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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:14 pm Post subject: Is Sleep Overrated? |
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| We see so many Korean kids staying up very late and studying. They seem to do well in school despite having little school. Contrast that with all that talk in North America about how kids need to sleep or they won't do well in school. I can't figure out how the kids do it in Korea? I suppose if you really want to function on just 5 hours of sleep consistently it is not big deal possibly? I don't sleep a lot myself, but I feel I could use some more shut eye.... |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| I suspect it kills certain aptitudes among them, such as creativity or spontaneity. Lack of sleep probably doesn't have any effect on rote learning or memorisation. |
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kiwigirl :O)
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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the kids here dont know any other way to be....
western kids have a lot of sleep because thats how their parents brought them up to be....
i do wonder how quickly asian kids get burnt out though....it seems they study all the time (and seem to get the results they want) but they do need time to de stress and relax and be a kid (i wonder if they are having a childhood)
like even summer and winter holidays they still go to hagwon or do intensive camps to make up for the spare time where they would usually go to school.... |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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| kiwigirl :O) wrote: |
the kids here dont know any other way to be....
western kids have a lot of sleep because thats how their parents brought them up to be....
i do wonder how quickly asian kids get burnt out though....it seems they study all the time (and seem to get the results they want) but they do need time to de stress and relax and be a kid (i wonder if they are having a childhood)
like even summer and winter holidays they still go to hagwon or do intensive camps to make up for the spare time where they would usually go to school.... |
They burn out a lot and they burn out badly.
But anyway, what can you learn by relaxing and being a kid that you can't learn by doing TOEIC questions over and over again? |
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Rock
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:14 am Post subject: |
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No way, or yes way, SLEEP IS ABSOLUTELY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ESSENTIAL!
How old are you? Not to pry, but YOU'LL FIND THAT AS YOU GET OLDER, YOUR MIND, AND BODY, AREN'T AS VERSATILE! Horrible mistakes occur-quit proven, from a scientific standpoint-when people lack sleep.
But to get to your point: THE YOUNG MAY SUFFER IRREPARABLE DAMAGE, as Japan has long since found out, and Korea. AND THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS MAKING UP FOR SLEEP.
Why do you think Vietnan Vets had what's called PTSD, or whatever it's called?
Recognized illness, some flip out, myself included. |
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Rock
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| kiwigirl :O) wrote: |
the kids here dont know any other way to be....
western kids have a lot of sleep because thats how their parents brought them up to be....
i do wonder how quickly asian kids get burnt out though....it seems they study all the time (and seem to get the results they want) but they do need time to de stress and relax and be a kid (i wonder if they are having a childhood)
like even summer and winter holidays they still go to hagwon or do intensive camps to make up for the spare time where they would usually go to school.... |
A lot of this is social. Ask some adults you teach, whether or not productivity at the jobplace, is all it looks like. You'll be surprised.
Americans actually work the hardest. |
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excitinghead
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 2:00 am Post subject: |
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What words first come to mind when thinking of Koreans? Hot tempered, passionate, stressed, inconsiderate, bbali-bbali...I'm pretty much the same on 5 hours sleep.
I seriously think that Korea could and would be a wonderful place if everyone just got a good night's sleep for once. Koreans simply have no idea how huge an impact this has on their society.
But ike Kiwigirl said, they don't know anything else, and even some of my 13-year old students only get 4-5 hours of sleep a night. It takes a lot of convincing from me that it would be considered child abuse in NZ. And then it gets worse and worse until after the University entrance exam, when finally they have a few brief years before work to have hobbies, do their own thing, and have fun, all the while still living at home until they're married...that's why so many 20-something Koreans are so childish.
Sleeping habit-wise, men have their military service on top of that to help reinforce surviving on insufficient sleep.
Ever wondered why Korea has one of the highest male smoking rates in the world, and vending machines selling crappy but cheap instant coffee on every corner? |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| excitinghead wrote: |
What words first come to mind when thinking of Koreans? Hot tempered, passionate, stressed, inconsiderate, bbali-bbali...I'm pretty much the same on 5 hours sleep.
I seriously think that Korea could and would be a wonderful place if everyone just got a good night's sleep for once. Koreans simply have no idea how huge an impact this has on their society.
But ike Kiwigirl said, they don't know anything else, and even some of my 13-year old students only get 4-5 hours of sleep a night. It takes a lot of convincing from me that it would be considered child abuse in NZ. And then it gets worse and worse until after the University entrance exam, when finally they have a few brief years before work to have hobbies, do their own thing, and have fun, all the while still living at home until they're married...that's why so many 20-something Koreans are so childish.
Sleeping habit-wise, men have their military service on top of that to help reinforce surviving on insufficient sleep.
Ever wondered why Korea has one of the highest male smoking rates in the world, and vending machines selling crappy but cheap instant coffee on every corner? |
Yes, but the kids don't drink so much coffee as far as I know. Look in North America kids who don't sleep much perform poorly. One major difference is kids in Korea tend to wake up and sleep more or less around the same time since they occasionally go to school on Saturdays, too.
Whereas North American kids tend to sleep in a lot (they can) and this creates a feeling of jet lag for those who stay up late during the week and then sleep in a lot. Some people believe you can function well enough on 5 hours of sleep and some people in Korea make it to some of the best universities and get good marks despite having little sleep. I find that amazing. I am not sure what people are saying in North America applies to Korean kids who have a different life-style. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 3:28 am Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| kiwigirl :O) wrote: |
the kids here dont know any other way to be....
western kids have a lot of sleep because thats how their parents brought them up to be....
i do wonder how quickly asian kids get burnt out though....it seems they study all the time (and seem to get the results they want) but they do need time to de stress and relax and be a kid (i wonder if they are having a childhood)
like even summer and winter holidays they still go to hagwon or do intensive camps to make up for the spare time where they would usually go to school.... |
They burn out a lot and they burn out badly.
But anyway, what can you learn by relaxing and being a kid that you can't learn by doing TOEIC questions over and over again? |
These kids do better than Western kids in school despite Western kids getting more sleep. I know I would have gone nuts if I had to sleep only 5 hours a day consistently, but if it was what I was used to and I didn't sleep in during the weekend then maybe my body's internal clock would handle it fine. I just marvel at how these kids can perform while staying up late consistently. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| Rock wrote: |
| some flip out, myself included. |
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