[waffle_house]

Hi all,

For the people with super busy schedules (work, kids, etc…) how much sleep do you need per night to keep functioning through out the day while studying for the CPA exam?

I ask this because lately my toddler has been very active and likes to wake up early and stay up late at night which prevents me from studying as much as I would like. This might cause me to give up the early study routine and start late at night which will prevent me from getting as much sleep as I usually would and studying through the tiredness at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

I have two children and when they were toddlers, my husband and I swore by a schedule. We worked and I was also a full-time student during that time. He's a late bird and I'm an early bird, but we both can function off of 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I believe you would do well to put your child down between 730-8p every night. If you want to continue the morning study routine, I'd say put him/her to sleep later so that she would sleep a little later. Shortening naps or allowing them to lay in the room (if they wake too early from nap) is also a suggestion; naptime was two hours whether you slept or not LOL. Honestly, I could hear them playing in their rooms if lying in the bed was no longer an option in their minds lol. Toddlers have plenty of energy, however they still need plenty of rest too. It's our job to make sure they have a great balance. Yes, I'm aware that sometimes the schedule can be a little unpredictable. However, I still believe that we have to train our children and that we should still be able to accomplish our necessary tasks throughout the day without feeling guilty. Now if we were talking about an infant that would be a totally different story LOL.

I'm tired of operating in fear and mediocrity. It's time to try. It's time to do. It's time to go.

[MaLoTu]

I don't think you will find a way to get him/her sleeping longer in the morning (my experience anyway), so my suggestion to you would be to try to put the baby to bed earlier (around 7:30-8pm, like KGreen said) and study at night. During the day keep him/her really busy so that they will sleep better/earlier. I know you are working, but what is the nap schedule like? I find that sometimes kids sleep too late in the afternoon and if so you really should encourage the care taker to nap them earlier in the late morning.

[Anonymous]

I NEED 8 hours of sleep minimum to be civilized the next day. I survived on 5-6 hours for the year I was studying for the exam.

[Anonymous]

Are you a single parent?

My wife and I both work full time (she in a bank and me in public accounting).
I changed my schedule so I would leave the house by 4:45-5:00am and study until 8:00am on the weekdays and on the weekends usually until 11-12. Then either go to work or come help with the family. I would go to bed at 10:30 or so. I can function on little sleep , and I am an early bird. Not saying it was easy, but i was dependent on the fact that my wife could handle both kids while I was gone (who were 2 and 4 when i started and 4 and 6 when i finished).

[Anonymous]

Right now it is the heart of busy season and my schedule goes like this:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

04:30 am- wake up and take energy shot
05:00 am- start Insanity: The Asylum workout (45 mins to 1 hour depending on the video)
06:00 am- Shower, cook breakfast, get dressed and commute to work.
07:00 am- 16:00- Work
16:00- 16:30- Commute to grad school
16:30-17:15- In class
17:15-17:45- Commute back to work
17:45- 19:30- Work
19:30- 23:00-Study and Sleep

Tuesday, Thursday
03:30 am-wake up take energy shot
04:00 am- 05:00 am- Workout
05:00 am- 06:00 am- Shower, cook breakfast, get dressed and commute to work.
06:00 am- 14:30- Work
14:30 – 15:00- Commute to grad school
15:00- 16:15 – Class
16:15 – 16:45- Commute to work
16:45- 18:45- Work
18:45- 19:15- Commute home
19:15- 22:00 – Study and Sleep

*Saturdays and Sunday (Air National Guard Drill Weekend)
Same schedule for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday except no class and I leave by 16:30

Saturday and Sunday with no drill weekend is my catch up on sleep and studying and I also workout. It is tough but only during busy season.

After busy season back to normal 40 hour weeks M-Fri with weekends off.

If I am short on charge hours (55 minimum) I will go in early Saturday and be out by noon.

[Anonymous]

I don't have kids, so can't really answer the OP's post, but will say this:

The amount of sleep that each person needs is very different, so what works for one person's body won't for another. What's most important is that you listen to your body and don't push it beyond its limits. The long-term ill health effects of sleep deprivation can be very crippling and are not worth it. I'm dealing with adrenal fatigue/dysfunction now which is largely caused by too little sleep (for my body – still was enough for other people) during periods of too much stress, which would be very easy to have happen during these exams. So, if you're someone who needs more sleep, don't think “So-and-so can make it on 5 hours of sleep, so I need to too” or anything like that. Listen to your body – if you require 8 hours of sleep, then you require 8 hours of sleep, regardless of what anyone else needs. Right now, I require 9-10 hours of sleep, regardless of what I have going on in life and what other demands there are on my time. It sucks, but I've learned it's what I have to do. Otherwise, my health deteriorates more and I start needing 11-12 hours of sleep, and I sure don't have time for that!

[y_u_no_pass]

That is a good point. It is very relative. I too require more sleep than the average person. I get very zombie-like under 7 hours and am my best around 8.5-9 a night.

Florida CPA!
Took final exam 2/25/15.
Sent in Application 3/12/15.
Issued License 3/20/15.
Used CPA Excel solely for all exams.

[Missy]

I functioned on 5 hours per night while I was doing the exam, and that's less than I usually “need”. It takes some getting used to, a week or two in you feel like dog poo. Your body adjusts. And sleep is connected to health but short term sleep deprivation generally doesn't have lasting effects-plenty of people have to do it when their kids are very young.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[cmb224]

@allegra, what study materials did you use?

[cpa2bks]

One word. Benadryl.

Okay, okay. Just kidding (mostly). I did have a doctor who had me give a half dose to my daughter to try to help her sleep at the right times. She is 21 now and still is backwards. She sleeps all day and is up all night. Drove me crazy. If the toddler really isn't sleeping a good 8 hours a night, you might ask your doctor for help. It really isn't healthy for them to keep going like that.

REG - 85 (8/31/15)
FAR - 82 (10/30/15)
AUD - 84 (11/30/15)
BEC - 77 (5/31/16)

[Valleygrl68]

I need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep AND some form of exercise most days of the week to feel good in my body so I'll be running a very tight ship when I add in CPA studies in the spring, sleep is NOT something this chick can sacrifice for the good of the cert, no sir!

[Track55]

You mean you're allowed over 6 – 7 hours of sleep when working full-time and studying? I thought that was illegal or something …

AUD - 74, 99 !!
REG - 74, 92
BEC - 83
FAR - 73, 86

Studying for Ethics exam

California candidate
Business and Industry

[Anonymous]

cmb224, Becker. I really needed the best system since Ive been out of school for over 25 years and out of the industry for 15 years. That said, Ive always tested well so it was more a matter of just knowing the material.

[Author]

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