Maybe you're a freshman who thought, "I woke up early every day of high school for the past four years, so an 8 a.m. class should be no problem." Maybe you tried to avoid them as much as possible, but there's that one class that is only offered at 8 a.m. Maybe 9:30 a.m. classes feel like 8 a.m. classes to you. Whatever your case, 8 a.m. classes will probably end up your schedule sometime in your college career. Here's how to make the most of it:
1. Create and stick to a schedule.
It sounds like common sense, but don't go out the night before you have an 8 a.m. class. Waking up is hard enough without being out and drinking until 2 in the morning. It's not childish to set a bedtime; the more sleep you get, the more awake and alert you'll be to learn in the morning. Try to keep some sort of schedule of going to bed and waking up around the same time every week day. It's easier on your body than if you have to wake up at 7:30 a.m. one day and then sleep till 1 p.m. the next.
2. Find your pick-me-up.
Whether it be coffee, tea, an energy drink, or just a glass of ice water, find what works for you and helps wake up your body in the morning so you're not snoozing during class.
3. Limit your nap time.
Naps are a college student's savior, but they can hurt you more than help you. We all know those naps where you end up sleeping for 4 hours and wake up not knowing who you are, where you are, or what year it is. According to sleep.org, naps are most effective when they're about 20 minutes long.
4. Utilize sleep cycles.
Although setting a bedtime and sticking to it will help you tremendously when it comes to your 8 a.m. classes, it's unrealistic to think that you'll never have a late night before your 7:30 a.m. wake up time. For these instances, use a sleep calculator to calculate when you should go to sleep so that you're not trying to wake up during a deep sleep cycle.
5. Have a positive attitude.
Think about the positives. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. If you start your day early, you have so much more time to do everything you need to get done. Waking up early every day and setting a schedule for yourself really prepares you for when you have a career after you graduate and have to wake up early every day anyway. If you're constantly thinking about how much your 8 a.m. classes suck, it's going to be that much harder to wake up.
