Sleep is one of those precious commodities we all wish we could have more of. It may be super important to your health, but most people put getting the right amount of sleep on the back-burner. You may not know why this is seriously bad for your health and beauty, and here some tips on how to get a better and more useful night’s sleep.

Why You Should…

  • Sleep is a basic necessity for everyone, but the amount needed varies on your age and what kind of activities you participate in daily. 7.5 to 9 hours is generally a good amount for any college girl.
  • A change in your sleep habits could mean easy weight loss. Many studies have shown that getting less sleep can lead to not only overeating, but craving more foods that are unhealthy for you.
  • You’ll have more natural energy and won’t have to rely on coffee or energy drinks just to get you through the day. Caffeine is a drug too!
  • Not getting enough sleep can cause irritability, mood swings, lack of concentration, and shorter response time. Are these really worth that extra hour you stay up to watch late night TV or spend on Facebook?

How To…

    • Set a specific time to go to bed every night and honour it as you would any other appointment. Invest in a good alarm clock to make sure you’re waking up on time, in addition to falling asleep on time. I love my ihome:

Dual Alarm Clock Radio for your iPhone/iPod

  • Try not to drink a lot of alcohol before going to sleep. Alcohol causes disruption in your sleep cycle, waking you up in the middle of the night several times and making it harder to fall back asleep.
  • Can’t set any more time for sleep at night? Take short naps. A nap doesn’t have to be any longer than 10 – 20 minutes. In fact, short naps are better for you and can provide you with bursts of energy.
  • Don’t watch tv before bed or eat a large meal. If you try falling asleep and you can’t for a while, get up and try to focus on something else, such as reading a book or cleaning your room.
  • Also, make sure your room is a comfortable temperature. Having a room be a little cold usually aids in falling asleep.

What Do You Think?

Try to change up your normal habits a little bit and see how much better you feel after a couple days. I just recently started going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier and I can already tell I have more energy throughout the day, as long as I don’t sleep in too late!

How many hours of sleep do you usually get? Have any of these or other tips worked for you? Good luck and sweet dreams!

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5 Comments

  1. avatar Jennifer says:

    I find because I drink a lot of caffeine during the day that I have trouble sleeping some nights. I try to avoid it later in the day now, and limit myself to just one intake a day (i.e. one pop, or one coffee)

  2. avatar south says:

    I usually have a hard time falling asleep whenever I eat a lot at night and drink sodas. So, as a rule I don’t eat later than 6pm since I have to sleep by 8pm coz my class is at 6am. :| Try not to oversleep as well since it makes you groggy in the morning. Thanks for the tips. They helped me a lot!

  3. avatar Sari says:

    This is such an important reminder, and also some pretty good tips. I’d also recommend reading, just a bit, before bedtime. Nothing scary or addictive, but it helps me unwind at least. :)

  4. avatar Lily says:

    In summer i get a good 8-9 hours of sleep, but during the school year it depends. normally 6-7, but when it comes down to crunch time 4-5.

  5. avatar Alaina says:

    Over the SUmmer I usually get about 7-11 hours of sleep per night, but over the school year, only about 6.

    This post really makes me want to jump back into bed :)

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