Nursing school is demanding. Students often report they are struggling with sleep due to the heavy course load, clinical placements, and studying requirements.
My friend says she only gets about 4-5 hours of sleep a night while in NS. I can't function without a minimum of 6-7 hours of sleep and am starting to get nervous and think that maybe I should start training my body to get less sleep (if thats even possible for me).
Have you experienced this while in nursing school? How many hours of sleep did you get per night?
I gave up holidays, vacations, birthdays and cleaning during school, but never sleep for most nights. I would go to sleep between 11-12 and be up at about 7:30. Some nights before a test I may stay up till 1, but not often. Alot of my friends did pull allnighters before tests, but I never did. They though typically had more of a life then I did. They'd do stuff in the day where I'd study in the day, then they'd be behind and have to stay up all night. It just depends how you plan your studing. For me studying was my priority and everything came after I studied.
I need at least 6-8 hours because lack of sleep can trigger seizures for me, so it can be done! I'm 32, in an Accelerated BSN program, and doing fine. Granted, I'd be getting much better grades if I could cut a few hours off of my sleep time, but I'm passing and passing by quite a bit!
You can do it! I plan everything, hour by hour, including study time, free time, and exercise.
I am over 30, single mom with a little boy, and agree with the post that if you stay organized from day 1, you will be able to get all the sleep you need. I never needed to pull an all-nighter before a test and I am in the top of my class. I wouldn't be able to study for that long and retain anything anyway. Granted, I did not work, but I did treat school as my full-time job. Once I got home from class at around 2, I would study until 5:30 and then go and pick up my son from daycare. Once we started clinicals, I would make sure to get everything done as soon as I got home. Some nights I would work until 7, but I always got my 8 hours every night. There is no way that I would be able to function without my sleep! It can be done...but organization is the key!!!
I wish I got 4-6 hours a night. I worked 30 hours/week while in nursing school. It caused me to be very sleep deprived. If you don't have to work, you shouldn't have to worry. I would go to work after class, work 3p-11p then go home and do papers, study, homework, then up early the next morning for class/clinical then repeat. A few days like that and I was a zombie. I would highly recommend not working if possible.
I feel much better now. I have to give kudos to all the moms and those that work over 15 hours/week. I'm very disiplined when it comes to studying, so based on most of your comments, as long as I stay on top of things and practice good time management, then I will be able to keep my best friend (sleep).:)
Don't model my behavior...but to answer your question honestly...during my crazy ABSN program, I would come home exhausted from a jam-packed day and sleep from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Then I would spend the next hour tending to practical matters (opening mail, throwing in a load of laundry or grocery shopping, etc.). From 9:00 - 10:00 I would watch Soapnet while eating dinner (this was my 1 hour of 'escape' from it all that I carved out every day). Then from 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM I would either study for an exam the next day or crank out an assignment due the next day. From 2:00 AM - 5:00 AM I would get 3 more hours of sleep.
So...6 hours a night. REM sleep was reserved only for Friday nights, the single time I would sleep in as long as I felt like it...so i could get through yet another weekend of nothing but studying and/or working on school projects.
I got one night at 4 hours and will never do that again. Can't deal with less than 6 hours. It's dangerous for my drive, it's dangerous for me in clinical.
Clinical days...I survived on any where from 3-4 hours a night! Clinical paperwork IS KILLER!
Now I am done with it, I don't think it was so bad. I, like you, thought I HAD to HAVE a full 8, but believe me, if I can do it, so can you! It was well worth it!
I averaged 2-3 hrs/day. I worked FT nights and took a full load at school. New wife and 2 step daughters-sleep was a luxury I could do without most days. It did catch up with me- after 4-5 days of two hr sleep/day I would have to crash somehow- usually on the weekend. If I had to crash during the week I blew off my non nursing classes and if necessary I'd call off from work. That was VERY RARE. I don't recommend it as a lifestyle but it can be done.
choc0late
237 Posts
I gave up holidays, vacations, birthdays and cleaning during school, but never sleep for most nights. I would go to sleep between 11-12 and be up at about 7:30. Some nights before a test I may stay up till 1, but not often. Alot of my friends did pull allnighters before tests, but I never did. They though typically had more of a life then I did. They'd do stuff in the day where I'd study in the day, then they'd be behind and have to stay up all night. It just depends how you plan your studing. For me studying was my priority and everything came after I studied.