“So much to do, so little time!” — perhaps the statement that truly epitomizes the life and culture here at Stanford University. Professors, Teaching Assistants and students all manage busy lives — negotiating academic duties, familial responsibilities and extracurricular activities. It’s no wonder that some people don’t get as much rest as they want.

In his popular winter quarter class “Sleep and Dreams,” Psychiatry Prof. William Dement teaches that the average amount of sleep required by undergraduates is nine hours and 15 minutes. But for seniors who are just about to graduate, finishing up their classes, throwing in extra hours of work and possibly working on a thesis, getting that much sleep is likely an unattainable luxury.

“I slept about five to six hours a day during the time I was working on my thesis, especially this quarter, since I was focused on writing it,” said David Lai ‘08. “On work days, I got up at 10:10 a.m. and then on thesis days I’d wake up at 12:45 p.m.”

Seniors also juggle extracurricular activities that take up their time.

“I got an average of seven hours this quarter,” said Charlie Wang ‘08. “Usually, I choose to either work or socialize, but most of the time, I slept late because of lab.”

“I went to bed around one and woke up at seven,” added Bryan Cauley ‘08. “My hours of sleep a night range from five to six. My reasons for this are [Resident Assistant] RA duties, homework and social life.”

Social activities may be a main reason why Stanford students choose to forego sleep.

“I usually stay up late doing nothing or socializing,” said Kimberley Stewart ‘10, who said she averages about four hours of sleep a night. “It’s almost like a recovery from work and a chance to spend time with friends.”

Even freshmen, although just finishing their first year at Stanford, already seem to have similar sleep schedules, as well as packed agendas both because of their many commitments and their need for relaxation and recreation.

“My bedtime usually ranges from 3 to 6 a.m. and I wake up between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.” said David Schneider ‘11. “I usually sleep late because of a combination of work and play.”

Some students, however, take Dement’s advice, making an extra effort to get enough sleep.

“I like my sleep so I get eight hours of sleep on average,” said Woubzena Jifar ‘10. “This quarter I usually went to bed at midnight. Part of the reason I stay up until midnight is because I don’t start work until 9 p.m.”

Gongmyung Lee ‘11 has a different strategy for getting enough sleep.

“I actually have been getting a lot of sleep,” he said. “My average for this quarter would be around seven to eight hours of sleep because I usually sleep through most of my morning classes.”

According to Alyssa O’Brien, a lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR), professors are sympathetic to students’ lack of sleep.

“I empathize,” she said. “I know most people work from 10 p.m. [through] 5 a.m. It is challenge for the students to balance the work and activities they have and the

need to sleep.”

However, in her opinion, sleeping through class is not the ideal solution.

“I feel strongly that [students should] be in class,” she said. “It is very valuable to be in class because of what you learn, and it’s hard to make up work. Nothing can replace communal experience in class.”

“But before all that, you have to be awake,” she added.

O’Brien proposed a solution of her own — “teachers need to be role models and get more sleep,” she said.

Even though not all students listen to his teachings about sleep, many would point to Dement as Stanford’s role model for sleep, and his class has had an impact on some students.

“For the class, we kept a sleep journal that documents how much sleep you got for a night and how you feel throughout the day,” Wang said. “It taught me the strong correlation of sleep and how you feel during the day.”

“It’s interesting to learn about how to create a better sleep situation for yourself,” Stewart added. “They talked a lot about sleep debt, and how it makes you less aware of things and other negative effects. You get extra credit for sleeping in class, which encourages getting enough sleep.”