AAAaahhhhhh...Sleep

[Dentalbound]

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This seemed pretty stupid when I first thought about it, but how can one go about adjusting their sleep pattern from the extremely flexible schedule as an undergrad to the much more structured one as a DS? I feel like I need about 8 hours of sleep per night and I'm definitely more of a night-person. To be honest, I'm a little concerned how I will function with less sleep for extended periods of time. I've heard that it really isn't much of a problem and that you adapt quickly, but I still have yet to see for myself. I know many people say "just go to bed earlier," but as I'm sure anyone who has ever tried knows, it's usually not that easy. Even if you do well for weeks, one night of going out can throw you right back into the same old cycle. Am I worrying about nothing? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Dentalbound
Class of 2008

 

[UBTom]

That's easy...

Reserve your partying for the weekends (Make good use of your Friday and Saturday nights!). Develop sleep discipline during Sunday nights and other weeknights.

And... ENJOY your long weekends whenever the holidays come up. 😀

 

[PashaJ]

You could also do one of two things if you want:
1. Take a nap when you come home from class for an hour or two. I do this.
2. Go to sleep when you come home and wake up around 3 or 4 am so you could study prior to class. I've seen some studies that say this is the best time to study and you retain a lot more info.

 

[ItsGavinC]

One guy in my class swears by method #2 that Pasha mentioned. I was talking to him about it yesterday. The downside is that he goes to sleep early, but he says he learns a ton in those early morning hours.

 

[dragonfly9]

I'm a night person who needs a lot of sleep also. I've found that on the nights that I have 8 PM class, I have to schedule my bedtime. Some days class will be so exhausting that going to bed at 9 or 10 won't be tough.

Relish your weekend sleep 🙂

 

[Loudy]

If you're just worried about adjusting your sleep schedule, don't worry about it. As someone who was up until three weeks ago a certified night owl, I'm pretty sure you'll adjust. Since I would set all my classes in undergrad for late morning, I used to stay up until like 4 in the morning messing around, playing guitar, studying, etc.
Well, in dental school you pretty much have to wake up at like 7. I am soo not used to doing that that sometimes by the time I get out of classes I want to go to sleep!