Here are more tips from Huffington Post for college students who want to get more sleep:
Recent studies have discovered that getting enough sleep may be a very important aspect of learning. If you are a college student, who is concerned about not getting enough sleep at night, here are some tips from Huffington Post on how to ensure the quality and quantity of your sleep hours is adequate:
12. If you sleep with a partner, make sure you each have separate blankets/sheets. “Use only one fitted sheet to start,” Robert Oexman, D.O., director of the Sleep to Live Institute told The Huffington Post in a recent interview. “Then make the top-of-bed with twin-size flat sheets and blankets to meet each person’s needs. If you’re worried about how that will look—no problem—you can cover this up with a single comforter when dressing the bed each morning.”
13. Try aromatherapy, such as lavender oil to induce sleep. A small study in 2005 discovered that smelling lavender before bedtime, helped study participants fall asleep easier—according to a Wall Street Journal report.
14. Take a hot bath. When soaking in a hot tub, the body temperature rises a bit. Then when you get out and dry off, the drop-in body temperature mimics the natural physiologic response of the brain before sleeping—as it lowers the body temperature slightly.
15. If you have insomnia, get out of bed, lying there thrashing around causes stress, which leads to a viscous cycle of more insomnia. But, be sure to do something relaxing-like listening to soft music. Keep the lights low and avoid snacking in the middle of the night.
16. Address snoring problems. People who snore don’t get the type of restful sleep that the body requires. According to the National Sleep Foundation, there are a few things you can do to combat snoring, such as:
-Sleep on your side, instead of on your back
-Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages before bedtime
-Lose weight (if needed)
17. Have a sleep study, to be evaluated for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep condition in which people stop breathing for short time spans—sometimes hundreds of times each night. Losing weight and avoiding alcohol can help with sleep apnea. There are also medical interventions, such as a CPAP machine, which must be recommended by a physician.
18. Get a new pillow. According to the New York Times, dust mites, which can build up in bedding, can trigger allergies, making it more difficult to sleep. WebMD suggests changing pillows every year to year and a half. Be sure you have the right thickness of pillow for your sleeping position as well. For example, if you sleep on your stomach, a thin pillow is best.
19. Try relaxations techniques and/or meditation to deal with stress. Combating stress and the tendency to ruminate in bed at night over negative or stressful situations, can really wreak havoc on anyone’s sleep pattern. Getting a hold of a person’s negative thought patterns is an important aspect of a heathy sleep pattern.
20. Drink most of your daily water allowance allocation during the daytime hours, and slow down water intake as it gets close to bedtime. This will prevent a full bladder disrupting sleep cycles in the middle of the night.
21. Consider quitting smoking (and vaping if that’s the case). Nicotine is a stimulant that can keep you up all night. In a 2008 study, smokers were found to be 4 times more likely to report feeling tired upon awakening, than non-smokers.
22. If all else fails, consider consulting with a mental health professional. Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered very effecting in treating insomnia. It usually involves therapy sessions, adjusting bedtime/sleeping hours, and keeping a sleep journal.
