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the depauw |
l o l e c , l w o t h g i n r o d r i b y l r a E By MARGARET DISTLER features@thedepauw.com
It’s one of those DePauw legends: meeting with English professor Andrea Sununu at 1 a.m. to discuss a paper. For some students, being awake past midnight is unfathomable, for others, it’s the prime time to get work done. With finals week looming ahead, students may find themselves trying to maximize their efficiency. While study spaces and environments can influence students’ productivity, some find it helpful to reflect on when they are naturally more productive. When Sununu was in college, she was never able to stay up past midnight. Now, she holds conferences with students well into the early morning. “There aren’t enough hours of the day in the daylight, so I have to meet with them at night,” Sununu said. Even though Sununu has trained herself to stay up later, the morning person by temperament likes to start her day around 5 a.m. Like Sununu, some individuals will label themselves as either morning or night people, in reference to what time of day they prefer, which is influenced by their personal circadian rhythms. According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, circadian rhythms are “physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle responding primarily to light and darkness.” These rhythms can also influence sleepwake cy-
cles, hormone release, and body temperature “I h among other bodily functions. Hansen As circadian rhythms rise and fall over the course be arou of the day, individuals may feel more inclined to Ins sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. betwee For adults, this sleep drive generally occurs between produc 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. as well as 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. However, hours the time frame can vary based on if someone is a 2 a.m. morning or night person. she oc For morning person and senior Carroll Bible, go- she can ing to bed at a “reasonable hour” generally means though being asleep around midnight or 1 a.m. She does Wh this so she can start her day around 6 a.m. “I feel productive when I’ve gotten work done — academic work or work out — and people are just getting up, and I’ve already started my day,” Bible said. Since Bible swam in high school and during her freshman year at DePauw, she ~Andrea Sununu, English continues to schedule early morning workouts. Even though she feels most productive between 8 a.m. then I’ and noon, her afternoons are usually spent doing don’t k homework and attending meetings. I’m no While Bible prefers taking required history and Ins political science classes before lunch, she’s not op- to take posed to signing up for courses she finds interesting William that are offered during the afternoon. each n On the other hand, senior Emeline Hansen has curricu never considered morning classes to be an option. to get Over the past seven semesters, the communication “An major has only taken two classes at 9:20 a.m., both of anythin which were math courses. six, I’m
“Get ple of sleep