Building healthy habits: Sleep hygiene
Get a good night's sleep
The average young adult needs approximately 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting less sleep than this, lowers brain function and can negatively affect your learning. Students who consistently get more than 6 hours of sleep per night have higher G.P.A.s than those who don’t. Your body does not adapt to less sleep. Instead, you become chronically sleep deprived.
Regular exercise improves sleep, as long as it is completed more than 3 hours before bedtime.
Take Action
- Turn off your phone. One of the most important things an individual can do is limit the amount of time spent on electronic devices before bed. These devices emit a blue light that triggers your body to wake up.
- Set a regular sleep schedule for yourself: try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
- Avoid caffeine after lunch.
- Taking a hot bath or shower before bed changes your core temperature and signals for sleep.
- Make sure you get sunlight during the day, as this helps maintain your sleep-wake cycle.
- If you need to take a nap during the day, keep it to 20 minutes to avoid disrupting your nighttime sleep.