Listen to this articleFinally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.
Mahatma Gandhi
While being a student, it may be difficult to balance your time properly: studying in-class, working on homework and projects, doing revisions, socializing and making friends, participating in sports and leisure activities, enjoying breaks and meals, and spending a good night’s sleep… Knowing that an adult should sleep an average of 7 to 8 hours, 24 hours a day don’t seem to be enough, do they?
Tips & Techniques
Keep some constancy in your bedtime and wake-time. It is recommended to vary your sleep schedule by maximum of 2 hours. Even on weekends. Not managing to do so, can produce the same effect as sleep deprivation.
Create a sleep-friendly environment. This means that your bed should only be a place to sleep not a couch or a study space. The temperature of your room should be not too cold, but not too hot either. Also, try to increase the darkness of the room by using dark curtains or using eye masks, and try to remove any noise that could prevent you from falling asleep easily by listening to a ‘white noise’ playlist for example.
Take a nap to help you relax, reduce your fatigue, and improve your mood. But avoid too frequent naps, too long naps, or naps after 3 pm. Risks are that you may feel groggy or even have headaches or feel more fatigue than before your nap, and you could also be unable to fall asleep easily in the evening for your night sleep.
Avoid any stimulating activities a few hours before you go to sleep like eating or doing exercise, or watching a movie. Indeed, these activities will fill your body with energy and prevent you from falling asleep easily. It’s the same for alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Note that caffeine stays in your body for an average of 3 to 5 hours. Stop using your phone, tablet, etc. The light they emit inhibits your body’s preparation for sleep. All these activities will interfere with the quality of your sleep as well as your deep sleep, which is essential to restoring your energy, strengthening your immune system, and regenerating your tissues, bones, and cells.
Instead, create your own bedtime routine. This can be any relaxing activity like reading a book, listening to music, taking a shower, or a bath. This moment is very important as it indicates the transition from your maybe stressful day to a good night’s sleep.
If you have revisions or homework to finish, prefer waking up early than staying up late during the night. You will notice to be much more productive early in the morning.
Benefits of sleeping well
Good sleep provides multiple scientifically proven benefits for your physical and mental health.
Quality sleep also helps to increase your memory performance. As a student, you will find having good sleeping habits beneficial because there is a strong link with your academic performance. While you sleep, your brain is extremely active, processing information it received during the day, making links to information it already has, tidying up, and eliminating information that is no longer necessary. While in REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) sleep, your brain will process and retain elements you have learnt during the day. Once you understand this fact, you can appreciate how important sleep is to the learning process.
A further consequence of the important role that sleep plays in the learning and remembering process is that the single best way to prepare for an exam or test is to get a good night’s sleep before the test. The brain eliminates toxins during sleep. You need your brain to be at its most healthy and efficient during a test and if you lack sleep your brain will not be in the best physiological state.
Indeed, getting enough sleep is essential to feel awake and have enough energy to focus and learn effectively. The single worst way to prepare for a test is to stay up late the previous night revising. This is worse than useless since your brain does not retain the information you are revising and you are harming the state of health your brain will have during the test the next day.
Sleeping well helps to reinforce your immune system as your white blood cells are regenerated during your deep sleep. Your hormonal balance will also improve which prevents you to feel often hungry.
You will also notice an impact on your mood which is beneficial for you in mixing with your friends and classmates and thinking positively throughout the day.
Further Resources
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