We all know sleeping is important. As a college student trying to balance grades, a social life, and an active lifestyle among so many other things, I'm sure many are with me when I say I NEED MORE SLEEP! There simply aren't enough hours in the day to complete everything on our checklists and still sleep the suggested seven to nine hours per night.
According to a segment from NPR in May of 2008, roughly 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia. According to a separate study, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey gathered data from participants in 12 different states and found that over 35 percent of Americans get less sleep than the minimal recommended amount of seven hours. A bit more relevant to college students, they found that nearly 44 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 25 reported having fallen asleep unintentionally in the month prior.
Improving Sleep
Music
One way to improve sleep, and consequently, quality of life, is by listening to soothing/classical music at bedtime. A study showed significant improvements in sleep effectiveness on depressive symptoms for students who implemented this practice.
Lighting
Keep as much natural light exposure during the day whether that's by working next to a window, or just getting outside in the sun more. When it comes time to go to bed, try to avoid bright screens like your phone, the TV, some e-readers, etc. There's a link between the part of our brains that produces melatonin and the blue light our phones produce that keeps melatonin (a chemical that aids in us falling asleep) from doing its job.
Exercise is sort of a common sense point. Even 10 minutes of activity can improve sleep and help you stay awake during the day.
Diet
Controlling caffeine consumption and keeping from drinking too much in general before bed will improve sleep for obvious reasons. Avoiding big meals too close to sleeping puts your digestive system to work harder while you sleep than it should.
Plan
Something I have personally experienced benefits from is planning my window of sleep. If I organize my day well enough, I can plan when I go to sleep in regards to knowing what time I need to wake up the next morning. I know I need 8 hours to function well throughout the day, so I make sure I allow myself that period of time each night as much as I can control. In addition, having a set routine time for going to sleep and waking up helps set your internal clock.
To all the other sleep deprived students and insomniacs out there, good luck in your sleeping endeavors.
