Sleep is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of personal well-being in today’s world. We know that to live healthy and to perform at our best, we should exercise daily and eat nutritious food. However, many people, especially young college students, take their sleeping habits for granted.

In a nutshell, we need 8 hours of sleep every night. There are no two ways about it.

The research is clear about this now, and those who think they can get away with 6 hours are wrong.

The thing about gauging one’s own performance is that we are terrible at it. You may think that you are performing at the most optimal level by getting 6 hours every night, but your frame of reference is incomplete.

In his book, “Why We Sleep “, Mathew Walker enumerates the research and shows why 8 hours of sleep is a necessity for a healthy life. He also explores the various detrimental effects of sleep deprivation:

• weaker immune system,
• risk of heart disease,
• weight gain,
• alzheimers disease
• Sub-optimal cognition, and even
• lower testosterone

So, then how can a college student get 8 hours daily? Below I am listing 12 ways to help you achieve longer and better sleep.

1) A Sleep Schedule is Essential to Good Sleep

This one is simple and straightforward. IF you are a college student and you find yourself waking up at hours of the day, you need to reset your circadian rhythm by observing the same sleeping and wake up times daily. Most of us go to bed with no real intention of falling asleep. As students, we find ourselves either using our smartphones or watching the TV. This is bad.

Go to bed only when you know you are going to sleep. Sleep procrastination is at the heart of many health issues in students. Think about this, when you wake up early every day at a fixed time, you will have so much more time to study, attend classes, and network with other students as well.

Delaying your sleep to get some more screen time is extremely detrimental and counterproductive.

2) Avoid Alarms if you Can

I think we can all agree that, as students, waking up to those horrendous alarm tunes on our smartphones isn’t the most pleasant experience. You wake up panicked, which isn’t the right way to start off your day at college.

However, this is a bit of a catch 22 because you need your alarm clock to force yourself to wake up at a fixed time each morning. But the good news is that once you do repair your sleep schedule, you will wake up naturally at a fixed time each day.

As a backup, you can set up your alarm clock for 10-15 minutes later than your natural wake up time. This can help you prevent sleeping through any major classes, assignments or early exams.

In short, use your alarm only as a backup or until you get to a point when you don’t need it anymore.

3) Wake up with the Sun

Evolution has wired us to associate sunlight with waking up and doing the things necessary for sustenance. However, the modern world isn’t exactly similar to our caveman days, and this has become a bit of a problem for many.

When you wake up every morning, try to open your curtains the first thing after getting out of bed. The sunlight will signal your body to become active and thwart off sleep. When you do this repeatedly, your internal clock will get acclimated to this time, and you will wake up energized each morning for the gruelling classes and exams.

If your college dorm room doesn’t get much natural sunlight then I would advise that you go out for a few minutes in the Sun after waking up. However, you don’t have to spend too much time, 5-10 minutes would do just fine.

Also, don’t worry, you won’t have to do this every time just in the beginning when you are repairing your sleep schedule. However, if you can do it daily, then that’s all the better.

4) Avoid Caffeine

Here is the odd thing about caffeine. We thought that caffeine acted quickly in our bodies to wake us up, and then its effect gradually subsided as the day went on. However, recent research has shown that caffeine stays in our bodies for days after we consume it. Sure, it only exists in trace amounts, but they are enough to cause sleep problems at night.

I understand that many college students rely on their morning cup of coffee to get going, and it is very common for students to take their Starbucks on the way to college.

Instead of going cold turkey, try at least not to consume caffeine after 2 pm. Ideally, you shouldn’t rely on caffeine at all, but you can make your way to zero-caffeine gradually.

5) Exercise is a Must

I understand that not everyone can exercise daily while in college. Sometimes you have uninterrupted classes, and you just can’t take the time out for exercise. However, any form of activity that gets your heart going is enough, even if it’s only for 20 minutes.

A regimented workout schedule would be ideal but if you can’t find the time due to studies, at least try to do some form of light exercise. This can be something as simple as walking briskly for 20 minutes or using a jump rope. Also, if your campus is 2-3 kilometres away, try to walk instead of taking the bus or your car.

Additionally, you can also get yourself a bicycle and use it to get around your college campus. Cycling is an incredibly effective way to get around while burning calories and keeping in shape.

However, whatever kind of exercise you do, make sure it’s at least 3 hours prior to your bedtime. There is simply so much research on the health and sleep benefits of exercise that it is one of the most important things you can do for your well-being.

6) No Naps After 3 pm

It is very common amongst students to study till late in the night and sleep during parts of the morning or during the day.

If you can help it, avoid daytime naps altogether because they do mess up your night sleep. However, if you have to take a nap no matter what, then make sure not to take them after 3 pm. Napping is shown to affect your nighttime sleep, especially when done later in the day.

7) Alcohol Kills Your Sleep

Anyone who is concerned with their sleep shouldn’t drink alcohol until it’s entirely metabolized by the time they sleep. Alcohol has been found to suppress your REM sleep which is the deepest phase in your sleep cycle.

However, the problem with alcohol is that it takes forever to metabolize, and you’d have to hit the pub in the morning to be able to sleep well at night. Now, of course, I will never advise that, and sadly the only real solution to this is to practice complete abstinence.

I understand that asking a college student not to drink is not an easy request. However, if you are serious about your productivity and your health, you will give it a try. The funny thing about bad habits is that once you see how good it feels to drop them, you’d never want to go back.

8) Eating Big At Night is a no-no

This one is severely overlooked but wreaks havoc on your sleep and is very common amongst students. Here is the no-nonsense advice: Don’t eat a big meal before your bedtime. There should be at least 3 hours between the time you have dinner and when you go to bed.

I have been there too. Eating burgers and pizzas and god knows what right before bed. If you have been doing this routinely, then you may not sense the effect it is having on your health. But I guarantee once you start eating healthy, you will see how different your mind and body feel.

9) Avoid Bright Lights Before You Sleep

You might have heard how blue light emitted by your smartphone screen causes sleep problems. Well, blue light is also emitted by most “daylight” LED or coiled bulbs. For the smartphone, you can get a blue light filter to curb the blue light, whereas, for your college dorm room, you can get those Philips Hue lights that can be controlled from your smartphone.

However, do note that while the blue light filter helps, it is not your ticket for unadulterated smartphone or laptop use. It is very common amongst college students to binge-watch Netflix or spend hours on social media lying in their bed. If you want to be energetic in the morning, this habit needs to go.

Consuming some amount of entertainment is not the problem. Of course, all of us like to kick back every now and then and watch an episode or two, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of your sleep.

Moreover, I will advise that you take a book with you to bed and read for 20 minutes every night. I have found reading to be an extremely effective way to doze off. As opposed to smartphones and laptops, a book isn’t going to strain your eyes and keep you awake.

10) Cool Body Temperature

Research has shown that we tend to sleep better when our body temperature is around 19 degrees Celcius. However, attaining such a low temperature may not be possible for many people but try to get the number as close to 19 as you can.

You can also use a table fan in your college dorm room if you think it is not as cold as you want it to be. Place the table fan on your bedside table and turn on oscillation so your whole body receives the cool breeze.

11) Avoid Sleeping Pills

As a college student in the U.S., I was deeply surprised by how common sleeping pills were amongst students. In most cases, I saw that my class fellows ruined their sleep timings by staying up late and waking up at mid-day. This sort of routine caused their natural sleep to be completely messed up, and to cope with it; they became overly reliant on sleeping pills.

However, Sleeping pills sedate you, which isn’t the same as sleep. It goes without saying that one shouldn’t be taking sleeping pills , to begin with, but if you have somehow formed a dependence on them, try to come off gradually.

You can do this by gradually lowering your dose each night until you are at a point where you don’t have to take them anymore. Nothing can substitute a nice deep natural sleep.

12) Don’t Lie in Bed for More Than 20 Minutes

How many times have you gone to bed only to stay awake for hours on end? Well, this habit is not good for your sleep schedule.

To fix this, simply go to bed and lie down for 20 minutes. If you fall asleep in those 20 minutes, then great. However, if you don’t, then staying in bed is not the solution. Instead, get up and do some sort of activity. Maybe walk around the house a little or pick a book and then try again after a few minutes.