Starting in spring of this year, I started getting severe and frequent headaches. I didn't know what was causing them and I was hesitant to go to the doctor. I didn't want them just to hand me a prescription without trying to find the root cause of my pain.
Needless to say, after months of suffering, I decided it was time to get to the bottom of it.
The doctor asked me a lot of questions about my lifestyle and habits, checked my vitals, and did a couple neurological tests. At the end of the process, she determined that I needed better and more consistent sleep. She said these headaches were my body's way of telling me I need to be better at taking care of myself.
I knew my sleep was messed up but I didn't realize my circadian rhythm was as screwed up as it was. I would go to sleep around 11 or 12, wake up multiple times a night, sleep until noon, and still feel exhausted all day. I was tired of it (literally and figuratively) but I just thought I couldn't sleep.
The doctor told me my body's internal clock was backwards. I couldn't sleep at night because my body wasn't ready to. And then once it was time to get up, then my body wanted to sleep. So I slept late and worsened the cycle every night of the summer.
Flash-forward a couple weeks and I am feeling much better. I now start to wind down at around 9 a.m. and am ready for sleep by 10:30. I still wake up once or twice but I feel rested in the morning. I get up by 9 a.m. and start the cycle all over again.
The better I sleep, the better I feel. And the less headaches I get.
I have realized since then just how important sleep is. Your brain cannot properly function without at least 8 hours of sleep. Even if you feel fine with 4 hours under your belt, it is scientifically proven that your brain is not working up to its potential.
Think about that. If everyone in the world got the proper amount of sleep, we would be so powerful. We would feel good, be able to think clearer, have better relationships, be able to work harder throughout the day.
I encourage everyone, especially college students, to prioritize sleeping for a full night, 8+ hours. I know its not always do-able, and I recognize that there will be some late nights, but overall, we need to be better about our sleeping patterns.
Try staying of your phone for at least 30 minutes before bed. Listen to music, read, write in a journal. Do something that will tell your brain its time for bed. At the same time every night. And then get up every morning at the same time, for the most part. If your body needs to catch up on a weekend or you just want to chill for a day, that's okay. But the point is to keep a schedule.
The doctor promised me I would feel better and she was right. I promise you, you will feel better, too.
