By Emily Gianni
Seven to nine hours of sleep is what you should be getting as a college student. Getting enough sleep in college may be rough because of everything you need to balance: the amount of homework, activities, and socialization. Getting enough sleep is important because you can have improved grades, a better memory, an improved mood, and a decreased chance of getting sick. Here are some tips to get good sleep:
Lie down only when tired
You should only lie down when you’re tired because if you lay down when you aren’t tired, you may associate your bed with feelings of frustration because you cannot fall asleep. You should go do something else until you are tired.
Use your bed only for sleep and relaxation
In college, this is harder to do since you have limited furniture, but you should only use your bed for a few activities. You should try not to use your bed for homework or studying because that can cause you anxiety. By only using your bed for sleep and relaxation, this will strengthen the association between your bed and sleep.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine before bed
Caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate) makes your body more alert. Alcohol decreases sleep quality by increasing night time awakenings. Nicotine is a stimulant, which can also make it hard for people to fall asleep. Nicotine can cause problems waking up in the morning and nightmares. Overall, it would be beneficial to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine at least three hours before bed, although it might be hard to.
Limit napping
It is totally okay to nap–if you are super tired, that nap may help you get through your day. However, taking late or long naps may be detrimental to your sleep schedule. You can take naps that are one hour or less and never too close to when you are supposed to be sleeping.
Exercise earlier in the day
When participating in a lot of physical activity, it stimulates your nervous system and raises your heart rate too much. This will make it harder for you to fall asleep. Exercising is an important part to keep your body healthy, but so is sleep! Just keep them at different times in the day.