Once we have gotten over the excitement of unnecessarily staying awake through the night, we struggle to recreate a regular sleeping pattern. This becomes especially difficult after high school. Especially at York, where we have the freedom to create our own schedules, class times can vary greatly between different days of the week. Exotic schedules require us to create personalized sleeping schedules. There are many perks to getting sufficient sleep each night such as good skin, more energy, and relieving stress. Here are some tips to help you get enough sleep.
1. Align your sleeping schedule with nature.
Try your best to sleep when it is dark outside and wake up as the sun rises. Keep in mind that our bodies usually need more sleep in the winter since the sun sets earlier and rises later. Make changes if you’re not getting enough sleep because your classes are all over the place. That being said, try to sleep at the same time everyday. This brings me to my next point:
2. Regulate.
If you don’t create a schedule for yourself, your body will be tired even when you are getting enough hours of sleep. If you have late night classes, sleep in a little longer. If you have early classes, then go to sleep around 8pm the night before if you can. If your classes end late, wake up later if it’s a possibility. Whichever it is, try to be consistent every day.
3. Have a recovery day.
Despite your best efforts, it can still be very difficult to get enough sleep each night. Many students have a weekday off (typically Fridays). Use that day to hibernate and make up for your lack of sleep over the week.
4. Sleep on the bus.
If you can’t fall asleep in the bus, instead of killing time on your phone, opt to at least rest your eyes. Your body will probably be eager for a power nap on the way home, especially if you finished class late. Many students choose to do their readings on the bus. Avoid doing this unless it is absolutely necessary for you, especially if the text is shaking a lot.
5. Come prepared.
If you have a movie screening coming up in one of your classes and know you’re not going to be able to stay alert during class, watch the material ahead of time and take notes. That way you aren’t missing anything and can even take a nap during class.
6. Sleep between classes.
The only thing that the library is better for than studying, is sleeping.
7. Skip the coffee.
Avoid sleeping pills as well. Instead, drink herbal teas to relax. Using coffee to help you skip sleep is also more likely to make you sick, which will probably screw you over in the long run. Take a nap when you need it rather than crashing and burning later.
An important endnote: While sleep is important, don’t oversleep. Oversleeping and being lazy are a good possibility for why students are tired all of the time. Having to sit in classes and bstudying for hours upon hours doesn’t help. You need energy. Get involved with in or out of school activities. Get some exercise. If you’re skipping meals (especially breakfast), stop.