Why Do Classroom Settings Make Me Sleepy But Not Online Lectures?

[jd12345]

I always feel sleepy in my class...whatever the topic is. Whether its my favorite subject or not I always feel sleepy. The professor is also very good. I have no idea why I feel sleepy.

Strangely I never feel sleepy while watching video lectures from MIT, Berkley etc. I can watch them at a stretch but class after 30 or so minutes I am dozing
Any reason why?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

How much sleep are you getting at night? What are your sleeping habits like?

 

[PhizKid]

That's pretty weird. Even if jd12345 is not getting enough sleep why wouldn't jd12345 feel sleepy both during the real lectures and video lectures

 

[jd12345]

How much sleep are you getting at night? What are your sleeping habits like?

12 to 6 since I have come to college. Before it was 11 to 7/8.
I know my sleep has reduced by 2-3 hours and I think that's the reason but I feel pretty fresh during the non-lecture hours.

 

[Monique]

At what time are the live lectures and at what time do you watch the video lectures? It could be the time of day that makes the difference.

 

[jd12345]

lectures are 8-12 morning. I don't watch the video lectures everyday. By the lecture-videos I meant that I usually study/PF/read book/video lectures the rest of the day and still don't feel sleepy at all as in the class.

 

[DiracPool]

I always feel sleepy in my class...whatever the topic is. Whether its my favorite subject or not I always feel sleepy. The professor is also very good. I have no idea why I feel sleepy.

Strangely I never feel sleepy while watching video lectures from MIT, Berkley etc. I can watch them at a stretch but class after 30 or so minutes I am dozing
Any reason why?

I never fell asleep in class in college. I went an all boys catholic high school in Hawaii, where we had to wear a suit and and a tie every day except "Aloha fridays," where we could wear an aloha shirt (with a collar of course). But even then, we had to wear dress pants and dress shoes. This was the real deal..if you had the choke button on your collar undone and one of the Brothers caught you, it was an HOUR DETENTION after school.

In any case, it goes without saying that sleeping in class was frowned upon. And sleeping was just about what I wanted to do everytime I got to class. I eventually figured out that I could combat that urge by fabricating a hyper-interest in the class. I was the guy who always had his hand up, effectively badgering the teacher with question after question. It was the only way I could get through. In fact, me and a few of my buddies used to play this game whereby we'd see how far we could get the teacher off topic by asking progressively more and more derivative questions off the main topic to where we'd be lucky to get half way through the intended curriculum.

So, in college, that sensibility just carried over, except for the fact that I really liked learning at that point. I was always the guy in the front row with his hand up engaging the professor in a tete a tete, always bordering on being a nuisance but being careful not to cross that line. I was mostly successful there

 

[WannabeNewton]

I usually go to sleep at 2 - 4 AM and wake up at 8 AM so I tend to fall asleep in most classes. Thankfully all of them have detailed lecture notes online :p

 

[jd12345]

I usually cover up what I missed in the class by looking at the notes posted online and self-studying from the course textbook and internet.
The problem is that I could have saved a lot of time if I just stay awake in the class and listened to the professor.

 

[InvalidID]

I usually go to sleep at 2 - 4 AM and wake up at 8 AM so I tend to fall asleep in most classes. Thankfully all of them have detailed lecture notes online :p

I'm curious why you sleep so late. I usually sleep at 10:15 and wake up at 6:30.

 

[DiracPool]

I usually cover up what I missed in the class by looking at the notes posted online and self-studying from the course textbook and internet.
The problem is that I could have saved a lot of time if I just stay awake in the class and listened to the professor.

Well, the thing is is that if you're not going to participate in class, then you might as well just do the MIT free-course thing. For your educational interests at least. I mean I suppose your going to school to get a diploma of some sort, so it may serve you to sleepwalk through the lectures and "maintain appearances."

Not that anyone cares, but here's another anecdote I forgot to mention in my last post. I had a bad habit of showing up late for class (in college), and the profs hate that, I found out. On those days I didn't dare walk up to the front of the class, I sort of cowered in the back (but still had my hand up the entire sess)

In any case, I remember one day showing up for a Zoology class that I absolutely loved about 7 minutes late or something and the door was locked! Locked? These doors are never locked. There was a sign on the door saying that if you arrive late, you cannot attend the class. Guess what I did? I banged on the door until someone let me in, gave a wimpy wave to the Prof, sat in the back row, and had my hand up the entire lecture.

The point is, get engaged, you have the rest of your life to hide from "the man." College is fun and learning is fun. Pick up the coffee addiction.

 

[WannabeNewton]

I'm curious why you sleep so late. I usually sleep at 10:15 and wake up at 6:30.

It's a habit I guess; I got used to it.

 

[jd12345]

Well, the thing is is that if you're not going to participate in class, then you might as well just do the MIT free-course thing. For your educational interests at least. I mean I suppose your going to school to get a diploma of some sort, so it may serve you to sleepwalk through the lectures and "maintain appearances."

Not that anyone cares, but here's another anecdote I forgot to mention in my last post. I had a bad habit of showing up late for class (in college), and the profs hate that, I found out. On those days I didn't dare walk up to the front of the class, I sort of cowered in the back (but still had my hand up the entire sess)

In any case, I remember one day showing up for a Zoology class that I absolutely loved about 7 minutes late or something and the door was locked! Locked? These doors are never locked. There was a sign on the door saying that if you arrive late, you cannot attend the class. Guess what I did? I banged on the door until someone let me in, gave a wimpy wave to the Prof, sat in the back row, and had my hand up the entire lecture.

The point is, get engaged, you have the rest of your life to hide from "the man." College is fun and learning is fun. Pick up the coffee addiction.

I never really engage in the class. I hardly ask questions to the professor. I prefer remembering my doubts and then searching the net(PF included)/textbook for solutions. Perhaps this is the introvert in me.

 

[Drakkith]

Get more sleep for one thing. This should greatly help. You can also try standing up instead of sitting when you don't need to sit to take notes or something.

 

[Evo]

In any case, I remember one day showing up for a Zoology class that I absolutely loved about 7 minutes late or something and the door was locked! Locked? These doors are never locked. There was a sign on the door saying that if you arrive late, you cannot attend the class. Guess what I did? I banged on the door until someone let me in, gave a wimpy wave to the Prof, sat in the back row, and had my hand up the entire lecture.

I was the guy who always had his hand up, effectively badgering the teacher with question after question. It was the only way I could get through. In fact, me and a few of my buddies used to play this game whereby we'd see how far we could get the teacher off topic by asking progressively more and more derivative questions off the main topic to where we'd be lucky to get half way through the intended curriculum.

So, you had no respect for rules, or the teacher, or your classmates, it's all about you. Sounds like you where that kid that I hoped would get their butt kicked out so the rest of us could learn something.

 

[WannabeNewton]

So, you had no respect for rules, or the teacher, or your classmates, it's all about you. Sounds like you where that kid that I hoped would get their butt kicked out so the rest of us could learn something.

"I love it when Evo gets rough" - micromass

 

[Drakkith]

"I love it when Evo gets rough" - micromass

*Puts on a helmet*

Get down! She's retrieved Bannenstein, the Banhammer of Angels!

 

[DiracPool]

So, you had no respect for rules, or the teacher, or your classmates, it's all about you. Sounds like you where that kid that I hoped would get their butt kicked out so the rest of us could learn something.

Well, um ah, (cough), I ahhh, that was in high school, Evo. The point I was trying to make was one of redemption. I turned it around in college into something positive. Yes, I had my hand up in college all the time but it served the course at that point. I was thanked many times by the other students for asking questions or clarifications on some topic that they weren't getting either, but were too shy to ask about or whatever. Sometimes the profs just want to get up there and punch the clock and get out, they don't really care much whether your getting it or not. Most I find, though, have the problem of not getting enough feedback from the students as to what they need to spend more time on, etc.. (Do you think Evo bought that, gang?)

Don't take my word for it, though, just ask our friend Dr. Shankar! He'll tell you. Fast forward to 15:10 and you'll see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOKnWaLiL8w&list=ECFE3074A4CB751B2B

 

[strangerep]

[...] I could have saved a lot of time if I just stay awake in the class and listened to the professor.

I had a related experience. In 1st year Uni my lectures started at 9am, and I had a 1hr+ commute door-to-door. I stayed awake easily in the morning, but tended to get slower after lunch in the afternoons during lab.

In 4th year Uni, lectures didn't start until 10am, so I could be a bit lazier in the morning. I also found I got really hungry around 11am (dunno why), so I'd start munching on a sandwich during the lecture. Shortly after that I'd just crash out asleep with my head on the desk, and miss part of the lecture entirely (this was before there was any such thing as Internet and online notes). But I was getting plenty of sleep. Still don't know how I managed to survive those courses.

Many years later, I found out about postprandial somnolence:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postprandial_somnolence

It's very real and can be severely debilitating when you've recently eaten the wrong kind of foods, but really need to stay awake. Even coffee with sugar in it can sometimes cause this somnolence (I've found) -- totally contrary to what one expects from coffee.

My advice: review your diet critically (possibly with help from a professional nutritionist), and what you're consuming when. Also, eating junk food aggravates such feelings of debilitation. (I remember a Jamie Oliver "School Dinners" episode where they showed how changing schoolkids' evening meal from junk food to properly balanced nourishment resulted in teachers reporting better attentiveness from the kids the next day.) You need foods which release their energy slowly (I forget the word for them).

BTW, I recently cut down my consumption of ice cream and potato severely (replacing the potato with green vegies, carrots and corn, but not replacing the ice cream, so I eat less overall). I now feel a whole lot better every morning. Surprisingly better.

 

[InvalidID]

"I love it when Evo gets rough" - micromass

Hahahaha

No context quotes. :)

 

[Jorriss]

In any case, I remember one day showing up for a Zoology class that I absolutely loved about 7 minutes late or something and the door was locked! Locked? These doors are never locked. There was a sign on the door saying that if you arrive late, you cannot attend the class. Guess what I did? I banged on the door until someone let me in, gave a wimpy wave to the Prof, sat in the back row, and had my hand up the entire lecture.
.

That makes you sound like absolute *******.