Welcome to the start of preparing for finals! I understand this stressful time, so let’s discuss the number one activity everyone is concerned about, sleep. Sleep is obviously a really important activity that stabilizes mood, your body’s functions and ability to process information. In fact we can only continue living for 11-32 days without sleeping. This also means we spend about 24 years of our life sleeping, that’s right, 24 years!
So how much sleep is actually necessary?
A study showed that people with 8 hours of sleep show the least cognitive decline compared to four hours and six hours! And you can catch up on sleeve by having a good amount of sleep for the next couple of days. But if you never catch up, brain function might not fully recover yes permanent damage!
Therefore 7-8 hours of sleep is the average amount of sleep needed for humans, those that sleep less have a greater chance of heart disease, diabetes and more. But get this, sleeping too much does the same exact thing. Therefore too much sleep can greatly impair you as well! But your body will tell you how much sleep you actually need, so if you’re feeling drowsy, sleep. Your brain actually retains less when tired, and you don’t want to fall asleep during a final, like I did.
SO how does one get better sleep?
1.) Napping – Napping 20-30 minutes allows you to not feel groggy! And long naps affect your ability to fall asleep at night! So these short naps are great! 3 power naps a week can also mean you are less likely to get heart disease!
2.) Cut down on alcohol caffeine and cigarettes – Yes, caffeine, trust me I understand the pain! Sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to function without caffeine. Alcohol damages the sleep cycle so it lowers the quality of sleep! Caffeine shortens stages 3 and 4 of sleep cycle, which is rem and dreaming, really important parts of sleep! Cigarettes prevent the onset of sleep, which recedes quality.
3.) Have a schedule – Sleep and wake up around the same time every day! This gets your body in a normal routine and ensures a good amount of sleep. I know this can be difficult! But treat it as a class, one you actually go to!
4.) Less screens – Lights from your phone and computer actually trick your brain into thinking its daytime, which ruins the sleep cycle! So make sure there are no screens about an hour before sleep!
5.) Make a ritual – The ritual helps you get away from your daily activities and let your mind know it’s time to rest. These rituals should be relaxing and a way to stop worrying about daily life, like reading or walking! Also, then don’t go and reengage!
6.) Have a morning routine – This routine will stop you from hitting the snooze button! Like going to the gym or cooking breakfast anything!
7.) Don’t use the snooze button – No alarm clocks allow our bodies to wake up naturally, but we need alarm clocks to stick to our daily routines! Alarms interrupt our sleep schedule, and when it’s a deep sleep, we press snooze! But then the body restarts the cycle and creates a deeper sleep and makes you more tired! Fragmented sleep is worse than less sleep. Therefore you will perform poorly and be more disengaged! You can use websites like http://sleepyti.me/ to see when you should go to bed or set your alarm!
8.) Make sure you designate your bed to sleeping – By doing other activities on your bed it’s telling your brain that this area isn’t just for sleeping, so it makes it harder to fall asleep!
Overall, finals are important, but sleep and your health are more important! So make sure you get a good amount of sleep!