Why are freshman college students (especially) so tired?

I’m always exhausted after lectures/studying. I was more exhausted in high school though, I had to take a nap every day when I got home. Not too sure why, however.

@sarahjane90 : Same! My favorite class was Sleep 101 with Professor Pillow. When I got home from class I’d just go and take a nap.

It’s about getting adjusted to a new life and schedule! College brings on hugee changes for everyone.

I find I am even tired after sleeping sometimes…. I think it is the more difficult work, along with most likely a lot of people are feeling new stress, and responsibilities. Ick!

My sleeping schedule was inconsistent. In high school, classes would start every morning at 7:45. Not so with college. I’d go to bed at a different time every night because I’d have an early class one day and an afternoon class the next.

Many reasons I can think of:

- First time in your life you get to stay up and drink ‘til 3 AM and not yet used to it.
– Exhausted b/c there was never a time where you had 1 – 1.5 hour lectures at a time, which can make you tired. In my highschool experience (at least), classes were 45 minutes max.
– You are overwhelmed with a whole new way of life. You are taking SO MUCH new stuff in it exhausts you.
– You are not eating as healthily b/c you don’t have the parents buying you nutritious food, so the pizza and chinese food are depriving you of those vitamins you can use to stay awake throughout the day.
– Usually, in highschool you are stimulated throughout the day. In college there can be times with nothing to do b/c you aren’t yet great at time management. You have 3 hours in between classes, you don’t have a job, and your friends are in class, what to do? Sleep!

I can think of so many different reasons why this is the case. And most of which you can work out by the time you are a sophomore, like establishing regular schedules and eating better after gaining that freshman 15… Man I miss college.

g’s I wish i stopped being tired after freshmen year….

Im always fucking exhausted and sleep every chance I get.

@uberbatman I had the opposite experience. Eventually, I’d be up all day doing school stuff and social activities, sometimes work, and I wouldn’t get to bed until 3–4 AM. Then I’d wake up at 8–9 and do it all again. I loved it.

I think there is a certain amount of energy expended by your brain taking on a new level of information and processing. Thinking can be exhausting.

They aren’t getting enough sleep at night.

They are still adolescents, and teens and early 20’s generally need a lot of sleep because they are still growing and changing so much physiologically.

Too much alcohol.

Too much pizza.

@mrrich724 my problem is im super exhausted all day then night comes and for some fuckin reason im wide awake so i end up being up till 3ish then am dead tired the next day to just repeat the process over again.

I studied sleep in psychology last semester and there are people who have come up with theories as to why late teens go to bed later and need to sleep later in the day. It is because the sleep hormone melatonin is produced roughly an hour later in late teens. Then this trend is reversed in late adulthood when thay go to bed earlier and wake very early in the morning.

Mono

I remember freshman year being especially tiring because I didn’t know how to pace myself. I stayed up later than I did when I was at home and my classes weren’t from 8–2:30 anymore. My whole sense of time had changed, and it took me about a year to get used to living independently (aka dorm life).

Watch what you’re eating. The carbs, for some reason, are extremely tempting when you’re a freshman, they were for me, I don’t know why, maybe because no one’s fussing over you, trying to make you eat right and their comforting, carbs are. Carbs could be making everyone sleepy.

I’m sure it has alot to do with new surroundings , studying , drinking , what they eat , partying , staying up to late , lectures and learning can wear you down also .

I’m also a freshman in university. For me though, it’s just that I tend to over worry about every little thing/ class and assignment. And with the work load that I get, usually it seems like a lot until I work on it and get it done.

So from the time that the assignment is announced, till whenever I’m finished, I’m pretty much constantly worrying about it. It’s a burden that crosses my mind every day until I finish… and that’s a lot of days and a lot of worrying especially when I procrastinate. In my theory, because of my over worrying, I believe that it makes me restless.

Haha, but who knows, I don’t really have the hang of this university thing yet… =(