Sleep is one of the most important parts of maintaining a healthy body and mind. As a college student, you have lots of things that can work against you when it comes to getting the sleep you need (academic commitments, busy schedules, late night meetings, roommates and stress, just to name a few). The consequences of poor sleep can be major. Did you know people who have poor sleep have poor attention, decreased memory retention, increased likelihood of getting sick and increased likelihood of having an accident? Fortunately, we have some simple, easy to follow suggestions that will have you catching Zzz’s in no time.

Sleep Hygiene

You may have heard this term before. Sleep Hygiene are the basic strategies we should all be following to give ourselves the best chance at getting a good night’s sleep. Read through this list and see if there are any ways you could make some changes to improve these sleep promoting behaviors.

1. Limit Caffeine: No more than 3 cups per day. No caffeine in the late afternoon or evening hours (at least 4-6 hours before bed).

• Limit Alcohol: May help you fall asleep at first but can lead to sleep disruption and make sleep less restful.

• Exercise Regularly but not Close to Bedtime: Regular moderate exercise can improve quality of sleep.

• Try a Light Bedtime Snack such as Milk, Peanut Butter, or Cheese: These foods contain chemicals your body uses to produce sleep and can make you drowsy. Avoid big meals close to bedtime.

• Keep Your Bedroom Quiet and Dark: Noise and light can disrupt sleep; try white-noise machines or ear plugs to screen sounds if noise is unavoidable. Use eye masks if light is unavoidable.

• Keep your Bedroom Cool: Temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit can disrupt sleep.

Other Sleep Improvement Guidelines

While Sleep Hygiene strategies are a necessary foundation for quality sleep, they are unfortunately not sufficient. Here are some additional tips for improving and maintaining good sleep habits.

1. Select a Standard Rising Time:  Set the time and stick to it every day, regardless of how much sleep you get each night. This will create a stable sleep pattern.

• Use the Bed Only for Sleep and Sex: Do not read, watch TV, eat, study, use the phone or computer, or do other things that require you to be awake. These activities unintentionally train your brain to be awake in bed.

• Get Out of Bed When You Can’t Sleep: Never stay in bed for extended periods of time without being asleep; this will increased frustration and worry about not sleeping and make it harder to sleep. It also creates a negative association with your bed/sleep time. If you are awake for 15-20 minutes, get out of bed no matter the time of night. Leave your room if you are able. Engage in relaxing, non-stimulating activities and don’t return to bed until you are ready to sleep.

• Don’t Worry, Plan or Problem-Solve in Bed:  If your mind is racing, get out of bed and go to another room until you are able to return to bed without the worry. Consider setting aside time earlier in the night to worry so it’s less likely to follow you to bed.

• Avoid Daytime Napping: Napping weakens sleep drive, making it more difficult to fall asleep at night.

• Avoid Excessive Time in Bed:  Go to bed when you are sleepy but don’t go to bed so early that you spend more time in bed than you need; this can make sleep worse. Determine how much time you “need” for sleep and stick to it.

Adapted from Edinger & Carney, 2015 by Anna Lock, PsyD and Coordinator of the Integrative Health Program

Sleep. Wonderful, elusive sleep. When you sleep well, you mind is rested and your body is restored after the wear and tear of everyday life. People who get 8-10 hours of sleep a night have been found to run faster, have lower stress levels, avoid accidents, and live an overall happier life. But what happens when our commitments interfere with our sleep schedule?

Being in college can–unfortunately for many–mean sacrificing getting a proper night’s sleep in order to balance academics, extracurriculars, and a fulfilling social life. The negative effects of sleep deprivation are well documented, and can range from impaired memory and critical thinking skills, weight gain, and even severe health problems like heart disease over time. You can focus on sleep hygiene to combat that.

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene, contrary to what the name may lead you to believe, is not about making sure that your body and bed is clean and nicely made every day. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep hygiene is a “variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness.” One fun way to enhance your sleep hygiene is to create a “sleep sanctuary” for yourself to promote healthy sleep habits and a soothing sleep environment.

How can I make my own “sleep sanctuary”?

• Light: One simple step to start with is to be conscious of the light in your bedroom. Blue light from phones, computers, TVs, and even LED lights can disrupt the body’s sleep cycle and interrupt the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your sleep patterns. Sometimes, though, late night homework and phone usage happens. Apps like f.lux can help minimize the amount of blue light coming from your screen, so late night study sessions (or Netflix) won’t impact your sleep quite as much.
• Stress Management: Managing your anxiety and stress, particularly before sleep, helps you get a good night’s sleep. Although exercise during the day can help reduce anxiety and stress, intense exercise soon before bedtime can actually provide a boost of energy that will keep you up longer. In the evening, focus on yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises to bring down your stress and anxiety in a sleep friendly way.
• Move your clock: Alarm clocks can also be a serious detriment to sleep. Looking at the clock while trying to fall asleep can increase anxiety, making it harder for people to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Researchers suggest you turn your clock away from you or keep it far enough away so you can’t see the time when you wake up in the middle of the night.
• Sleep only: Make your bed a sacred space. TV, laptops, and video games in bed might feel comfy and convenient, but it also puts a good night’s sleep at risk. Use your bed only for sleep and self-care, like stretching and reading.

What are some things you’d want in your sleep sanctuary? Let us know in the comments!

Kristan is a Program Assistant for Health & Wellness at UNC Student Wellness. Read their bio here.

“Sleep, social life, or good grades,” my buddy said with a grin, “pick two.”

By now, you understand how busy life at UNC can become – which makes the statement above a bit closer to reality than most of us would like. With all the organizations to join, social events to attend, people to meet, languages to learn, papers to write, and projects to complete, most students at UNC wish for more hours in a day. Sometimes, they get those extra hours by forgoing sleep.

Especially at a competitive school like UNC, students quickly fall into the dangerous trap of taking pride in sacrificing sleep for academics. I’ve heard many UNC students brag about pulling an all-nighter. People even say things like “I can sleep when I’m dead.” or “Sleep is for sissies.” (That last one is advice a professor gave me at UNC. Yikes.).

Given the culture surrounding sleep on a competitive college campus, I know that prioritizing sleep is going to be difficult. But the research is clear: getting enough sleep has wide-ranging benefits in areas that are especially important to students such as memory, focus, and stress.

Benefits of Sleep

Truthfully, researchers don’t really know why we sleep.

They do know that when people are sleep-deprived, their attention, focus, motivation to learn, creativity, ability to think abstractly, and vigilance are all decreased. This makes it harder to receive and properly process incoming information, and makes it more likely that we make sloppy errors in our work.  When tired, neurons don’t function properly, and we are less able to recall previously learned information. Can’t learn new things? Can’t remember old things? Lack of sleep takes its toll on the student’s brain.

In addition to negatively affecting memory both before and after learning, inadequate sleep impairs judgment, mood, motivation, and how we perceive events. Over time, poor sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and depression.  Lack of sleep can also lead to weight gain.

New research has even suggested that not getting enough sleep makes us appear unattractive and sad.

If you don’t get enough sleep over time, you build up a sleep debt.

Sleep is good. I get it. Now what?

Getting good sleep is about developing good habits, or “Sleep Hygiene.” Harvard Medical School has a Division of Sleep Medicine website which I highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about sleep. They have listed 12 tips for improving sleep which are amazing. Read them now. Seriously.

Below is the abbreviated version. For full explanations, hit the links above!

1. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep (especially 4-6 hours before bedtime).
2. Turn your bedroom into a sleep-inducing environment. Keep work, electronic devices and bright lights out of the bedroom.
3. Establish a soothing pre-sleep routine.
4. Only go to sleep when you are truly tired.
5. Don’t be a nighttime clock-watcher.
6. Use natural light to your advantage to stay on a natural awake-sleep schedule. Avoid devices after nightfall, or if you can’t turn off your mobile device or laptop, consider a red-light filter to remind your body when it is time for sleep.
7. Keep your internal clock set with a consistent sleep schedule.
8. Nap early, before 5pm, or not at all.
9. Lighten up on evening meals.
10. Balance fluid intake.
11. Exercise. Ideally early in the day, and at least 3 hours before bedtime.
12. Stick with your new sleep routine!

Want more info? Check out greatist.com’s list of 27 ways to sleep better tonight.  The NY Times has some great info on sleeping better in their wellness section, like steps for more, and better, sleep and how exercise can help us sleep better.

It’s easy to let your work slip into sleepy time, but remember that doing so makes your hard-working brain work even harder. Instead of pulling an all-nighter, plan ahead and break up studying into multiple smaller sessions. Sleeping between bouts of studying will help consolidate your memories and help you do better on your test. When socializing, make sure you are taking into account how much sleep you have been getting before deciding to hang out with friends late at night.

If you are still having issues with sleep, come into UNC Counseling and Psychological Services or Campus Health Services. Both services offer insight to support UNC grad and undergrad students in getting higher quality and more regular sleep.

Happy Sleeping!

This post was originally published Sept 27, 2013. It has been edited for clarity.