It’s no secret anymore – sleep matters! Did you know that college students need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night in order to perform at their fullest potential throughout the day? Sleep is important to our overall well-being because it improves concentration, memory, physical performance, and immune functioning. [1] Getting a good night’s sleep will help you successfully juggle everything in your busy schedule – from studying for exams, to participating in clubs and sports, to tackling homework assignments throughout the semester.
How do you ensure a solid night’s sleep? [2]
Sleep like a baby.
Most people sleep better in dark, quiet, and cool bedrooms where there are few outside distractions (like TV or roommates). Try using ear plugs, a sleep mask, or the hum of a fan to block out lights and noise. Keeping to a routine sleep schedule (even on the weekends!) can also help to sleep consistently throughout the week.
Think about sheep (not homework).
Are you feeling stressed out on a regular basis? Visualization, meditation, and deep breathing are helpful strategies for decreasing anxiety and promoting relaxation and faster sleep. (So maybe counting sheep isn’t so crazy after all…) Before going to bed, try out a 3-minute relaxation exercise from the Student Health website.
Put to bed unhelpful habits.
Do not drink caffeine 8 hours before bedtime and avoid smoking cigarettes in the evening, as both substances are stimulants and will keep you awake at night. Also, limit alcohol and daytime naps since they will also affect the quality of your sleep.
SPREAD THE HEALTH: Having a regular sleep schedule, practicing stress management techniques, and limiting alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine can help you get good night’s sleep.
We want to help you sleep better!
Enter our giveaway and you could win a fabulous sleep goodie bag!
There are THREE ways to enter the giveaway: (1) Share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter and tag/mention us (2) Leave a comment below telling us one way you plan to improve your sleep routine (3) Tweet at us or comment on our Facebook page answering the same question.
The more you do, the more times your name will be entered. We will pick one winner on February 13, 2013 using Random.org. This giveaway is open to Boston University students only. Good luck!
For the giveaway:
-I will try to be more consistent in my sleep schedule,
-I will definitely try deep breathing to focus on relaxing my body instead of going through the dozens if things I have to do the next day,
-That relaxation exercise in your post sounded great, actually.
(I left you the same comment on FB and twitter so you can identify me LOL)