Understanding how to manage a balanced life and schedule whilst at university can be a challenge, but it’s important that you are able to maximise on the things you want to do without forgoing the things you need to do. One of the biggest examples of this is attending early morning lectures after a night out.
As someone who went from having Thursdays without lectures to having a 10am, navigating the quick recovery after sports night became essential. Here are my top tips:
Number 1: Hydration
The best way to ensure you make it to your 9am is to be sober by the time it rolls around, which is obvious yet often overlooked. Drinking water throughout the night, but more importantly (and more realistically) once you’ve got home is a must. Whether that’s during the night’s debrief or just getting a few glasses down before your head hits the pillow, hydration is important for waking up even slightly fresher. One of the easiest ways to do this is to leave a bottle of water in the fridge whilst you’re out. The coldness of the water after a few drinks will be easier to swallow.
Number two: snooze time
I generally apply this to all early seminars, regardless of the previous night’s activities, but building in time to snooze your alarm and scroll on your phone allows yourself the slow start and appropriate amount of time to wake up without rushing – personally when in a hungover state, speed is not a quality I obtain. I like to build in at least one snooze and then typically half an hour to mindlessly mooch through my socials before I realise that I need to get up and get going. If that means setting your alarms for 7:45, 7:50 and 8:00am, so be it.
Number three: leaving it up to fate
I am aware that this tip will only work depending on your personality and general commitment to academics, but I often find that if I let ‘fate’ decide then more often than not, I end up attending the lecture.
Let me explain. I allow something that I realistically have no control over decide. My typical method is to turn off all alarms and tell myself that if I wake up in time, then I’ll go. On practically every occasion that I have done this, I have woken up in time – which is ridiculous and somewhat annoying, but also true. The best thing about this technique is that it ends up feeling like an achievement if you get to university in time.
Number four: knowing your limits
The most obvious way to get to univeristy after a night of drinking is ensuring that you don’t take it to the extremes. Of course, different people have different thresholds, and some people can drink far more without feeling repercussions the next day, but the general rule for everyone is to know your limits – and if you have commitments the next day – stick to those limits. As my driving instructor would say, ‘it’s a limit not a target’.
Number five: shower
I am convinced the only way I was able to attend a two hour 10am seminar the morning after my hockey initiation was the long shower I took before bed. Whilst there is a cost-of-living crisis going on, and the ability to take a long shower may be less attainable, it’s a tip that has helped me through the previous years and felt noteworthy to share. It also means it’s one less thing to do in the morning and can allow just a few more minutes in bed which is always desirable.
Number six: electrolytes
Whether you’ve been playing sport, got sunstroke, or have been drinking, the consumption of electrolytes is a very good way to keep your body feeling healthy. It could be a stash of Lucozade or the inclusion of rehydration sachets in your mini medical kit, but having any or either of the above on hand to help recuperate after a night out will definitely allow you to come back to life more quickly and get you into the classroom on time.
number seven: co-dependence
One of the most sure-fire ways of doing anything, is asking someone else to commit to it with you. The best way to do this is to ask a friend to meet you before your lecture – even by only ten minutes. The classic tactic is to meet at a coffee shop, grab yourself something to help fight the hangover you have, and energise you for the day. By having something to look forward to, and having a friend relying on you to attend, there is a much higher possibility that you will make it out of your bed before midday.