12th Oct 2007
What a snoozer!
In the current (October 2007) issue of MASSAGE, we have an article about the importance of sleep. It describes the health concerns associated with lack of sleep and gives pointers on getting a good, quality night’s sleep. Naturally, this would be important for a busy massage therapist. (See “Sweet Slumber: How High-quality Sleep Enables You to Lead a High-Quality Life.”)
But what about massage therapy students?
Well, USA Today recently ran a story entitled “College students’ performance suffers from lack of sleep.” Sounds like a no-brainer, right? But did you know that those all-nighters can actually lower your GPA? How is that possible when you get an A on your anatomy test after cramming into the wee hours the night before?
I think the key is in the sentence about basketball players whose performance improved “over a period in which they slept at least 10 hours a night.” Over a period.
Your grades may benefit from all-nighters in the short term, but this is not a sustainable lifestyle.
What is your opinion? What have your experiences been like? How many hours of sleep do you need to perform well? Post a comment!
Sleep is one of those things that people take for granted specially college students who prefer to spend their time partying than sleeping, but who can really blame them.
I think that for most adults 8 hours ought to do it. Typically, I get about 6 or 7 and I’m able to function just fine, but I do peform better when I get between 8 and 9.
If I get any less than that I get really cranky, but back in my grad dates I used to get 4 hours if I was lucky, and still got straight A’s. I think researchers spend too much time and effort on useless studies, check out http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC04599320070710?feedType=RSS
Come on people!!! lets focus on the bigger issues, like the actual studies which serve the purpose of improving our health.
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Sleep, and its health benefits, is quite the topic of discussion lately. Perhaps it is because doctors are realizing we are a country on the move…constantly.
I am one of those people that starts projects or chores after placing my children in their beds, which leads to me getting about 7 hours of sleep a night. I tend to do fine until about Thursday, when I find myself falling asleep on the couch and not really realizing I fell asleep!
I guess if I followed the recommended daily allowance of sleep, I would be able to function throughout the week…and not just to Thursday night!
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hi
great post
When I was attending massage school I was also working full-time in another field, so some nights I only got 4-5 hours of sleep each night and had to catch up on the off days from each. Even so, my fatigue forced me to stretch out my lab hours over a span which didn’t allow the constant repetition required to really ingrain a massage protocol.
I’m still working in that other field and it requires that I work an overnight shift 5 nights a week. It is only through a diligent commitment to getting the required hours of sleep that I’ve been able to survive without illness. I’m also fortunate(?) in that I don’t have any family commitments. I’ve watched co-workers attempt to juggle family and sleep and seldom can they make it work.
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I think that 8 to 9 is really good. It gives your body plenty of repair time. Our work, as massage therapists, is very physically demanding and in order to practice in massage for a long time, I think it is absoolutely necessary to at least have 8 good hours of sleep each night. In order to take care of others we have to first take care of ourselves!!!
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I have been a massage therapist for 4 years now. Working for myself, by myself. Massaging from 6-7 massages 5 days a week. We are probably the worst for taking care of ourselves. Learning to let yourself get the right amount of zzzz’s for you is so important. Thank you for estimating that most people need from 8-10 hours of sleep I know that I feel my best on 10 hours but really get about 7. This article will make me more careful to get my right amount.
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