the actual execution of it... honestly, I'm just asking for myself—my sleep schedule is a complete disaster right now, and I have such a hard time waking up or even just getting out of bed in the morning 😉

Call it weird if you want, but it’s just a conscious choice you make before hitting the sack to control when you wake up. It sounds mystical or whatever, but I actually talked to a sleep expert who studied this at Harvard, and he told me straight up: there’s nothing magical or unexplainable about it. You just decide to set your internal clock, and it happens.

When I first started trying this, my routine was simple: right before bed, I'd just tell myself exactly how many hours I was going to sleep, or specifically what time I wanted to wake up. I didn't do it while watching TV or messing around; I did it the second I laid down, closed my eyes, and got ready to pass out.

Your body picks up on it crazy fast.

redharbor9 said:Call it weird if you want, but it’s just a conscious choice you make before hitting the sack to control when you wake up. It sounds mystical or whatever, but I actually talked to a sleep expert who studied this at Harvard, and he told me straight up: there’s nothing magical or unexplainable about it. You just decide to set your internal clock, and it happens.

When I first started trying this, my routine was simple: right before bed, I'd just tell myself exactly how many hours I was going to sleep, or specifically what time I wanted to wake up. I didn't do it while watching TV or messing around; I did it the second I laid down, closed my eyes, and got ready to pass out.

Your body picks up on it crazy fast.

Facts. My old man and I can do it too. It’s not some sci-fi movie thing.🤷

I've been doing fine for four years now. Honestly, anyone who survived the absolute nightmare of the first three years and made it to year four is probably gonna graduate!🤣🤣
Maybe it's because by senior year you've already adjusted to the grind and the way college works—it seems kinda weird to me that people are still running into these issues in their fourth year.🤷

Rote memorization is the absolute worst, especially when you have to nail down specific concepts...

I'm 29 now, and my brain just doesn't soak stuff up like it used to, but I can grind through another 6 months

Just gotta survive these next 2 months for this term and then 4 more for the final semester...