I'm not the only college student I know that tosses and turns when trying to fall asleep. Between staying up late, waking up early and midday naps, my
sleep pattern is way off and worse than it's ever been.
I bought all the sleep
products I could find and still, I could not develop a pre-bed pattern.
Well, all of us who are sleep-deprived are in luck.
US News put out an article offering ten tips towards a better nights sleep:
1.
Practice good sleep hygiene. This means learning how to establish what your bedroom is for, which scientists suggest should be limited to sleep and sex. This also means eliminating pets, TVs, computers and most light from the bedroom.
2.
Break the rules only when necessary. Sleep experts believe that, although TV is not recommended, a (boring) DVD can help put people who are struggling to fall asleep.
3.
Develop a pre-bedtime relaxation ritual. Incorporate a non-stimulating ritual that you complete right before bed. This ritual may include a relaxing bath, or a warm beverage - both of which will raise your body temperature, causing you to feel more relaxed and tired than before.
4.
Don't self-medicate. Over-the-counter medications don't solve the problem, they only temporarily help you through them. If you need a sleep medication, seek a prescription from a doctor.
5.
Don't drink yourself to sleep. Similar to self-medicating, drinking will only help you through your sleep problem (and may lead to bigger problems down the road). Alcohol also fragments sleep, causing tiredness the next day.
6.
Leave work behind before bed. Create a barrier between your work place and your sleeping place. Give yourself some downtime after you write that last work E-Mail or contract - the more time, the better, too. If you find yourself stressing before bed, write down the things that you need to worry about for tomorrow to get them off your mind.
7.
Understand that your sleeplessness isn't a crisis. Worrying about when you'll fall asleep will only stress you out more while you're trying to fall asleep. Try to remain calm, and don't worry about what the consequences of a little fatigue will bring. The more calm you are, the faster you'll pass out.
8.
Don't lay awake in bed all night. Laying in bed while being unable to fall asleep will only condition your mind and body to stay awake in bed. Instead, experts suggest that you pick a room in the house to retreat to if you remain awake for more than 20 minutes. "Don't turn on a light, don't go on the Internet, don't read a book; just relax," experts say. This relaxation room will condition your body to grow tired, allowing you to return to bed fatigued.
9.
Exercise. A morning workout will start your day off earlier, allowing your body to be more fatigued at night. If you're more able to workout during the afternoon, do it - this afternoon workout will unwind you from work, allowing your mind to be more calm at night which will slow down your sleep waves.
10.
Seek professional help. If you find yourself unable to sleep despite all your attempts, don't let it stew inside - seek a doctor's opinion. You wouldn't skip the doctor's appointment if you were throwing up or with a constant cough, would you? Lack of sleep is just as damaging to your health as any other sickness.
Do you already do any of these things to help you sleep? What are some nightly routines that you have that help assure you a good night's sleep?
Comments (21)
To go to sleep, I just lay down.
i have terrible insomnia and it's common for me to just lie there for a whole night.. i'll have to try the different room thing. although i'm a college student so there really isn't a different room for me to go to other than the bathroom... eh =/
Thanks for this post! I've been having problems falling asleep off an on since I got married. Most of it is because of schedules, but I learned point 7 the hard way when I first started having problems sleeping.
i never limit sex to my bedroom
ever
i agree with "play a boring dvd" can help you fall asleep! Take a warm bath can also help your muscle to relax and fall asleep better!
I'm also in college have had that same routine: go to bed late, get up early & take a nap in the afternoon. I get really frustrated when I can't sleep and know that I have to get up extremely early the next day. I have relied on Tylenol PM for several of these types of occasions but I would have to take it 8 or 9 otherwise I would wake up feeling very groggy the next morning and throughout the whole day.
I've started exercising about 3-4 times a week for the past month now and have noticed a HUGE improvement in how I sleep. I'm able to get to sleep earlier and then wake up in the morning feeling like I actually slept well. I also started taking vitamins and I think that has also helped improve my sleeping.
Uhg...I have to have a sleep study tomorrow night...on Friday!?!?! NOOOO!
But I seriously need it. I'm awake 5 nights a week or sleeping anywhere, any time. I end up preforming complicated tasks and not remembering how I accomplished them and waking up paralyized...or dreaming awake.
There are a lot of other things going on too.
And oh yeah, I've defiantely tried all these things to try and sleep.
a nighttime work out definitly helps
I used to be an insomniac until about five years ago when I started taking Seroquel at night. I'm still on it... it works wonders.
I have done these things and they don't always work, even with consistantcy, i cant spell btw.
I have to take medication to fall asleep most nights, prescribed by a doctor.
Well with a 3 month old son, sleep doesnt exsist anyway lol
i do some of these...they don't help. i usually end up just crashing towards the end of the week because i'm running on little sleep, but still exercising like crazy and waking up early...it's not a good habit...it sucks actually. lol.
drink milk. clear your mind and you might just sleep easier. most people drink coffee so thats probably why most people have trouble falling asleep although stress and pressure can make you stay awake as well. dont take long naps either. good advice though.
Some of them don't help when I have insomnia.
Interesting. Will keep in mind.
Ahhh...
I sort of feel like they won't work. they might help but also, I think a lot of it is internal; I'm one of those people who can't ever turn their brain off, so it doesn't matter what I do, it won't necessarily help because I'm stressed 100% of the time.
But I guess I should try some things anyway.
I've had insomnia for so long that it's almost a part of my personality. I'm not a person who enjoys sleep, normally...as I feel it terribly wastes my time. It's also hard to differentiate my dreams from a kind of work...as a writer, most of my stories/inspiration are spawned from my dreams -- and when I sleep, I ALWAYS dream (one of the reasons I don't enjoy it as much as I could).
Recently...well, off and on, I realize that how my bed tends to be notebook central...the main station for everything going on with me...cluttered with pillows, books, sometimes my laptop, and my gazillion papers and pens...that that really disrupts my restfulness. BUT, since I'm such a busy girl...it usually takes me a week or two to clean my room (after focusing on the rest of the house)...and by time that happens, my whole sleep schedule's messed up and I have to take a few more days of going to bed a little more early.
When I have insomnia under a "normal" sleep schedule, it's usually because I never really was able to relax easily...or stay relaxed. THIS is where my laptop comes in handy. I'll pop in whatever dvd I'm in the mood for, get my notebook and write...write...write, listening and occasionally looking up at the screen, thinking about how by time it's over I'll be so tired that I'll groan about turning off the laptop.
ESSENTIALLY, I put myself into a somewhat repetitive but still productive situation so that I won't disagree with what I'm doing to get a sleep I don't really care about having, where I remain still and comfortable for nearly two hours of time...as I talk myself into feeling tired.
It doesn't always work. There are some months that I'm plain restless, or feeling like I'm manically possessed by my stories...and I do have alot of stress in my life, I've come to expect to deal with crises on a frequent basis, which sometimes equals my brain just not shutting off --firing on all cylanders for days on end and costing me sleep because it's hard to rest when I'm like that. I don't not sleep for a week, like I used to, though. I will at least, manage to sleep four-five hours everyday or every other day now. But the less I sleep, the more likely it is I'll crawl into bed one weekend and sleep for two days straight. It's not a good habit, especially because in the end...it ends up costing me waking hours. Besides, I promised someone that I'd get sleep more, that I'd get a more healthy sleeping habit.
I've had alot of progress, but it's still something I'm working on.
Part of me doesn't expect to get past the point I'm at, but I didn't really expect to get this far either.
P.s. in other words, I try alot of that. Some of that doesn't work. Some does help...a little. I can't afford professionals, and I'm in the sticks...so most problems of mine I have to self-treat...and I don't DO medications of any sort anyway.
Whenever I can't get to sleep, I always go on the internet or read a book to kill off my mind cos I hate reading. >_>
I guess its a habit now. xD
its weird..coffee usually puts me to bed. i think too much so i would stay awake till like 3 and then stress because i had to be up in 3 more hours. now ill just keep myself occupied until im REALLY tired, and i fall asleep no problem
Insomnia's pretty serious. It's a vicious cycle especially when we stress out from not being able to sleep, which prevents us from sleeping.
@Random_Goldfish@xanga - I feel your pain. Insomnia is very complicated. I've tried Ambien, Lunesta, and now Zoloft. I know, Zoloft is a drug for Social Anxiety Disorder, but it's supposed to reset my internal clock. It's supposed to increase my serotonin level, which is a hormone of many functions, such as helping us to feel sleepy.
@lapis_lazuli917@xanga - Sometimes I feel like my brain is BUZZing! And I feel like there's a disconnect between my brain and my body. It's a daily battle. It's either I'm trying to quiet my brain. Or I'm trying to stay still when I try to sleep.
I can't wait until my sleeping is normal again. It's something a lot of people take for granted--the ability to fall asleep instantaneously, the minute their heads hit the pillow. I'm so jealous...
I'm a college student right up there with all the rest, my sleep clock is disgusting. usually 1-4 hours of sleep a night. Occasionally my body will give out and I'll pass out for half a day during the week. But those days when I do get the chance to hop in bed nice and early, my eyes don't even want to shut.
I know for a fact that the boring DVD trick works, due to previous experience back home in high school. And even though it goes against the above facts, when I can't sleep at night, I know that reading my one of my Calculus or Chemistry text books puts me to sleep like nothing else. I'll usually read over a chapter that's already been read. It's sort of a win win situation in my case.
There is also a noticeable effect of working out in the late afternoons. This is usually around 6 and I have dinner maybe an hour or two after. My body feels, for lack of a better word, "at peace" when I hop into bed after a good work out.
Great post. I might just have to take your advice.