Sleep Insight.mp3

Transcription Podcast

Jeremie 1:This is one of the many problems caused by lack of sleep. Fatigue, loss of concentration, slowed reflexes - the consequences are very real. Today, in this podcast, we are going to explore why rest isn't a luxury but a necessity.

Andres 1:Before we dive too deep, let me admit something. For years I thought sleep was optional. I treated it like the extra fries in a menu — cool to have, but not essential. Until one day I realized that every time I cut an hour of sleep, I was basically choosing to operate my brain on low-power mode. And trust me, no one wants to live life with the spinning-wheel loading in their head all day.

Jeremie 2: Imagine, it is midnight. Tomorrow is Saturday, a math assessment. I cannot turn for another hour to review this chapter, you say to yourself. Yet, what you may not know is that every hour of sleep sacrificed is a part of your memory and concentration that flies away. In classe préparatoire, where every point counts, sleep is not a waste of time, it's an investment. Studies show that sleeping eight to nine hours a night improves memorization and problem solving. So, how to reconcile intensive work and rest?

Andres 2: And honestly, the funniest part? We convince ourselves that staying awake is a form of discipline. But discipline isn’t working until your brain collapses. Discipline is stopping before you crash, so the next day you’re actually functional. There’s a huge difference between being busy and being effective — and sleep draws that line.

Jeremie 3:In class préparatoire, we are often used to going to bed at not a very reasonable hour during the week, and sleeping on weekends. Except that the body no longer understands anything. It has its own rhythm. If we shift all the time, it is lost. Result: we are exhausted even after ten hours of sleep, and on Monday morning, we sleep in place, and it affects the following days.

Andres 3: Let me add something here. Your body is not a hard drive you can defragment on Sundays. You can’t lag all week and expect a magical reset because you slept 10 hours once. Biology just doesn’t work like that. And the worst part? You feel guilty for being tired, when your schedule is literally designed for fatigue. It’s like blaming your phone for dying when you never charged it.

Jeremie 4:So you have to go to bed and get up at set times. If I'm tired at lunch, I take a one-hour nap after going to eat. It is important to first think about your body needs to be in shape

Jyoti 1:So, well, for me, there are days when even if the night has been far too short, there's no choice but to get up and go to school. And at first I feel like, okay, it's fine, I'm tough, I can handle it. I push through the morning and I tell myself, yes, I'm managing it. But as the day goes on, it hits you and your energy drops, your eyes feel heavy and suddenly you just cannot focus anymore. What is quite ironic is that you might have stayed up late the other night and thought of being productive. Maybe you did, but the next day, you're so tired that you cannot really think properly. Not only that, when you finally get home, you're too exhausted to work, so you end up losing even more time and often just crashing into the bed. So it becomes a loop. Either you never truly catch up on sleep or you either try to catch up and feel like you're losing productive hours. In reality, you're just losing far more by staying stuck in a cycle, in my opinion. Well, that's what I've been through. And for anyone who feels trapped in that rhythm, it is probably worth sacrificing a bit of productive time for the week to reset the sleep schedule. And you might feel like you're failing behind for a few days. But in the long run, you gain a lot more because your brain actually works again. And anyone asking for advice to get better sleep, in my opinion right now, at the moment, there's three things that really help, which is first of all, calm sounds and warmer lights, which put me in a much more relaxed state. And then also the gut health at night, which seems to make a huge difference. I feel lighter and less restless. And one more thing that can really improve, I think it's the airflow in the room. The air feels heavy and there's not much oxygen. It is harder to get comfortable and it almost feels like the room is closing in on you. With fresh air and a cooler room, I think falling asleep is much easier.

Andres 4: What you describe is exactly that dangerous illusion: the fake energy from the morning. You feel strong at 8am, unbeatable at 10, and by 3pm you’re questioning your entire existence. That crash isn’t random — it’s your body sending invoices for every hour of sleep you didn’t give it. And those invoices always get paid, one way or another.

Maxime 1:So where does sport come in? Why talk about physical activity in a podcast about sleep and study? Because sport isn't just good for our health, it's a biological regulator, a balancing force. First, sport reduces stress. When you move your body, you release endorphins, which helps calm your brain, reduce anxiety, and stabilize emotions. That means fewer late-night stress spirals. Second, sport actually improves sleep quality. People who exercise fall asleep faster, spend more time in deep sleep, and wake up more refreshed. This isn't theory, it's observable with measurable science. Third, sport sharpens concentration. It boosts blood flow to the brain, improves executive functions, and makes you more focused. So the time you lose doing sport, you gain back in productivity. Let me give you an example. Many student-athletes, despite having less free time, perform much better academically. Why? Because their schedule forces them to adopt structure. There's less wasted time, less procrastination, more rhythm. And look, this doesn't mean you need to be a marathon runner. A 30-minute walk, a bit of yoga, a casual game with friends, even stretching or short workouts can reset your entire mental state. Sport, at its core, is a form of self-regulation. It aligns your body and your mind. And in a chaotic academic environment, that alignment is priceless. But here's a deeper message. Success isn't about squeezing every minute of your day. It's about making sure your mind and body can actually carry you to the finish line. Burnout is real, exhaustion is real, and no grade is worth destroying your entire long-term well-being. Think of yourself like an athlete. Athletes don't train 24-7, they rest, they eat, they recover. They understand that performance comes from balance, not sacrifice. Students deserve the same philosophy. Sleep isn't a luxury, sport isn't a distraction, they're part of the work. They're part of the performance. They're part of a healthy, sustainable, successful life.

Andres 5: And honestly, sport is the only moment of the day where your brain stops screaming. When you’re running or lifting or even just walking, you’re giving your mind a break from all the noise. It’s like hitting the refresh button. People underestimate how much clearer your ideas become after moving for just half an hour.

Maxime 2:I'm sure you've all heard stories of students having stories of all-nighters like badges of honor. Schedules fluctuate, stress rises, screens are everywhere. And suddenly, going to bed at midnight feels early. But here's the catch. Lack of sleep doesn't just make you tired, it makes everything harder. Your stress hormones spike, your anxiety increases, your ability to memorize decreases, and your emotional balance, well, let's just say everything becomes a lot more dramatic. Let me paint you a picture. Imagine two students. One studies until 3am, the other stops at 11pm, sleeps well, wakes up early, and revises with a fresh mind. The next morning, student A is unfocused, irritable, and barely remembers what they climbed for. Student B is calm, sharp, and able to actually access what they studied. Yet somehow, student A still feels like they work harder. This is one of the biggest traps of an academically demanding environment. They push you to sacrifice the very thing that makes learning possible. High-level academic environments such as prep schools, universities, and competitive high schools often create what I call a grind culture. The idea that if you're not exhausted, you're not working hard enough.

Andres 6: The real paradox is that the more tired we are, the more we brag about it. As if exhaustion were a medal. But being tired isn’t a personality trait, and it’s definitely not a proof of ambition. You don’t win anything by destroying yourself on the way. The students who perform best aren’t the ones who suffer the most — they’re the ones who recover the best. And that’s why we chose this podcast. It reflects our lives, our rhythm, our struggles with sleep and pressure.

Narrator : Sleeping in a 4 people boarding room is not an easy thing.
    incorporated scene :
        Elouan : Xavier ! go listen to the audio !!
        Xavier : No ! that's it ! I'm gonna sleep !
        Elouan : But ?!  The podcast is due tomorrow !!!
        Xavier : Ron pchi Ron pchi

Martin talking:

	    This extract really speaks to me. As a child, i was fearing the night for different reasons and i was dreading the bedtime. But independently, I was, and I still do love sleeping and i have a deep sleep. Because i was fearful, i was falling a sleep very late for a 10 years old, and the week-end, it was really tough to wake me up before 10am.

	    Later at the adolescence, I was doing the exact same as Eliot, just living the night and sleeping during school. I just kept getting better grades so I wasn't seeing 	the issue. Personally, I still think that it was a very enjoyable period of my life, the night is calmer, comfier and the sky is really pretty. Somehow I also have 	better concentration when I work late at night.

    Unfortunately I was always sleepy during during the day, and with the higher education, concentration is much more important so my sleeping habits are now healthier 	although it could be better.

    incorporated scene :
        *noise*
	Gaël: LEMMMMMEEEEEE SLEEEEEEP
        *noise*
Elouan talking:
	    I choose this extract because it was a very calm audio but still i learn new things and i question myself about my own sleep schedule. The 1st extract was quite shocking, a young child talking about his bad dreams... it always sad hearing it, i also recognized myself from when i was young  and had different nightmares.

    I think having some scientist talking about what should we do to have a better sleep and having a scary reminder of the fact that we sleep less and less is very important and evryone should be warned about that

    Eliotte talking about his sleep schedule and how he was doomed, also  ring a bell because i have the same sleep schedule (not as doomed but still) i recognize myself it this documentary

 Incorporated scene :
         Elouan or Martin or Xavier : Oh he is finally asleep
        Gaël : Ron Pchi
        Elouan, Martin, Xavier : Frereuh jacqueuh
        Gaël : In english please
        Elouan, Martin, Xavier : Frereuh jacqueuh (but with an english accent)

Xavier talking:

	    I liked this extract, I could easily relate to it. When I was a child i slept more than 9 hours a day thanks to my parents. But when I entered highschool they let me choose when I go to sleep.

    And after this my average sleeping time shifted to 7 hours maximum. I wasn't very tired during the day but I was clearly less happy. Less than 8 hours of sleep leads me to be on edge and so I was fighting every time with my brother. However I tried in college to focus more on my health, and I tried to sleep more than 8 hours per night for a week. I was shocked to see how sleeping time can change you, I was much more happy and productive. So this audio made me think of my past and my sleeping problems.


  Incorprated scene :
	Brouaha
            Martin : The MPSI, again, what's wrong with them, cannot they just sleep like everyone ??

                Sound of ammos being shot (actually a railgun)

   	    Martin : aaaah way better

Gaël talking

I can relate to this document because, I don't sleep enough. Like Marie Françoise Békarine says, teenagers are suffering from sleep privatization and I am one of those teenagers. And I want to sleep satisfactorily, that is why, when I'm going to sleep, I try to abolish every kryptonites of the sleep. I reduce the light to the minimum, to reduce the sounds to the minimum (but it not always a great deal of fun when none of your room mates care about its sleep). But with all of these precautions I still wake up like a slug. I also identify with this document because it is during the day I suffer from my bad sleep. Focusing in literature class makes me yearn to sleep. But oddly, the evening or the night, I don't feel tired. I could code or play video games all the night and I would still not want to go to bed. And when I finally go to bed, and start sleeping, my brain is still braining. It thinks about everything and tries to solve problems I encountered during my day. This doesn't help me at all to fall asleep. Eliot lived the same thing, the night he was not tired and he played all the things he liked. That is why I choosed this audio.


Narator:
Everyone is now asleep in the room But in the end, Gaël is tired anyway
And that's it for planet sleeping 

-Lilou : Today we will begin a new chapter on sets. A set can be defined as a group of elements. For example among the group of students who sleep, who in the class sleeps more than 8 hours a night? Two or three, that's all.

Antonny : If that's all there is, the chapter will end quickly.

Lilou : Let's talk about the different properties of the sets.

rumbling stomach

Lilou (student) : I'm starting to get hungry.

Lilou : ha, at last the courses of the morning are over, we have a bit of time to rest.

Antonny : yes i'm already tired, i worked until 11 PM yesterday, i just can’t sleep enough.

Lilou : yeah, in theory, we must sleep at least nine hours per night to go well, but with the preparatory classe, it's almost impossible.

Antonny : even on week-ends i'm tired, even though i sleep more than ten hours.

Lilou : it's so annoying, you don't sleep enough, you are tired, you sleep too much, you are tired as well. And this is not the only problem that occurs: when we sleep differently the week end, we break our sleep cycle.

Antonny : and not to mention screens that causes more and more problems with that. problems of sleep seems to be countless, and they are so tricky, so difficult to solve.

Lilou : yeah, because of these, i'am like a zombie in the morning sometimes.

Antonny : maybe it's the cause of your falling in the stairs this morning after the course of mathemathics

noise he gets up

footsteps

hush

Antonny : Everything is fine ?

Yes, I am not experiencing any pain.

Antonny : We should still go to the infirmary.

footsteps

- Lilou: Is it normal that the infirmary has been turned into a physics classroom?

- Antony: Why not? It wouldn't be the first strange thing to happen today.

- Ben: You're late, so hurry up and sit down and get your things out.

- Yes, sir.

- Ben: As I was saying, current flows continuously at a terminal of a capacitor. Wake up, young lady. To illustrate this property, let's take the example of a dream. In dreams, it is possible to teleport. One moment you are in your classroom, the next you are in the cafeteria.

ringtone

Lilou, wake up! Maths class is about to start.