College students get a lot of advice about how to relieve stress. The number one advice that everyone gets is "sleep all you can" or "get some rest." Most people do not know exactly what others mean when they say that sleep is the biggest stress reliever. A lot of people say that it does not work or they can only sleep so much. But in reality you can never get enough sleep. It turns out that sleep is an art form, and you can train yourself to sleep different ways. There are many ways to get into certain sleeping habits.
Dos and Do Nots for getting a good comfortable sleep:
Don't: Try to sleep when a lot of thoughts are running through your mind. This will cause you to sleep very lightly and become less likely to relax.
Do: Relax when lying down. You will feel your body at ease when relaxed. It is the same feeling dogs gets when their belly is rubbed. (Sometimes bed padding helps for people who like soft surfaces.)
Don't: Sleep somewhere uncomfortable. Your body will not like it and tell you to get up. A perfect example is when you are trying to sleep in the car, but your head keeps rolling around and you constantly wake up.
Do: Try drinking non-caffeinated tea. It will help soothe your body especially when it is cold.
Examples of 3 Different Types of Sleepers:
A: Light Sleeper
-Waking up every time a noise is heard
-Body not feeling at ease
-A Constant urge to wake up
-Wake up freaking out because of feeling late for something
-Waking up still tired; feeling like did not get enough sleep
-Knowing when someone had entered the room
-Wake other people because cannot sleep
B: Medium Sleeper
-Still can hear what is surrounding you and then waking up. (ex. having dreams about what you hear on TV or someone's conversation.)
-Feeling relaxed but not totally
-Sometimes not having any dreams
-Take naps frequently throughout the day
-Wake up in the middle of the night upset because having to go to the bathroom
-Upset when someone wakes you from an awesome dream
-Wake up because of noises outside like cars driving up and down the street
-Unsure if someone is in the room or if it's apart of a dream
C: Heavy Sleeper
-Hard to wake up. (ex. alarms won't wake you neither will screams.)
-Very comfortable and relaxed
-Wake up not remembering where you are
-Dreaming becoming reality (ex. reenacting dreams while sleep)
-Having a different personality when sleep (ex. fighting with someone about not wanting a pillow but when you wake up realize that you do want it)
-Not remembering going to sleep
-Still sleep even when have to go to the bathroom
-Having a conversation with someone while sleep
If you are one of these three sleepers and do not switch back and forth from sleeper to sleeper then you have not mastered the art of sleeping. I have learned from my mom that sleeping is an art and you have to choose the way you sleep. If my cousin or I would come home late she would wake up, ask if it was one of us, and go back to sleep. She would not hear me walk up and down the stair in the middle of the night to get a snack or if I were to sneak in her bed in the middle of the night which I never understood until I came to college. From first to third year at Western I had roommates. My first year I stayed in the dorms and would triple lock the door regardless if my roommate was there or not. I knew I would wake up if I heard her struggling to get in the room, and I did. Second year I moved into an apartment, my roommate was rarely there, and I sleep very well because I had less to worry about. My last year of having roommates, 3rd year, I had an issue with being alone in the apartment, would wake up every time one of my roommates would come home from work at 3 am, and after that I would go to sleep peacefully. To not be worried before going to sleep will help with relaxation, and also being in a comfortable surrounding as well as position. Wanting to switch light sleeping to heavy or the opposite just think about important it is for you to get that type of sleep.
