Students want good grades throughout college. Many have been told how to be productive, useful study habits, and to have time management, when sleep habits may help and have a great affect on students’ grades. Studies conducted show that college students who are “morning people” get better grades than “night owls” resulting in having a higher GPA, as well as graduating near the top of the class; according to www.webmd.com.
Morning people get out of bed, are on time to class, are able to study before class and can start their day early.
Try going to bed earlier, or getting up earlier to start the day.
One suggestion from Daniel J. Taylor, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton, is to schedule classes later, such as 11 am, and wake up early to start work and be productive.
The study by www.webmd.com also listed that “night owls” had more difficulty, than “morning people” when falling asleep at night, being able to fall back asleep after waking in the night, and found it hard to concentrate during the day.
Students who find they are sleep deprived should determine if a lack of sleep is affecting their grades. Not getting enough sleep can cause people to not be as alert or have a harder time concentrating; side effects vary from person to person. Naps during the day may improve levels of concentration.
There are also negatives to taking naps. It has not been proven if good effects of taking naps outweigh the negative effects.
Taking naps can affect sleeping patterns; most college students are prone to take naps a couple days during the week. One belief is that naps should last no longer than 20 minutes. A brief nap will help one have enough energy for the day and not keep them from sleeping that night.
WCU students have said if they are going to take a nap, it is in the middle of the day. Students that nap could sleep an average of one to two hours. This could factor in the inability to fall asleep later that night.
Some people are not able to take naps in the middle of the day. Students may be in class during the day, at meetings or incapable of falling asleep. For these students, sleep can increase one’s memory; students who cram in studying at night may not remember as much had they studied in the morning.
If one is having problems getting out of bed in the morning, or find oneself to be hitting the snooze button, try putting the alarm clock across the room.
In the morning when the alarm goes off, one would have to get out of bed to walk across the room to the alarm to turn it off. This is recommended as one of the most useful ways to get one out of bed. Many college students have one or more roommates and in order to not annoy them, they will have more of a motivation to turn the alarm off which would make the student get up and out of bed.
If one is having trouble falling asleep, do not lie in bed still trying to fall asleep. Try watching television, reading a book or listening to music in order to feel tired. According to www.definitionofwellness.com, the anxiety of not bing able to sleep will add to one’s insomnia.
There are several tips to falling asleep and getting a better night’s sleep. There are also many factors that can keep one from getting sleep.
Alcohol can be a deceiving way to fall asleep, as some believe that alcohol will help one fall asleep and sleep throughout the night. Alcohol may help one fall asleep; it is possible that after a night of drinking, when one wakes up in the middle night, it may be hard to fall back asleep, according to www.webmd.com. One reason may be due to a hangover.
Try not to go to bed on a full stomach, or an empty one. Eat right durinng the day to not be hungry when one wants to go to bed. Caffeine, especially from coffee, can keep people awake at night. Caffeine can last in one’s system for hours, having drinks with caffeine later in the day can keep one up for part of the night.
Relax before bedtime, after a stressful day, minds are still working and take time to wind down. Before getting into bed, make sure the room is comfortable for oneself, set it to the darkness wanted. If music helps one relax, it can make falling asleep easier.
Michael J. Breus who has a PhD, listed on webmd, a top ten of ways to “get a good nights sleep.” He suggests using one’s bed only to sleep and to have sex . He said in his article, “if not, you can end up associating the bed with distracting activities that could make it difficult for you to fall asleep.”
Ginger Rae Dunbar is a second-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at RD655287@wcupa.edu.