Sleep

College students are among the most sleep-deprived people in the country. To be able to balance numerous aspects of college life, such as academic workloads, extracurricular activities, and jobs, it’s so important for college students to get good sleep.

There is a link between a lack of adequate sleep and poor academic performance. One study showed that after two weeks of sleeping six hours or less a night, students feel as bad and perform as poorly as someone who has gone without sleep for 48 hours.

Click below to learn more about sleep!

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  • How much sleep do I need?

    You should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

    Remember, college students who pull all-nighters are more likely to have a lower GPA. Also, students who stay up late on school nights and make up for it by sleeping late on weekends are more likely to perform poorly in the classroom. You can’t make up sleep!

  • The Benefits of Sleep

    Here are just some of the amazing benefits of sleep!

    Sleep can: 

    • Improve learning and memory
    • Make you happier
    • Help you live longer
    • Reduce inflammation
    • Improve immune function
    • Lead to better athletic performance
    • Help you lose weight
    • Let you build muscle more easily
    • Result in healthier, younger looking skin
    • Cut your risk of developing diabetes
    • Improve your mood
    • Keep your heart healthy
    • Prevent cancer
    • Prevent headaches and migraines
    • Lower stress
    • Improve focus and attention
    • Help you avoid accidents and errors
    • Leave you less easily irritated or upset
    • Improve productivity and concentration

  • Sleep Tips

    Follow these tips to establish healthy sleep habits!

    1. Stick to a sleep schedule of the same bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends and on vacation. This helps to regulate your body's clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
    2. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Power napping may help you get through the day, but if you find that you can't fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.
    3. Exercise daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Twenty to 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity enhances deep sleep, but avoid exercising in the 6 hours before bedtime since it increases alertness.
    4. Evaluate your room. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be at a cool temperature and should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, your bedroom should be free from any light. Check your room for noises or other distractions. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, "white noise" machines or apps, humidifiers, fans and other devices. Add more sound-absorbing fabrics to your room with rugs. Talk to others in your room, suite, or hall about establishing “quiet hours”.
    5. Only use your bed for sleep and sex. Do not do work or study on your bed.
    6. Use bright light to help manage your circadian rhythms. Avoid bright light in the evening and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This will keep your circadian rhythms in check.
    7. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals in the evening. Alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine can disrupt sleep. Eating big meals can cause discomfort from indigestion that can make it hard to sleep. If you can, avoid eating large meals for two to three hours before bedtime. Try a light snack 45 minutes before bed if you’re still hungry.
    8. Wind down. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading. For some people, using an electronic device such as a laptop can make it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light emanating from the screens of these devices is activating to the brain. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid electronics before bed or in the middle of the night.
    9. If you can't sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired.
    10. If you’re still having trouble sleeping, don’t hesitate to speak with your doctor or to find a sleep professional. You may also benefit from recording your sleep in a Sleep Diary to help you better evaluate common patterns or issues you may see with your sleep or sleeping habits.

  • Online Resources

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