How to sleep effectively while studying

Sleep is important to get right while studying. If you woke up to the alarm this morning, and wanted to stay in bed then you may not be sleeping right. This is a natural resistance at the start of the day, of which most people face, and could be improved by looking into the areas that affect the quality of your sleep. It is normal that your energy levels reduce later on in the day; although, if you are falling asleep before getting home from the last class of the day, then something is probably not going right with your sleep. Let us delve into the areas that affect your sleep and some of these will serve as a reminder, that you may have paid less than necessary attention to before when at home with your parents. The situation has changed, and so should your attention to your sleep.

If you are not sleeping for at least 8 or 9 hours a night then this is the first area to focus on. You absolutely must plan your study routine around sleep. Less than this amount of sleep a night will lead to reduced energy levels and affect your overall performance. To ensure that you get the right amount of sleep, work out the time when you need to wake up and then determine the time 8 or 9 hours earlier when you need to be in bed. Factor in any time that it normally takes to fall asleep once getting into bed. Keep the same bed time and wake up time during the week as much as possible as this will reinforce a typical sleeping pattern. Remember that if your sleep is for at less than 8 or 9 hours a night, then your routine needs to be reviewed.

The bed is one of the most important factors to ensure that you have a quality sleep. Everything about the bed would ideally be comfortable to reinforce your sleep routine, and no one should expect you to sleep poorly while studying. As a student, it is not possible to afford the most comfortable bed; however, this does not mean that you should sleep on a bed that offers no support, and shows clear signs of wear. If the bed is in this sort of state then find a way to buy a new one. If you are short of money then talk to your family or someone else who can offer a loan. It is essential to check that your bed is comfortable to sleep on and is not reducing the quality of your sleep.

The temperature of the room needs to be right. The choice of where you are sleeping will likely be set for the year, and determined by the living options available around the area; therefore, it is about making the best of what is available. The temperature of the room is one of the key influences on the quality of your sleep. In winter if the room is cold, then more layers can be put on the bed, and look for alternative ways to keep yourself warm if heating the room is too expensive. In the summer the room can often be too hot. In this case it may be necessary to open the windows to cool down the room. If your bedroom is at the right temperature then your sleep will be more comfortable.

The noise and light around the room are other factors that impact your ability to sleep. These distractions can make it difficult to get off to sleep, and you will likely realise this after moving into a new place. The surroundings are different to where you were living before and distractions will be there in other ways. If your flatmates are watching a movie in the next room, or if there is a party with loud music in a flat near you then these are going to distract your sleep. The light entering the room will also be more noticeable as you adjust to the new space. These distractions may seem trivial; although, they can easily affect your sleep. In your new room look for ways to reduce the noise and light to make it easier to sleep.

Any exercise in the last couple of hours before bed should be avoided. Any exercise will increase your heart rate and body temperature. The heart rate has to drop further after exercise in order to reach a resting heart rate while sleeping. If your body temperature is elevated then it may make sleep more uncomfortable, especially if the room is overheated already. If possible, plan your exercise at the start of the day, or any other time that suits during the rest of the day. The late night run that you were considering going for is best to be delayed, even if the whole day has been busy. If you avoid exercise too close to bed then it will be easier to get off to sleep.

Any energy drinks or coffee should be avoided towards the end of the day. If you drink anything that is meant to give you an energy kick before bed then the effects are likely to last after the time when you planned to get off to sleep. Check that you are not hungry or dehydrated, as this can also lead to reduced energy levels. If you avoid energy drinks and coffee then it will remove difficulty getting off to sleep.

Another thing to avoid is eating a large meal right before sleep. The body needs time to process the food and move it through the digestive system. After eating it is obvious that the other end of the system will likely want to excrete processed food to make way for the new food. It is much more comfortable getting into bed after the body has sufficiently started processing the food. If you avoid eating a large meal right before bed then it makes getting off to sleep easier.

Stay away from alcohol in the couple of hours before bed if you want to have a quality sleep. A party on a Friday and Saturday night will make it difficult to avoid alcohol right before bed; although, if you have study the next day then it would be best to stop drinking well before bed. You can decide whether you prefer to drink right up until sleep, and not be able to concentrate well the next day, or take note of this and then see your performance increase. It is one of those situations where life forces you to sacrifice one or the other. If only it was possible to have both. We will leave it up to you to decide how close to bed you want to drink alcohol and what quality of sleep you need.

If you are finding it difficult to sleep due to worry, then consider a method suggested by studygs.net (see ‘worry and think time’). The method for dealing with worries is as follows:

1. Set aside a regular time each day to focus on your worries
2. When you think of a worry, remind yourself that time is set aside later to focus on it.
3. Find a way to let the worry go, or how to approach it.
4. Keep your regular appointment for worries.

See if this method can reduce your level of worry and take a load off your mind when getting off to sleep.

Now that we have looked at the areas that affect sleep in detail, it must be about time to get off to sleep. If your attention was diverted well before now, or you started getting sleepy, we would suggest looking at your sleep situation right now. The next few hours are important for recharging your body to ensure that you can perform at your best, no matter what challenges lie ahead. That morning alarm is going to come quicker than you would like, so be ready with your best attack of 8 or 9 hours of quality sleep. Notice how much this changes your concentration levels, and the performance will also follow. Sleep is not something to be taken lightly, so stop reading this right now and get off to bed.