The typical pop-culture depiction of a college student portrays a coffee-filled, sleep-deprived academic zombie wandering around a college campus. At some points in the semester, this caricature might feel less exaggerated and more realistic. The famous 11:59 pm deadline has a major influence on many student’s sleep schedules and makes going at bed at 1 am seem like an early bedtime. However, hitting the hay late at night – or early in the morning – is not only unsustainable but also unhealthy. Not to sound like your mom, but your brain and body need sleep. In an attempt to overcome my own poor sleep schedule, I woke up early for a week: in the 6:30 am range. This might not be early for other students, but for me this was an adjustment. I noticed that there were some simple activities that helped me make this dramatic alteration a little less dramatic:
First, I started showering as soon as I woke up.
I know, there are some fitness influencers who get in a nice workout right as they roll out of bed. I tried this and it didn’t work for me. I was not awake enough to even search for a workout on YouTube, much less complete one. Instead, I immediately got in the shower and saved the exercise sesh for later in the day. Showering right after I woke up made me feel more alert.
Second, as foreshadowed earlier, I noticed that exercising in the afternoon or early evening helped me to sleep better at night.
As the time on the clock reflects later hours, my brain becomes more and more awake, which makes it hard to stop working on classwork and shut down my laptop – and my mind. By exercising later in the afternoon, I was more focused during the day and less likely to overthink at night. A simple afternoon walk worked wonders with helping my sleep schedule.
Third, I planned something fun in the morning.
For instance, one morning I woke up and did some painting prior to beginning my work. You might also find art relaxing, or maybe you want to make a fancy latte, try a spin class or even watch another episode of “Suits” while you eat breakfast. I didn’t overthink this, I just picked something that sounded fun and did it during the extra time I had by waking up earlier.
Fourth, I found that I enjoyed hot tea as soon as I woke up.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a coffee girl. I might not drink as much coffee as Lorelai Gilmore, but she does mirror the same level of adoration I have for the drink. However, when I drank coffee as soon as I woke up, I noticed that I didn’t feel great afterwards. I don’t know why the drink had that effect (maybe a premed major can weigh in), but I discovered that swapping to hot tea did wake me up a little without having any negative side effects. Plus, saving my first coffee for the afternoon gave me something to look forward to.
Lastly, all of these efforts would have been in vain if I didn’t change anything the night before.
Instead of waiting until late to get ready for bed, I started the process around eight or nine in the evening. I found that I got ready for bed much faster when I wasn’t exhausted. Then, I had the rest of my evening to myself before going to bed, and when the clock struck 11:00pm, I could simply crawl under the covers.
Sometimes, late nights are unavoidable. Sometimes, late nights are even preferred. But late nights should not become habitual. For me, staying up after-hours or into the early hours of the morning to complete tasks negatively impacts my sleep schedule and makes me more susceptible to getting sick. While I still don’t have perfect sleep hygiene, these little swaps did make rising earlier realistic and, dare I say, enjoyable. I will definitely continue working towards my goal of becoming an early bird. If you’re trying to catch the worm, experiment with tweaking a few things in your routine to rise and shine earlier in the day.