It is not news that many college students are continually deprived of quality sleep. Studies have shown that about 70% of college students sleep for less than 8 hours per day. Sleep deprivation can lead to poor memory, and in turn, affect your academic results, which will invariably hurt your career.
Most times, we do not deliberately deprive ourselves of good sleep. During your young age, it might be challenging to get enough sleep, but the situation is more critical for college students.
Below are 6 ideal sleep ideas every college student must know:
Restrain from taking alcohol at night
Some people have this misconception that alcohol will make it easier for them to go to bed. Well, this is incorrect because the more you do this, the higher it decreases the quality of your sleep. In such a situation, you'll wake up in the morning, and it will seem as if you haven't slept at all due to regular sleep disruptions during the night.
If you engage in constant alcohol consumption, start by reducing your intake at night and observe how it changes your sleep pattern.
Moreover, cut-off entirely from alcohol during exam periods because your brain requires proper rest for optimal performance. Aside from that, alcohol can lead to hangover headaches, and of course, this is one experience you will never want to have a few hours before a test or examination.
Exercise is Crucial!
Regular exercise helps to improve your sleep drive. Besides, several studies have continually linked good exercise to a better quality of sleep.
Aside from that, exercise helps to strengthen the body's immune system, relieve stress, improve blood circulation, and active brain functions. The benefits are just too numerous. They shield you from breakdown due to college stress and help to keep you mentally alert at all times.
Most colleges have exercise facilities available. It is not compulsory for you to visit a gym, check around your school environment or sports centre and make use of the available equipment. Register and see what is in stock for you.
It is preferred to work out in the morning; however, you should ensure it is of less intensity so that it won't affect the rest of your day.
Try to sleep during the day to make up for the night.
To be factual, as a college student, there are inevitable moments when you cannot get much sleep at night. This can happen due to several academic or social pressures. However, a short 20 minutes nap during the day can help to compensate for the sleep defect at night.
Besides, it is a prevalent practice among some employers to give their workers break, especially those that work on shift duties. Although it is not a perfect replacement for the lost sleep, it can help to increase concentration and alertness.
Besides, having this short nap will not interfere with your sleep for the coming night. That is the more reason why you should avoid using sleep suppressors like coffee or energy drinks because they can ruin your sleeping pattern.
The most appropriate time to take short naps are in the afternoon (shortly after lunchtime). Do not be tempted to take naps a few hours before bedtime. Moreover, ensure each rest do not exceed 20 minutes, else, it will cause you to sleep late at night.
Avoid Study Crashing
Most students are very guilty of this. Students who read at night before exams tend to struggle to get good grades when compared to their counterparts who decide to sleep the night before exams.
Sleep is a vital component of learning. Most of the information we gather while awake is moved to long-term memory while asleep. Sleeping a night before your exam gives your brain enough time to work on the knowledge you have accumulated during the day.
Furthermore, the brain analyses this data and relates them to complex situations. With this, you can process complicated events when you wake up, and this helps to improve your critical thinking ability in the exam hall.
Make Proper Sleep your Major Priority
College students need to start viewing quality sleep from a different perspective. It should be seen as a vital instrument to achieve good grades. Gone are the days we perceive rest to be an enemy of academic excellence. The health benefits of good sleep far supersede that of any energy drink or caffeine-condensed drinks. Recent studies by the US army have revealed that these energy drinks can cause increased drowsiness in the long run.
Aside from that, keeping a good sleep pattern will help you to remain smart, mentally alert, and more productive in your academic endeavours.
Therefore, you should ensure you create time for quality sleep. Anytime you fail to get a good sleep at night, ensure you compensate for it by taking out days to ultimately have an uninterrupted sleep at night. It is an undebatable option.
So in short:
- For a pleasurable college experience, get good sleep.
- If you wish to live a stress-free college life, make time for quality sleep.
- If you want to improve your thinking ability and memory capacity, do not neglect the role of quality sleep.
