College is said to be the best four years of one’s life; however, that’s hard to do when you can barely keep your eyes open. Between school, work, friends, and family, your time is compromised. When you compromise your time, sleep is usually the first to go.
On average, most adults need about 6-10 hours of sleep each night; however, college students get an average of 6-7 hours, but there are days where we are only running on caffeine and energy drinks. This can cause you to get sick easily, feel more stressed, and decrease your daily productivity. This includes: focusing in class, athletic performance, as well as your grades. Not to mention, lack of sleep takes a huge toll on your face and body.
To ensure that you get a good amount of sleep each night, you need to have a stricter bedtime routine. Instead of thinking that you have all night to finish your work, schedule how much sleep you need, plus an hour for you to relax and prepare for bed. Once it gets time for you to get ready for bed, stop everything you’re doing and proceed with your scheduled routine.
This will help you manage your time more wisely as well as prioritize your sleep. A good night’s rest doesn’t have to be your number one priority, but it is still important.
If you are finding it hard to fall asleep, it helps to have about 30 minutes of exercise during the day; however, don’t try to exercise before you go to sleep. Another way to help promote sleep, is to take vitamin B supplements. It’s been proven to help you sleep better, as well as help with your metabolism. Furthermore, it is also very helpful to put your phone on night mode, and reduce the amount of usage, before going to sleep. The blue light which illuminates the screen on your phone, computer, and TV can trick your mind and body into thinking it’s still daytime. This can ultimately affect your body’s circadian rhythm, or your internal clock.
This clock helps to regulate when you wake up and when you fall asleep. The same clock can also be the cause of why you aren’t getting the amount of sleep you need. Therefore, setting a strict bedtime schedule is important. By forcing yourself to follow the rules you enforce allows your body to rest and reprogram itself the way you want it to be.
Overall, everyone is busy and has priorities, however, you should not compromise your sleep or health. Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule for about one week. If it doesn’t suit your lifestyle, then adjust and try again. Once you can get a higher quality of sleep, then you will start to notice your quality of life improve.