Is Getting Enough Sleep as a College Student an Impossible Mission?

Getting enough sleep is one thing that every student fails to achieve at some point in its student life. Whether you have been partying too hard or studying hard, you have been sacrificing a lot of your precious sleep time. Like being in your twenties is not hard enough; college students are facing many different challenges that are hindering their healthy sleep habits. Besides classes, parties, busy social life, and libraries, many students are working part-time to pay their fees and support themselves.

Although college life can be considered as the best part of growing up and becoming an adult, it is at the same time a very stressful period when we are trying to figure out many things and meet certain expectations. Hence, sleep problems in college students are a common thing, but if you try following our tips, you will be able to perform and sleep well.

How Much Sleep Do College Students Need?

As a student, you have probably survived a few all-nighters with the help of caffeine and continued with your life as if nothing had happened. Many students sleep less during workdays, and then crash on weekends and sleep up to 10 hours or more. While this concept may work for a while, the question is how healthy it is in the long run?

Young adults between 18 and 25 years need from 7 to 9 hours of proper sleep every night, according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation. But the reality is that most of the college students are getting less than 7 hours of sleep, and more than 50% of them have poor sleep quality.

How to Sleep Like a Baby at College

Young people can afford themselves to sleep less and handle it, but the reality is that they need more hours of sleep in order to avoid sleep problems in the long run, and for their body to restore properly and rest. Here are some of our suggestions which can be useful in improving your sleep quality and length.

• Create a sleep routine that will follow the schedule of your classes, if you have lectures early in the morning, try going to bed on time, preferably before midnight. In the beginning, it may be hard to fall asleep “so early” but give your body a few days to adjust, and you will be an early bird in no time.
• Avoid drinking caffeine, alcohol, or energy drinks during the evening or late afternoon hours. Caffeine can stay in our system for 5 to 6 hours, and can significantly impair your ability to fall asleep.
• Do not work on your laptop in bed, or study, the bed should be a place for rest, not for studying. Also, exposure to blue light before bedtime can trick our brain into thinking that it is still daytime, so avoid any electronic devices at least 30 minutes prior to your desired bedtime.
• Use eye pillows or sleep masks and earplugs to disconnect and induce sleep. Noisy environment or any source of light can keep you up; this way you will sleep like a baby even if there is a party in the next-door apartment.
• Avoid napping during the daytime. Naps are always unpredictable; you can wake up after 20 minutes or after 2 hours, you never know. If you feel tired during the afternoon, go out in the fresh air, take a walk, exercise, etc.
• Make a plan, write down everything you need to do on a weekly level, from classes, work, free time, gym time, etc. This way, you will learn how to manage your time better and to schedule your daily activities so that you have enough time to rest at night.

So, is it possible to get enough sleep as a student? Yes, it is, but it takes time and commitment. We hope some of our advice would be a game-changer for your sleep during college days.

Author Bio:

Selena Thomas is a content writer who loves sharing tips on healthy lifestyles. A writer by day and a reader by night, she’s fond of writing articles that can help people in improving both physical and mental health. Also, she loves traveling and inspires people on her blogs