Homework. Late-night classes. All-nighters. Screen Time. 8 a.m.’s. Sleep can be quite hard to come by when you are caught in the constant bustle of college life.
From busy class schedules to clubs and events, to homework and study sessions, to social obligations, there is always something happening on a college campus. And these things often deter us from committing to a consistent sleep schedule. As a college student myself, let me tell you—there is nothing worse than feeling drowsy in class or having to skip out on social activities because you are too tired.
It can be hard to balance the excitement of college while still getting the right amount of sleep so we have the energy to enjoy the excitement. Cornell Health advises students to get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night in order to avoid sleep deprivation. But despite this recommendation, students are only averaging six to six and a half hours of sleep a night. If you are averaging about the same, you may be shocked to learn that you are sleep-deprived.
Sleep deprivation and deficiency can have short-term effects like changes in mood, increased anxiety, drowsiness, weight gain and low energy. None of us want to suffer from these side effects while trying to live our best college lives. But sleep deprivation can have long-term effects that will follow us past our college careers according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. These effects include heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, stroke and depression.
This is why it is so important to fix our sleep schedules now before the seemingly annoying short-term effects progress into long-term health issues. Though we may think prioritizing our assignments and social obligation over sleep in our college years is most important, sleep deserves to take an important spot on our priority lists.
You may now be asking yourself, “how exactly do I fix my sleep schedule?” You may feel so far off track with your sleep schedule that it seems impossible to fix it now. I can assure you that there are some easy and attainable steps you can take and goals you can set to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are four small things you can do to get your sleep schedule back on track:
1. Exercise More
This tip might not be the first thing that people think of when attempting to fix a sleep schedule, however, exercise is extremely beneficial to your sleeping patterns. In an article, Johns Hopkins Health demonstrates evidence that about 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day can increase the amount of slow sleep an individual gets a night–slow sleep being the deep sleep that really gives your body and brain the chance to refresh.
So if you are having trouble sleeping, you may want to break out your sneakers and hit your campus gym. Fortunately, for many college students, gym memberships, exercise classes and facilities like weight and cardio rooms, running tracks, lap pools, etc. are included in the price of tuition. So take advantage of these exercise facilities while you can!
If you exercise regularly but falling asleep is still your problem each night, you may want to take a look at what time of day you are exercising. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, and this increased brain activity can keep some people up late at night. If you find yourself constantly working out close to your bedtime, you may want to test out an earlier workout session to give your body some time to wash out the endorphin levels. As the Johns Hopkins Health article puts it, give yourself some time to “wind down.”
2. Limit Screen Time Before Bed
This one seems so obvious, yet not many of us actually make a commitment to limit our screen time before bed. It’s hard. I get it. Especially as college students, we are constantly on screens, using our laptops to complete our procrastinated assignments late at night and our phones to socialize via messaging and social media.
It has been found that exposure to blue light in the hours leading up to your bedtime can actually hinder sleep. According to the sleep foundation, blue light will suppress the body’s release of melatonin, the hormone that makes us feel drowsy. So, if we are on our phones and screens
Sometimes a late-night cram session is necessary to keep up your grades, but if you find yourself using technology simply for entertainment late at night, try swapping your screen for something else. Crack open a book, play a board game with your roommates or write in your journal. If you absolutely have to be on your screen late at night for work-related purposes, try turning on “night shift,” a feature that limits the amount of blue light out of your screen. Limiting your screen time can be hard, but try to do it before bed as much as possible for the best sleep possible.
3. Cut Back on the Caffeine
This is a hard one. There is nothing better than a morning cup of coffee or a midday pick-me-up from Starbucks or wherever you get your coffee. However, a recent study conducted by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that 400 mg of caffeine up to six hours before bedtime significantly disrupts sleep.
The relationship between lack of sleep and the consumption of caffeine can turn into a vicious cycle. But if you must drink your daily cup of coffee, make sure to have more than six hours in advance of your planned bedtime. And if you are drinking coffee simply for the delicious taste, maybe give decaf coffee a try, to eliminate your daily intake of caffeine.
4. Set a Scheduled Bedtime Every Night
According to the Sleep Foundation, following a consistent sleep schedule helps train your brain to feel tired around your bedtime. So set a bedtime and set a routine. Try to have all of your work done by a certain hour so you can start to wind down and get ready for bed. Of course, college schedules can cause fluctuating bedtime schedules, but try your best to adhere to a strict one. You can even set alarms to remind yourself to start getting ready for bed if you think you need them.
Some of these seem harder than others, but if you start making little efforts to cut out screen time of caffeine, schedule work and bedtime, and find time to exercise, your sleep may greatly improve. Your body and your brain will thank you later!
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