Insomnia is common for college students because they often have to juggle assignments, work obligations, and social responsibilities. The gift of youth makes college-aged young adults feel invincible, so sleep is not made a top priority. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation can have adverse health consequences because rest promotes better physical, psychological, and mental wellness. The body heals itself and recharges best at night, so getting adequate rest is vital to prevent the onset of illnesses.
When it comes to getting the proper shuteye, the recommended number of hours for young adults is 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. College students with hectic schedules often experience insufficient rest or have difficulty sleeping due to their responsibilities’ stress. It is essential to emphasize the benefits of slumber to avoid the detrimental side effects of sleep deprivation. College students must learn the top coping tools to help them deal with insomnia and get adequate rest.
- Learn to Choose Battles in Life
Sometimes, specific responsibilities result in undue stress, and all that worrying keeps college kids awake at night. Those who want to ease their burdens must learn to choose their battles and let go of what they can’t control. Individuals come with particular strengths and weaknesses, and learning to accept that can ease the pressure. It would also help to be more selective about problems, as this saves time and energy for things that truly matter.
For example, a reasonably good student with decent grades may stress out about college admissions essays. He stays awake at night, fearing that he is not a good writer who can make an excellent impression with the written word. There’s nothing wrong if students like this consider professional help and buy admissions essay to address the problem. They can tweak the final essay and make it their own.
- Use Natural Sleep Aids
College students can use natural calming aids to lull them to rest. For starters, they could practice meditation before bed. Ten-minute mindfulness practice can do wonders in relieving the mind and easing worries, promoting good rest. Meditation apps and even free Youtube videos help college students cultivate this practice.
The students can also do the following before bed to help lull them into slumber:
- Drink chamomile tea as this promotes a good snooze
- Play calming music to ease the mind or apps that play white noise
- Use lavender sachets or oils as a form of aromatherapy
- Take natural passionflower or maypop for fighting insomnia
All of these activities will ease the weary mind and help put college students in a relaxed state before bed.
- Prioritize Proper Sleep Hygiene
College students often live in dorms or share space with other people. Snoozing can be tough when other people move about in the room. Nevertheless practicing good sleep hygiene is vital as these habits can influence the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. The following hacks can help:
- Establish a consistent morning routine that fine tunes the body clock using scheduling apps
- Practice a wind-down way before bed and shut the eyes at the same time every night
- Turn off all gadgets at least an hour before bed because blue light is stimulating
- Ensure the room is dark enough to limit distractions, using smart lights with timers
- Use the bed only for rest, so the brain associates the bed with sleep
Students must set aside different workspaces for work and studies, treating their beds as a sanctuary. Falling asleep is more challenging when the brain associates space for active thinking. It may be difficult to break bad habits, especially if college students are used to making certain habits. But making a conscious effort will help improve the quality of rest.
- Keep a Decent Weekend Routine
College students often party Friday night and let go of their routines at the weekend. The tendency is to sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. Unfortunately, this messes up the body clock, making it difficult to retain a consistent rest and awake cycle for the week. The occasional party is okay, but keeping this kind of weekend routine can be very detrimental.
Those who are determined to get decent sleep must make it a point to wake up around the same time during the weekend and weekdays. Make sure the circadian rhythm is on a consistent schedule. This means the rest and awake times are better regulated. Getting sufficient rest will equate to better health.
- Keep Alcohol and Coffee Intake Under Control
College students are known to chug coffee and rely on the caffeine kicks to keep them on the go. However, caffeine is a potent stimulant, and excessive intake could do the following:
- Increase anxiety
- Speed up the heart rate
- Make it difficult to relax and rest
Similarly, alcohol intake can also affect the quality of rest. In contrast to caffeine, alcohol is a known downer or depressant, adversely impacting sleep wave patterns. Too much alcohol can affect breathing patterns while sleeping. And those who’ve had too much to drink will wake up to urinate and expel toxins. College students serious about getting a good rest must limit coffee and alcohol.
- Pay Attention to DayTime Habits
What college students do during the day can influence what happens at night. If they are serious about snatching forty winks on time and getting a full 8 hours of sleep, it will help to do the following:
- Schedule meals: The body burns energy for digestion, so it’s best to eat regularly and cease eating two to three hours before bedtime.
- Limit daytime naps: Excessive naps during the daytime equate to difficulty catching Zs at night. If a person is too tired, a power nap should last 30 minutes or less.
- Work out: Those who desire quality nighttime siesta need to work out! Physical movement helps the body expend excess energy. By bedtime, the body is tired and ready for rest.
Final Thoughts
College students must get sufficient sleep to feel rejuvenated for the next day. Although they have the gift of youth, continuous lack of restful nights lowers immunity, impairs brain development, limits focus, and impairs reflexes. All these adverse physical effects could impact grades and performance in school.
We hope our guide provided you with pieces of advice you can implement today – and get a good night’s sleep.
By following a few sleep hygiene practices on a nightly basis, you’re almost guaranteed to get more fulfilling sleep at night and be more awake and alert during the day.
If, however, you’re practicing these hygiene tips and still finding yourself feeling tired and sluggish during the day, it could be a sign of a sleep disorder.
If you believe that your sleep troubles are being caused by a sleep disorder, contact your local sleep clinic for a consultation with a sleep specialist. At The Alaska Sleep Clinic, we specialize in diagnosing and treating a wide variety of sleep disorders and have helped thousands of Alaskans improve the quality of their sleep.
Quality sleep is directly linked to your overall health, and if you’re not getting enough of it, give us a call @ 907-770-9104
and let us help you discover the cause of your sleep problems.
For further tips on sleep, check out these articles:
Do You Practice Good Sleep Habits? [Quiz]
7 Tips and Tricks for Getting Kids to Bed
