Unlocking the Secrets of College Sleep: Tips for Restful Nights and Productive Days

As college students, sleep is a precious jewel that many of us are not aware of how to store in our “homes” properly. Some of us do not even have a map on how to find it. Every night, I try to go to bed early but then get sidetracked by small tasks that pile up and make me fall asleep far later than usual. Throughout the years, I have been able to experience good and bad sleep. The great nights of sleep showed me how important it is to pay attention to how you sleep and to curate a good environment for sleep. Mental health and our circadian rhythm are a perfect marriage that ensures you can go through your day with a level head and enough energy to finish all the tasks you are doing in one day! I hope that this blog can provide some facts and some tips for getting better sleep - although it is much easier said than done.

At this point, we all are aware of the effects of sleep deprivation: lethargy, excessive irritability, low attention span, poor memory, and so many more things that can impact our performance daily. Between homework, club meetings, work, and all the other amazing things that students do, it is hard to fall asleep and get your full few hours in each night. 

Over time and with research, some tips that I like to follow and strive to keep in mind while curating my sleep schedule are below: 

• Stop drinking caffeine right before bed! At least 2 hours before I fall asleep, I cut myself off from any caffeine intake, whether that be from soda, tea, coffee, or energy drinks. 
• Practice mindfulness without a screen in front of you for at least 5 minutes. This can be a mental reflection of the day, a journaling session, a light stretch, or a muscle relaxation routine to get the body ready for sleep. 
• Setting a routine of what I do right before hitting the hay and sticking to a general time that I want to be in bed has helped condition my body to shut down when I need it to. 
• Maximize the quality of sleep if quantity is out of the picture - making sure that your environment is good for a peaceful space can help you get uninterrupted sleep.
• This can mean using sounds such as rain, white/gray/brown/pink/purple (any color really) noise can help.
• Reducing light in general from screens and lamps can help before bed, but also during sleep. 
• Sleep posture can also help - personally, sleeping with the wrong hardware makes it hard to wake up feeling refreshed. Some mattress toppers are not able to support the spine and can actually lead to pain and discomfort. Checking out this website here can help with proper alignment to make sure that when you are sleeping, you are setting yourself up for success when you awaken: https://tinyurl.com/SleepPostThrive

Although it can be overwhelming with all of these things to remember, it is truly whatever works best for you and your schedule. There are apps to track sleep such as “Calm”, “Pillow”, and “Sleep++”, or templates online to track sleep in a journal. These can be helpful to visualize your rhythm and reflect on your sleep quality and habits. 

Although sleep looks different for all of us, the common denominator is that it is incredibly important to get sleep, whether it be 6 or 13 hours a night. Sleep is vital for powering our brain and making sure that we can be at our best throughout the day. Like all things, listen to your body and make sure you are setting yourself up for success. Happy sleeping!