Vanessa, didn't you just write an article about going to the gym? Yes, as you can tell I'm trying to make my life less of a mess. I regretfully signed myself up for 8am class times this quarter and am trying to live with that decision. My goal is to make waking up as painless as possible and I've come up with some ideas to do it. I am coming in to the fourth week and feel pretty well-rested. I have managed to still fit everything into my schedule and still get the hours that I want. If my mess of a self can do it, then you most definitely can. Might have to update on how to get 7-8 hours from week 10-finals.
1. Decide how many hours you want/need
People in the average undergrad age should be getting about 7-9 hours of sleep. I know, I laughed too. The reality is though, the feeling of not being exhausted in class comes from getting the right amount of sleep. Shocking!!! Continuous sleep deficiency can potentially lead to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, the list goes on. Sleep is no joke. Make sure you're giving yourself a reasonable amount!
2. Set a bedtime
Alright, this one is pretty self explanatory. Take the time you need to be awake and go back the amount of sleep you want. Boom. Subtraction. Time. What a beautiful concept. Don't forget that this time is the time you should be physically in bed and not when you start getting ready for bed.
3. Be consistent
This one is important!! You're going to have a lot of trouble getting tired at the right time every night if you aren't consistent with your sleep schedule. The worst feeling is laying in bed waiting to get tired and knowing you just wasted an hour doing nothing when you could've been productive. I give myself some leeway on the weekends but make sure that I'm never straying too far from my schedule.
4. Plan ahead
This is where the sacrifices are made. Time to let go of some of the extra hours of nothing during your day and fill them up with productive things. A decent amount of sleep usually means giving up some of your procrastination habits. I have found that to-do lists help tremendously. It helps to see what my tasks for the day look like, that way I can time everything out and be done by the right time.
Odds are, you're here because you're trying to make a change. Either for the next ten weeks or the next ten years. At the end of the day, it's for your health, both physical and mental. I hope you find the motivation you need, though I'm sure waking up feeling well-rested is more than enough reason. Now, go on and get those z's, my friends.
