Do you ever have a dream where all you want to do is sit in that moment and continue to live in whatever fantasy you wish to be your reality? Nah, me neither. As a college girl I have nights where I’m dead asleep dreaming of financial aid and parents. But other nights I spend staying up all night because either I can’t sleep or I won’t sleep because something that is happening the next day is too exciting or even too scary for me to want to face. HA, anxiety.

On the nights that I can’t sleep, I do what any other college kid would do; Netflix and freak out about not getting enough sleep. But I have learned to embrace the insomniac in me. Sorry Mom and Dad, but it does happen. I’m not saying that it’s every night it’s just when I had too much caffeine the day prior or honestly if I had a good day and I’m just excited about it. Or it’s the first day of classes the next day and I don’t want summer to be over yet…

Other than Netflix and die of sleep deprivation, what else is there to do at 4 o’clock in the morning? Don’t fret trying to strain your brains and answer this question by yourself, because I’ve got a list for you!

1. Get off your phones and read a book.

One of the reasons you’re still up is because you’re on your phone! The light that your cell phone gives off sends signals to your brain keeping you wide awake. Trust me I have my phone on night-mode at 9pm so I don’t keep myself up (I value my sleep). So instead of having your eyes glued to your radioactive screen, turn on a lamp and open a book. Even if you don’t have a book to read, I’m sure you have plenty of textbooks that haven’t been opened yet (hint hint)! This may not only make you bored, but it’ll make you sleepy too. Read for a half an hour and see where you’re at, but don’t check that phone!

2. Maybe, possibly, do your homework you didn’t do.

Let’s be real, all college kids procrastinate… unless you’re my sister. We all have days where we aren’t feeling up to that 30 page reading assignment, but if you find yourself with a load of homework and up in the middle of the night, you might as well stay up and finish it while you still can! This is why coffee is our best friend right?

3. The gym is never a wrong answer.

I’ve done it before actually where I found myself not tired at 1 am, that’s when I knew I probably wouldn’t be sleeping that night. If you live off-campus with a 24-hour accessible gym like I do, then take advantage of it, even if it is before the crack of dawn. I guarantee that when you get there it could go one of two ways: your lack of motivation will kick in and you’ll end up staying for maybe 20 minutes pretending to work that elliptical, or your motivation will kick in and you’ll work yourself for an hour or two and then you’ll come home exhausted. Then guess what? Nap time! Or coffee time depending on what time your first class is.

4. Clean your room.

This is never a bad idea! It would make your momma proud, I know that much! Sometimes cleaning your room at night is better because you don’t have any distractions. And honestly, who likes cleaning their room during the day when they could be doing anything else?

5. The obvious choice.

Listen to music. Maybe this is a good time to catch up on making your Spotify playlist up-to-date. You could even try discovering a new music playlist to walk to class to or study to or even work out to. The options are unlimited. Music is a bottomless pit of variety; you could literally find a song for anything. Another thing you could do, if you’re that desperate for sleep, is to turn on nature sounds. There’s even a Spotify playlist of that actually. The calm natural noises always put me to sleep, there’s a tip for you.

6. Hit the kitchen.

Not to eat of course, you really don’t want to be snacking at 2 in the morning. Hit the kitchen for a warm glass of milk or some hot tea. Chamomile tea is actually the go-to tea to put you to sleep. The natural scent given off from the tea is associated with the chemical glycine that naturally relaxes nerves and enhances your chances of falling asleep. It really does make you drowsy! Not a bad investment either, just don’t mix it up with other teas (if you drink tea) and mistakenly drink it before your 8am; otherwise you’ll be out in the middle of your lecture.

There are endless amounts of things to do when you find yourself tossing and turning in your bed. We all know how important sleep is and we all know how valuable it is to the average young adult/teenager. Coincidentally I am up at 5 am because I woke up and found myself too awake to try and fall back asleep, and because of that, a new article to help you sleep has been created! Just remember to stay away from that phone light; an hour before you plan on going to bed is when your phone should be put up and away from your face. I know I sound like your mother but trust me it really does help. Happy snoozing!