Russell Foster’s Ted Talk on sleep was very interesting. He discussed three theories about why we sleep. I was convinced by two of the theories. The first was the theory of restoration. Foster stated that certain genes, dealing with restoration and metabolic pathways, are turned on only during sleep. This seems very logical to me since we typically feel rested and energized after sleeping.
The second theory was that the theory of brain processing and memory consolidation. I had previously heard that sleep helps you remember what you study the night before but I had simply believed that it was just a random idea. Foster, however, stated that a study found that the ability to come up with novel solutions is enhanced (three fold) after a proper night of sleep. He also stated that emerging studies have shown that there could be a possible connection between mental illness and sleep disruptions. I believe this theory is valid because I have noticed that when I get less than 4 hours of sleep I begin to misspell words very often and it is harder for me to keep up while note-taking. This could be due to a decrease in brain processing as discussed by Foster.
Over the years we have studied and gained a better understanding of the importance of sleep yet people seem to be getting less and less of it. I personally know that sleep is essential yet as a college student, I sometimes feel like I have to choose between sleep or a decent GPA. As college students, we have to constantly be reading, studying, writing papers, taking exams, running clubs, attending meetings, and so many other activities. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night becomes simply impossible. On average, I sleep about 3-5 hours every night depending on how close I am to certain deadlines or exams. Even though I am very organized throughout the week and always try to manage my time properly, the large amount of work always piles up. I would say that this 3-5 hour range is fairly common among college students but I am aware that some may get much more or none at all.
I look forward to learning much more about sleep this week and about the possible support for each of the theories discussed by Foster.
Estefany's PSY 101 Blog 
Sleep is very important, and I definitely agree with you that today’s work and school environments don’t really foster schedules which allow people to get all of the sleep they need to function optimally. I can especially relate to getting 3 to 5 hours of sleep on average. Sometimes you can do well and get 6 or 7 hours, but school work and studying tends to pile up… Sometimes it comes down to: “Do I want to make sure I finish this paper in time/cover all of the test materials before tomorrow, or get a decent amount of sleep?” And that’s an important call for everyone to make when the time comes. In most cases, the paper/test take priority. If things get really bad and you find yourself constantly sleep deprived, you might want to consider cutting back a bit on certain duties, if you can.
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