Early to bed, early to rise? The age old adage encourages us to get to sleep early and wake up early, a feat easier said than done, especially in college. In the typical college lifestyle, students stay up late either studying, or, um, not studying, and still often have to get up early for class or work. Sometimes, even having a job can cause students to be stretched thin, getting less than the recommended amount of sleep multiple nights a week. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults from ages 18 to 25 get seven to nine hours of sleep every night, while discouraging going below six hours and above 11 hours.
However, it seems than many young adults seem to think that getting five to six hours of sleep a night during the week is completely normal, especially when they try to "make up the sleep" on the weekends, possibly exceeding the recommended 11 hour maximum. Unfortunately, sleep cannot always be made up on the weekends, as you might clock in extra hours at work on the weekend to make up for working less during the week. This cycle of deprivation and "binge" sleeping can be detrimental to one’s natural circadian rhythm, which can cause you to feel excessively drowsy during the day when you need to be alert during class, driving, or work, and then unable to fall asleep at night, thus leading to greater loss of sleep.
Recommended for you
Besides feeling tired and lazy the next day, lack of regular, sufficient sleep can lead to various side effects. Lack of sufficient sleep can lead to slower cognitive processing (which is not going to help you in your 9 a.m. exam tomorrow), weight gain, increased risk of depression, premature aging, as well as lowering the strength of your immune system. Ever notice how, when you aren’t getting enough sleep, you suddenly seem to come down with a cold? While it could be your roommate breathing their germs in your shared air, it could also be the fault of a depressed immune system which can’t function at its prime if you’re not getting enough sleep. How about when you stay up all night cramming for a test, only to find yourself feeling mentally sluggish, slow, and forgetful the next day? Or perhaps all the late nights lead you to crave extra carbs and sugar the next day to compensate for your lack of energy? This, in combination with the way sleep effects appetite stimulating peptides, can lead to weight gain.
Sleep is more important than just a way to rest when you’re tired; it’s a chance for your body to repair, restore, and recuperate after all you put it through during the day and sometimes night. So now that it’s clear just how important sleep is to your well-being, how about some methods and techniques that you can use to get more sleep, and make the most of the sleep you are able to get?
1. Try to get the recommended seven to nine hours.
Set a sleep schedule in which you get roughly the same amount of sleep every day (even the weekends) and stick to it. As tempting as it is to sleep 'til two in the afternoon on Sunday, you are only setting yourself up for a rougher Monday and the rest of next week.
2. In the hour or half hour before you go to bed, plan to wind down.
Take a hot bath, drink some decaf tea, and read a book. Set up a routine that signals that it’s time for your body and brain to relax.
3. Minimize electronics and artificial light.
This is the hard part. No phones, iPads, TV, laptops, etc. The blue light emitted by these electronics can cause your body to suppress melatonin production. Not to mention that it’s easy to get caught up in technology, causing you to stay up later.
4. Get daily exercise.
Exercising daily can make it easier to fall asleep at night, as well as give you energy to power through your day.
5. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
I know, I know…This just isn’t realistic for college students. During the week or when you have to be up early, at least you can avoid drinking (duh), as it not only can result in a nasty hangover the next day, but it often decreases the quality of sleep you get that night. And while caffeine in the morning and early afternoons is okay (and necessary sometimes), avoid caffeine close to your bed time. Don’t forget about hidden caffeine sources like chocolate, sodas, decaf coffee (decaf still has some caffeine, just less), teas (green tea might sound relaxing, but it's caffeinated), chocolate or coffee ice cream, and even certain pain relievers, especially those designed for migraines.
Basically, sleep is important if you want to be healthy and do well in school. If you hit the gym regularly in order to stay in shape, you should consider getting seven to nine hours of efficient sleep every night part of your fitness routine. And if you dedicated hours of your day for studying, you should designate sufficient hours for sleep. As hard as it can sometimes be to make healthier changes in your life, getting more sleep is by far one of the easiest, and possibly most effective ones you can make.
