Ask any college student: Waking up in the morning with a lack of sleep from going to bed too late the night before takes a huge toll on your body.
You may be alright for the first several hours of the day, but at some point, you will find yourself beginning to feel sluggish and exhausted.
Your bed is calling your name and who would appreciate a nice nap?
Here is what I advise to avoid sleep deprivation in college.
Put your phone down.
One of the main causes of not getting enough sleep starts with the amount of time you spend on your phone before dozing off. In this day and age, putting down the phone is hard to do for most individuals.
Smartphones cause students to sleep less because they are so valuable to everyday use. Myself— and I am sure many other students— rely on our phones as our alarm clock.
If you still use a digital or analog clock to wake yourself up, I mean, that’s still cool, I guess.
The vast majority of students are either glued to their phones, trapped watching funny and cute videos on Facebook or YouTube or catching up on a Netflix series. I myself throw on a show on Netflix to help me fall asleep to. It has sort of become routine for me.
Unfortunately, this becomes a problem when we get distracted and spend more time than we should on bed.
Knowing when to put down the cell phone is essential to getting enough sleep.
Late night schoolwork.
Another major cause of lack of sleep is completing schoolwork in the wee hours of the night leading into the early morning.
All college students have been there. Especially around midterms and finals, sleep deprivation is a real thing. Most students even find it hard to remember what they were studying late at night because they are just so burnt out from the workload and lack of sleep.
Most students find ways to cope with sleep deprivation by the help of red bull or coffee.
According to the Huffington Post, the University of Southern California has a 24-hour Starbucks that is attached to the freshman dorms. This comes in handy to the religious coffee drinkers and also those who need it to aid their studies.
While it is important to complete your schoolwork, students need to recognize when they should stop working and go to sleep.
Your physical and mental health is more important than a grade.
It is also key to manage time properly so you can prevent having to do last-minute work.
Adjusting.
I found an interesting quote in the Huffington Post article “Is Sleep Deprivation the New College Norm?” that is quite relatable.
“Everyone has that one friend who can consistently function on five hours of sleep.”
Although we all might know a few people who can function on a low amount of hours of sleep, this is not the case for everyone.
Believe me when I say there are ways to prevent sleep deprivation.
This may sound crazy, but going to bed earlier rather than later is a smart idea.
Having your schedule laid out for the next day makes waking up easier and starting off your day less of a hassle.
Despite the irresistible temptation of being on your phone, or to procrastinate, your body will thank you the next day for putting it down early.
While sleep deprivation may be normal, it should not become a habit. Conquering sleep deprivation can improve your school work and is better for your well-being.
