Top 3 Solutions for Sleeping in College
Top 3 Solutions for Sleeping in College
College is an exciting time in your life, but let's face it, it can also be one of the most challenging. It's your first time on your own — with new friends, new classes, new surroundings and new roommates. All of these things can make for some pretty stressful times, and making sure you're eating right, getting regular exercise and a good night's sleep can help. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers and adults 18 years and older should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep per night.
Newly college bound students may find getting that much sleep difficult to do— whether it's because they just want to have fun, their roommates snore or make too much noise, or simply because they don't have time to sleep while juggling a social life, school, and work.
Here are three problems with simple solutions to help college students make the grade on a good night's rest.
Problem #1: Roommates that stay up all night talking or otherwise making noise.
Unfortunately, many new college kids end up with roommates who aren't always perfectly compatible. Perhaps one likes to study and maintain a good sleep regimen, while the other ends up being more the "night owl" type, claiming they study better when everyone else is sleeping. Alternatively, maybe they aren't studying at all, but rather are using their dorm room as the hangout for late night get-togethers.
Solution #1: Eye Mask, SleepPhones® headphones and white noise
Using an eye mask will point you in the right direction of a restful night's slumber. Light sends signals to your body that it's time to wake up, while darkness tells your internal clock it's time to sleep. A good eye mask will block out all light and help induce relaxation.
Once you have the light taken care of, using something to help drown out ambient noises will take you to the next level. The best solution is to use SleepPhones® headphones, otherwise known as "Pajamas for your ears." SleepPhones® are the world's most comfortable headphones for sleeping. The luxuriously soft headband contains thin, removable speakers to play music, audio books, meditation, white noise, or talk radio. It plugs into any audio device with a standard 3.5 mm (1/8 inch) headphone jack — or you can use SleepPhones® Wireless, which easily pairs with any Bluetooth® enabled device. They are much more comfortable than standard headphones or ear buds which hurt or fall out of your ears.
SleepPhones® headphones come in an extremely comfortable fleece material, or a lighter-weight and cooler Breeze® fabric – and they come with a free downloadable MP3 sound track.
If you're on a budget, as most college students are, some people even opt to pull SleepPhones® headphones down over their eyes, allowing them to double as an eye mask.
Problem #2: Didn't get enough sleep? What to do to make it through classes and exams.
Solution #2: We won't judge, we've all been there, late night cramming and pizza parties. Other than planning better, here are some additional tips to help you make it through your day on little rest.
- Catch up sleep does exist. Use it. Either a 20 minute cat nap or a full five hour rest period. Anything in between and you might wake up groggy from the wrong cycle of sleep.
- Use a little caffeine to make it through classes and exams— but no more than two 8-ounce brews, or one tall from a coffee shop.
- Use binaural beats to get to sleep deeply and quickly so you waste no time. For best results, try Kelly Howell's CD "Sound Sleep."
- Also use binaural beats to enhance your focus when studying. Try Kelly Howell's CD "High Focus."
Problem #3: Exam anxiety, can't sleep
It happens to all college students, you have a lot of information floating around your brain, and you can't turn it off. Perhaps you're worried, stressed, and feeling the pressure of trying to get all A's and B's to keep your scholarship, spot on the team or please your parents.
Solution #3: Listen to relaxing music, meditation or hypnosis tracks at bedtime.
These can help you let go of stressful thoughts and worries as your brain drifts into an alpha state, which is deep relaxation for your mind and body. Kelly Howell's CD Total Relaxation is a perfect conduit from stress to relaxation. Or just record your most boring professor and play that back!
You'll likely face other challenges in college, but these suggestions can help you get a better night's rest or at least function better on less than adequate amounts of sleep. The more rested you are, the higher success rate you will have!
Check out College Students and Sleep for more information on sleep issues concerning college students.