Starting college is a very exciting time. You’re meeting so many new people, going to classes on your own time, decorating your new dorm room and more likely than not, going out at night. With so much activity, don’t forget one of the most important things that should be on your agenda: sleep.

It is so easy to not get enough sleep as a freshman living in a dorm, especially during the first semester and on weekends. You’re going to want to leave your door open which is awesome and a great way to meet new people on your hall, but don’t forget to close the door and go to sleep at night. If you don’t get enough sleep, bad things will start to happen.

Example: You’re so excited to hang out with your new hallmates! You found out that you guys have the same taste in movies and decided to have a movie marathon on a Tuesday night when you’re fully aware of your 9am class the next morning. “It’s fine,” you tell yourself, “I’ll just stay for a few movies, eat some of the late-night pizza we ordered and be in bed by 1am. Before you know it, it’s 4am and you’re finally going to sleep. You make it on time for your 9am, but you can’t seem to stay awake through the lecture. Same for your 12:45 class and your 3pm class. You don’t want to miss out on hanging out with friends later, so you skip your 4:15 for a nap and tell yourself that you can get the notes later. Because you chose napping, you forgot to grab dinner so you eat leftover pizza around midnight.

If you’re not on a regular sleep schedule, it can mess with your mood and energy levels during the day as well as during your classes when you need to focus, you’ll miss meals, resulting in weight fluctuation and it can affect you long term. Take me for example; I did not have a healthy sleep schedule and now I’m suffering from insomnia, which is causing a domino effect with my mood, energy and eating. (In case you don’t know, insomnia is the inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep) I’m physically exhausted all the time, but I cannot fall asleep without sleep aids. This makes doing everyday tasks way harder than they should be. My appearance has taken a toll on my lack of sleep as well as my weight constantly changing and just looking tired all the time.

It’s hard, but you have to have discipline over your sleep schedule. Whether you’re hanging out with friends or doing some late night studying, it’s crucial to make time to sleep at night. The recommended number of hours for young adults (ages 18-25) is 7-9 hours. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, try some of these tips!

Turn off all electronic devices including your phone and laptop.

Number one, the brightness can really hurt your eyes and number two, it serves as a distraction when you’re communicating on social media or goofing off on the internet. Turn off your devices at least an hour before you plan on going to bed.

Don’t eat or drink anything with sugar or caffeine in it past 10pm.

This one should be obvious. Unless it’s finals week, avoid the late night Starbucks run or snacking on sugary treats. My cut off time is 10pm so I don’t have it in my system when I’m trying to go to sleep.

Get your body on a regular eating schedule.

A part of getting a good night’s rest is eating right during the day. Don’t skip any meals. It’s important that your body has a sense of routine. This will help when you’re trying to go to sleep at night.

As a last resort, try a sleeping aid.

Over the counter sleeping aids include Nyquil, Benadryl and Advil PM. This should serve as your last resort if you can’t fall asleep. If you do take them, make sure you calculate when you plan on going to sleep and when you need to wake up correctly because they can be pretty strong!