Post by Seth Litwin
In the best of times, the last thing college students think about is getting their zzz’s at night. Studying, socializing, and watching the big game can take away from time asleep at night. In 2020, the stress that accompanies the pandemic can make sleep elusive. Whether your return to school means live classes on campus, online learning, or a combination of the two, sufficient quality sleep is even more critical. While it is recommended that young adults should be getting eight and a half to nine and a half hours of sleep, the average college student gets only six hours of sleep per night. If you are a college student or you are the parent of a college student, read on.
Sleep is essential for succeeding in school. Getting adequate sleep helps the brain get ready for the next day. Typically, students with higher grade point averages are asleep before midnight. Sleep also helps fight depression, keeps you in a better mood, makes you less hungry, and makes you look more refreshed the next day. Often, you will hear students say they will catch up on sleep over the weekend, but that doesn't happen. Even if you sleep longer on the weekends, that extra sleep can hurt more than it helps. Catching up on sleep throws off your sleep clock and can cause sleep issues like snoring.
There are a few simple things college students can do to ensure they are not only getting enough sleep but are getting quality sleep.
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon. Coffee in the morning is great but drinking coffee or other caffeinated products later in the day will keep you awake when you should be asleep.
- Turn off electronics thirty minutes before bed. The light emitted from things like phones, laptops, and television decreases melatonin levels. Melatonin is a chemical that helps you fall asleep. Decreased levels make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Set up a regular sleep schedule. In other words, stick to a set bedtime. What this means is you should try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up around the same time every morning, hopefully, 8.5-9.5 hours later. This helps your body know when it is time to go to sleep.
- Finally, things like earplugs and eye masks can provide a darker and quieter sleep atmosphere and help drown out the dorm distractions. Down Etc offers a couple of awesome options for eye masks.
However, the most important thing for a great night’s sleep is a comfortable place to lie down. Down Etc can provide just that. If you are returning to campus, our one-of-a-kind College Dorm Room Bedding Kit will make your bed the place to get you ready for the next day. In it, you will get a down comforter, down pillow, pillow protector, mattress pad, and feather bed. These are all designed to fit the larger size of most dorm room beds so you can take them with you when it is time to return. If you will be learning online until it is time to return to campus, Down Etc has all the bedding you will need to make the start of school special. Down Etc is the first step to that perfect 4.0 GPA.
Updated Links July 29, 2022
