Healthy sleep patterns are a key contributor to living a productive lifestyle, but not everyone has the schedule that allows the recommended nightly hours of sleep.

“The national average is actually less than seven hours per night,” said Dr. Spencer Selden, neurologist at McFarland Clinic in Ames.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the lack of a good night’s rest can result in poor performance of daily activities. A sufficient full night of sleep can improve alertness, mood and performance.

The National Sleep Foundation also has research showing that sleep specialists and scientists have proven that adequate sleep is necessary for healthy functioning.

Selden said there are students who might need only four hours of sleep to get by and live a normal healthy life while there are students who need 12 hours of sleep per night.

School and other daily activities might prohibit a full night of sleep. Here at Iowa State, there are colleges that demand more out of class work than others.

“On average, I probably get like five or six hours per night,” said Kaitlyn Cox, junior in architecture. “If there is a project due the next day, we usually get just a few hours, because everyone is trying to get everything ready to go.”

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the lack of a good night’s rest can result in poor performance of daily activities. A sufficient full night of sleep can improve alertness, mood and performance.

“You need as much sleep as you need to feel refreshed the next day,” Selden said.

Caffeine is a fix that can help keep minds awake for those early 8 a.m. classes; however, it is a solution that is temporary according to the National Sleep Foundation.

“People are drinking their Monster and Red Bull and really trashing their system to a point that they are kind of shaky and can’t sleep,” Selden said.

Selden said that using caffeine to steal hours away from sleep is very counterproductive.

“There is nothing heroic, triumphant or healthy about depriving yourself of sleep,” Selden said.

Healthy eating habits can also be difficult to form when there isn’t time to sleep eight hours per night.

“It is harder to make yourself a nice chicken salad opposed to running to McDonald’s and grabbing a double cheeseburger that takes two minutes,” Cox said.

Cox said she found out that time management really helps her sleep patterns and healthy eating habits.

Cox is an architecture student with a 3.1 GPA and manages two jobs while keeping relationships and a social life. She sleeps an average of six hours per night. That is the amount that allows her to live a productive life, she said. 

“As a cultural thing, we have to change our views on sleep which is sleep is good,” Selden said. “Sleep is a real blessing.”