It is the dawn of a new semester, a new time to lose some sleep from school overload. But it does not have to be so! Sleep is so important to everybody... so here are some tips and advice to getting the best Z's.

No electronics before bed!

In the world we live in today, this is very difficult considering some, if not most, of our daily tasks require electronics: homework, email, communication, social media, online shopping, etc. But, they have been known to cause biological interferences, impacting sleep patterns as well.

Lighting from electronics are known to suppress melatonin, which is used to moderate your circadian rhythm, or internal sleeping clock. Less melatonin, means it takes longer for you to actually fall asleep. Not only that, but it makes you stay alert and awake, even though you feel you need to rest.

So, turn off all electronics before going to bed, including your TV, phone and laptop.They deserve to sleep too! Again, since it is the 21st century, we will most likely be exposed to it before bed. It is recommend that you are not exposed to any electronics before actually trying to go to bed. Amount of time before exposure and falling asleep varies depending on experts; it ranges between 15 minutes and two hours, but the common time block is 30 minutes.

But, if you do need your phone on while you sleep (e.g. alarm), keep it on silent or vibrate and turn it face down so the light does not affect you. Can't help it and need to squeeze some Netflix time in? Reduce the brightness on your device so it isn't so intensive on your eyes.

No eating and/or drinking before bed.

Typically, you are not supposed to eat too much at least a couple of hours before you go to bed. If you had a light dinner, then have a light snack that will not sit in your stomach for too long.

Sugary and starchy foods are huge problems for you in the middle of the night. These foods can cause your blood sugar to increase, and create alertness in your body while your sleep. Desserts, juices, and foods with high fructose sugar (e.g. pizza) is something you do not want to eat right before bed. I had to quit drinking juice cold turkey a couple years ago, because I would wake up in the middle of the night; I could not go back to sleep for at least a couple of hours!

Develop good time management techniques.

While this is important in terms of extracurricular activities or homework, it is also crucial to your sleep. Staying up really late to finish work is common, but it doesn't have to be for you. Not only that, but carrying the alertness and leftover stress to bed may not be easier on you when you fall asleep.

Procrastination is tempting, but can be overcome. If you get your activities done according to what you laid out on your schedule, then you will have plenty of time to relax, and then de-stress before bed. I remember I used to be terrible at time management; while I got good grades, it wreaked havoc on me because I wasn't getting enough sleep, hence why I improved the skill.

Other tricks for you to try!

If you are super busy, and have to stay up longer, try and catch some extra sleep on the weekend. If you're the type of person that needs a set amount of sleep to be at least functional, set a bedtime and try to stay consistent with it. Sipping on cold milk, or consuming other food and drinks may enhance your snoozing. Some people have stated that reading a printed book before bed helps soothe your brain cells and stimulate you softly before bed.

Now, I want to stress that everybody is different biologically and mentally, so these may or may not work for you. Experiment and see what suits you and what does not. Sleep is an essential function for restoring energy and is a college student's best friend! So make sure you can maximize it as much as possible. Sweet dreams!