College life presents a plethora of new temptations that may throw off the normal routine of a young adult. Going from a more solid regimen throughout high school, to an exciting environment and different schedule can have its effects on the body. Feeling just plain bad your first few weeks of college could have something to do with your new lifestyle and habits. Getting less sleep is one of the changes you may have made to your schedule in an effort to finish up homework or cram for tests. The thing you may not realize is how you’re changing yourself by sacrificing those few hours of shut eye.Sleep helps your body fight fatigue and stress, so when you get those late night headaches, your best bet is to succumb to slumber (However, if you’re prone to headaches, you might not want to oversleep as doing so will actually make things worse). Doctors say most adults need roughly seven to nine hours of sleep a night. How does a college kid do such a thing? A few tips will get you snoozing in no time.
Keeping regular sleeping hours by going to sleep and waking up at the same times, will help to regulate how you sleep and enhance the quality of your sleep.
Napping: Although it’s tempting to lie down between classes, don’t nap for more than 15 to 30 minutes during the day; doing so will interfere with your full night of sleep.
Exercise: s if there weren’t enough benefits to exercising, such as burning off your beer gut, it makes you sleep better too! Regular physical activity makes you fall asleep faster and provides a more restful sleep. Waiting until bedtime to exercise however, will only make the process more difficult.
Unwind: Don’t stay online chatting until all hours of the night, as the light will keep your brain awake. Try reading (if anyone still does that) or listening to music to wind down and relax.
What you eat: Don’t stuff yourself before bed; a light snack is fine, but a big meal may cause heartburn. Alcohol will aggravate a headache and keep you from staying asleep. Caffeine and nicotine will also interfere with your sleep.
Don’t try so hard: If you can’t fall asleep after fifteen minutes, give it up! Trying will actually make you more awake, so get up and read or do something else.
Even though it would be ideal to wind down with a hot, luxurious bubble bath and a good book, it just is not going to happen at college (unless of course, you’re a fan of the tubs in the bathrooms). Attempting to use these methods in your own way will have some good benefits. Without good sleep, you will most likely be drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day. And what college kid wants that.
Lack of sleep can also lead to impaired memory and physical performance as well as a reduced ability to carry out math calculations. If you don’t get some good sleep after an extended period of time, you might suffer mood swings and hallucinations. Sleep also gives the brain a chance to exercise important neuronal connections that, without activity, might deteriorate. Sleep also helps the body to conserve energy and build up your immune system to fight off colds and sickness.
Even though your mom isn’t around to get you to clean behind your ears, make you eat your veggies and be in bed by ten, you can still be healthy and feel good. Getting into good sleeping habits is just one of the ways. Try to have fun of course, but don’t let yourself get run down because you must be fresh for class, and by that I mean the weekends!