If you look closely around a college campus, you’ll find a lot of people that are bragging about how little they slept last night. Sometimes, they’ve stayed up late for good reason, like studying or driving across the state to take care of their sick mother, but usually that’s not how it goes. Usually, they’re sort of greasy and are wearing sweatpants. And when you ask them why they only got three hours of sleep, it’s probably because they were watching some trashy show on Netflix.
Don’t get me wrong, we all need to watch trashy Netflix in sweatpants; it’s part of life. Losing sleep over it, however, is inexcusable. Sleep is so important to your health and mood, and you’ll definitely be able to tell when you haven’t gotten enough of it. Here are some quick tips for getting the sleep you deserve.
Cut back on caffeine
Say no to late night coffee. Caffeine before bed will not only make it harder to fall asleep, but it’ll seriously ruin your quality of sleep. After dinner, go ahead and switch to water. We should all be drinking more water anyway.
Stop working in bed
Your bed should be a laptop free zone. Train your brain to associate the bed with sleep and only sleep. This also works as motivation for getting work done. The sooner it’s over, the sooner you can climb into bed.
Put your phone away
It’s definitely not an easy one, but please just stop using your phone in bed. The lights are keeping you awake. It’s something everyone and their doctor will tell you to do and you need to.
Read before bed
As an alternative to Twitter, or whatever it is you do for an hour until you fall asleep, try picking up a book. Your brain will still have the stimulation of information, just without the blue light that keeps you awake.
Have a consistent bedtime
Lights out by eleven. Or, whatever works for you. It’s best for your body to go to bed and wake up at the same time every single day. Even on weekends.
Create a routine
Give your body time to wind down. Try listening to soothing music an hour before you’re ready to hit the hay, or start using softer lighting. Create an environment that is conducive to sleeping before you’ve laid down, and you’ll start feeling sleepy before you even tuck yourself in.
Get comfy
Before you settle into bed, do a mental check. Is it dark enough? Is the fan on the right speed? Are your blankets tangled? Have you washed your face? These are things you’ll think about right before your brain clocks into dreamland, and you’ll have to get up and fix it, so try to be proactive.