When it comes to college, getting more sleep is definitely not something you think of in the first place. Tons of assignments, new friends, extracurricular activities, internships, and often jobs force students to pull all-nighters and be content with 2-4 hours of a brief nap every once in a while. And while it seems normal and obvious – every college student lives like that! – science has a slightly different opinion on this matter.
Why Regular Sleep Deprivation Can Be Dangerous?
In college, every student wants to make the most of it. Not only do they dream to become skilled professionals, but also to meet new friends, see the world, and simply have fun. And as a day of a college student doesn’t get any longer, spending a few sleepless nights sounds like an awesome idea to get those extra few hours. This idea becomes even more relevant before the exam when there’s yet plenty to learn and the doom date is at the door.
Unfortunately, as opposed to common opinion, sleepless nights don’t bring you closer to the desired A grade but only hinder the progress. Multiple studies have reported that a continuous lack of sleep makes it difficult to learn, memorize, and recall new information. It also shackles emotional stability, causes behavioral problems, and may even end up in hallucinations, fainting, and uncontrolled falling asleep. Furthermore, many students continue to show lack-of-sleep symptoms even after a few days of sound sleep.
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In other words, if you expect to improve your grades by studying hard a few nights ahead without sleep, think again. Many students who tried to boost their performance this way were showing a lack of attention, concentration, and bad memory as the result. Alternatively, those who slept well and enough demonstrated better memorizing and learning abilities, as well as cheerfulness and confidence during stressful situations.
This proves that more sleep can actually help students feel and perform better even when they’re surrounded by so much stress. Having a proper sleeping routine is not less important. And here’s what you can do.
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How to Ensure a Normal Sleeping Routine?
According to different studies, an average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep to fully restore their energy after a busy day, give their nervous system enough relaxation, and feel vigor and strength after they wake up. The actual amount of time is strongly individual and it depends on how your physical activity during the day, the stressfulness of your life, the strengths of your immunity, your biorhythms, and a whole variety of other factors. Your perfect amount of sleep can be calculated by careful observation. However, normally, the number of hours a person needs from falling asleep to waking up without an alarm clock is the perfect amount of time required to fully restore.
When you go to sleep is also important. Doctors recommend having a regular sleeping routine, which means that you fall asleep and wake up at one and the same time during the night. This is closely connected with the production and release of melatonin – a hormone controlling our desire and ability to sleep – which increases when it’s dark and declines when the morning comes. The ideal hours are between 10 p.m. and 6-7 a.m. However, they may differ depending on your time and climate zones.
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How Do You Sleep When You Can’t Sleep?
For students with disordered sleeping patterns, having a sound night’s sleep may be quite a challenge. Caffeine and sugar abuse, frequent all-nighters, and stress are usually at fault. If you’re just starting to normalize your sleeping schedule, these recommendations will help you relax before going to bed and adjust to a new routine faster.
Protect yourself from visual and sound irritants. You may think that your roommate’s party doesn’t bother you when you sleep, but only it does. To have a good rest, the human brain needs dark and utter silence. Otherwise, you may notice that you wake up exhausted even after 8 hours of sleep. To ensure that, try blackout curtains, a sleep mask, and earplugs to protect your night rest from possible visual irritants and noises. Even if you’re used to it, refrain from listening to music during sleep. No matter how helpful you may think it is, the noise coming from the earphones won’t let you sleep well.
Try relaxation techniques before going to bed. College life can be a lot of stress. It’s understandable that all the emotions and worries may not let you normally sleep at night. To calm down before bed, try some relaxation techniques. Meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises are known to be very helpful in reducing the amount of stress, finding peace and emotional balance, as well as relaxing your strained muscles before going to sleep.
Exercise. Exercising is known for having many advantages. Better sleep is one of them. Regular physical activity gives you a sense of accomplishment, keeps your body toned, fills your body with endorphins, and helps you get rid of additional stress. Athletic students say they sleep like babies! Just make sure you work out no later than 3-4 hours before bed to avoid excessive excitement before bed.
How Can You Afford a Normal Sleeping Routine in College?
While regular, sound night sleep is out of character with a college student, there’s actually something you can do to make it a reality:
Be organized. A thought-through detailed study-and-rest schedule can help you do more in less time. All you need to do is make up a realistic plan that would include your key activities, leisure time, and 8 hours of night sleep, of course.
Encourage assistance. Multitasking isn’t always a good idea. Especially, when your health and well-being suffer. Need help with research paper? Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance – two heads are better than one.
Know your limits. When there’s an exam is just around the corner, taking an extra project may not be a good idea. Little by little, one travels far!
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