USAFA Sleep Schedule

I wanted to bump this back to the top to see if this information is still current. How much sleep do first year cadets usually get? What about during basic?
Like the original poster, I usually get 8 hours. Recently, I've been getting closer to 7 and am feeling pretty exhausted.
It looked like the schedule during basic only allows for 6.5 hours of sleep, which is unfortunate, because I'm excited for almost everything (especially physical challenges)—except the lack of sleep.
I definitely plan on managing my time during the academic year to get as much sleep as is reasonably possible.
Is this also possible during basic training?
 
CaligulasHorse said:
I wanted to bump this back to the top to see if this information is still current. How much sleep do first year cadets usually get? What about during basic?
Like the original poster, I usually get 8 hours. Recently, I've been getting closer to 7 and am feeling pretty exhausted.
It looked like the schedule during basic only allows for 6.5 hours of sleep, which is unfortunate, because I'm excited for almost everything (especially physical challenges)—except the lack of sleep.
I definitely plan on managing my time during the academic year to get as much sleep as is reasonably possible.
Is this also possible during basic training?
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Sorry but this made me laugh a bit

You are not managing your time in basic - it is managed for you and you will not be getting 8 hours of sleep, that's for sure (if that has changed, I'd be shocked). Part of the challenge of basic is that you have to do it all when you are just absolutely drained. That said, know that whatever time you go to bed and get up, the cadre are going to bed later and getting up earlier. It's not just you.

This is coming from someone that NEEDS 10 hours of sleep a night to do my best work. I have known this since before high school and after basic, made sleep a huge priority. If the choice was study or sleep, I always slept because my brain at it's peak could usually make up for a little less studying (granted I had pretty good study habits too). But, being able to get through a period with a lack of sleep (basic is the longest, but other examples are GR (graded review - essentially a big test) "season" at USAFA and recognition) is an incredibly valuable skill.
 
USAFA10s said:
Sorry but this made me laugh a bit

You are not managing your time in basic - it is managed for you and you will not be getting 8 hours of sleep, that's for sure (if that has changed, I'd be shocked). Part of the challenge of basic is that you have to do it all when you are just absolutely drained. That said, know that whatever time you go to bed and get up, the cadre are going to bed later and getting up earlier. It's not just you.

This is coming from someone that NEEDS 10 hours of sleep a night to do my best work. I have known this since before high school and after basic, made sleep a huge priority. If the choice was study or sleep, I always slept because my brain at it's peak could usually make up for a little less studying (granted I had pretty good study habits too). But, being able to get through a period with a lack of sleep (basic is the longest, but other examples are GR (graded review - essentially a big test) "season" at USAFA and recognition) is an incredibly valuable skill.
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If I may ask, what were weekends like during BCT, was it just like the regular week?
 
JP51 said:
If I may ask, what were weekends like during BCT, was it just like the regular week?
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Yes - except Sundays there was a brief period for services for those that wanted to go. If you didn't go it was basically down time, but at least when I was there, we weren't allowed to sit down (that was a rule in general - except for things like meals) - so many people would go to church and then sleep in the back...I'd be interested to know if that has changed or not.

Edited to add: Also the "what are weekends" concept is one that I have embraced...many jobs have no weekends so you take breaks when you can. Light Tuesday? Make it the "weekend"
 
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I'm not sure if this will help at all, but it might not be a bad idea to start shifting your sleep schedule around to mimic the BCT schedule, accounting for time zones too. That way it won't be as hard of a transition, and it will be one less stress factor. Back in my earlier high school days I used to get 8 solid hours of sleep, but as time progressed on I found my self getting 6-6.5 hours in the later years (and currently). It was a rough transition at first but now I'm used to the 6hrs of sleep just in high school. Oh... and caffeine helps too.

Just a little food for thought
 
Raptor Factor said:
Is an engineering major really that time consuming in relation to other majors (I want to be a pilot so I know I can major in practically anything)?
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First off, don't pick your major based on how easy it is. Secondly, do not assume that your major does not matter because you want to be a pilot. There are a lot of checkpoints between now and the time you graduate UPT...and life happens - requirements for UPT could change any year, the needs of the USAF could change at anytime, a medical could catch you on something at some point - do not assume you will be a pilot just because you go to USAFA. So if you do not graduate UPT, what are you going to do - your degree will likely matter at that point. Thirdly, do not look at your degree as simply a necessary evil between you and UPT. It is a chance to learn and develop your interest and knowledge in a specific field. Take advantage of that opportunity.

Lastly...Yes, engineering is that hard. People who traditionally crush math and physics in HS try engineering and learn how hard it is. I attended a civilian school known for its engineering program. 60 kids on my floor freshman year were engineering majors. 8 of us graduated in engineering. We used to refer to my major, electrical engineering, as pre-management information systems because so many kids would switch to MIS from EE. Yes we had brainiacs who crushed it at college. I realized I was high school smart not college smart though - I had a 36 on ACT Math and had a 4.0 in HS, but I had to work my rear off to keep my AFROTC scholarship. And then at the end, our professors told us that if we really wanted to be engineers, we should get a Masters because all they did for the past 4 years was teach us how to think. At the end of the day, was it worth it? Absolutely, and I never even really used my EE at all, but it was worth it because of two things. 1) I learned how to problem solve and am never intimidated by a problem - I don't always resolve it correctly, but I know how to think it through 2) I am naturally curious and love to learn how things work.

And that is my final comment. Pursue a degree that interests you because it interests you not because it does not matter or might be easier. If you can find what you are passionate about, the sacrifices won't be as difficult. Don't choose a major because you are trying to impress anyone either. And if you pick a major and realize it is not for you, see if you can switch. All of those kids I knew didn't fail out of engineering, some just realized it wasn't for them and switched. There is no rush to declare a major at USAFA. Unless you validate a ton of classes, most of your first year is degree agnostic. So if you are unsure, just wait. See how it goes. Meet the different departments and see how your interests develop.
 
Raptor_Hopefull_2025 said:
I'm not sure if this will help at all, but it might not be a bad idea to start shifting your sleep schedule around to mimic the BCT schedule, accounting for time zones too. That way it won't be as hard of a transition, and it will be one less stress factor. Back in my earlier high school days I used to get 8 solid hours of sleep, but as time progressed on I found my self getting 6-6.5 hours in the later years (and currently). It was a rough transition at first but now I'm used to the 6hrs of sleep just in high school. Oh... and caffeine helps too.
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And I'd advise strongly against this...if you are already pretty sure you need 8 hours to be your best, keep working to get that much sleep! While it is important to be able to function on less, operating continually in a state of sleep depravation (and that IS what you'd be doing) is just going to make everything else harder with no real benefits. You'll sleep when you can in basic and throughout USAFA - zero need to "practice" this.

You may get used to it and not feel as terrible, but you are very likely just adjusted to operating in a state of tiredness and tasks that involve real deep thinking, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving skills will suffer, as will what you get out of your workouts. Another useful skill: recognizing when your brain is just not cutting it and giving it a break, whether that means a power nap or going to bed. I did this just today- I was trying to solve a tough anomaly in some data, but only got 6 or 7 hours of sleep last night. I struggled for about 20 minutes making zero progress and only confusing myself more, so I decided to crash under my desk, took a 20 minute nap, woke up, and solved it within 5 minutes. This doesn't always work - but it definitely has continued to produce solutions for me on tough problems over the last 6 years (and while at USAFA, but to a lesser extent as I wasn't quite challenged like I am now...)
 
Do cadets have access to coffee in BCT? What about during the academic year?
 
RC3PO said:
Do cadets have access to coffee in BCT? What about during the academic year?
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There will absolutely be coffee at BCT! It’s located just outside the rooms of all the cadre. Knock on their door and ask for some and I’m sure they would be more than happy to help you out. In all seriousness, you can probably get coffee in the academic year, but definitely not in BCT
 
My DS has told me multiple times, the hardest part of BCT for him was the lack of sleep. He has never been one that needed 8 hours a night; however, going 6 straight weeks with 5-6 hours a night (sometimes less than that) on top of all the stress, wore him down.
 
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