In today’s world, sleep seems to be one of those distant friends that you don’t have much contact with on a daily basis—especially for campus students. It’s one of those things that you don’t really think about until you’re actually in bed, trying to sleep. Because of this, your bed might actually start to hate you for neglecting it. But here are some ways that you can maximize your sleeping schedule and make the most out of your days.
Set Some Time Aside
One thing that I find to be very helpful is to schedule time to sleep. If you’re dedicated to getting more sleep during the week, it might prove to be a good idea if you even put it in your google calendar or your planner so that you don’t forget to sleep. This can be an encouraging way to get you to sleep more.
Unwind
Take the last 30 minutes of your day as time to unwind. Close your laptop, put your phone down, and shut down any other technology that you may have up and running. Doing this will help your body detach itself from all of the craziness that you handle throughout the day. It’ll slow down your mental processes because you won’t be doing too much hard thinking.
Another good thing that can help you unwind is to reflect on your day; think about all of the things that happened that you enjoyed and all of the areas that you think you can improve. This shouldn’t take much of your mental attention because your brain will still want to shut down. Maybe even starting a journal that you only write in before you go to bed that talks about all of the things that happened throughout your day would help.
Go to Bed Earlier, Wake Up Earlier
This is a great strategy for those who want to get a jump-start on their day. Even if you go to bed 30 minutes before you normally do and wake up 30 minutes earlier, it’ll make all of the difference. Your body will thank you. At the end of the day, you’ll be a little bit more tired than you normally are and you’ll be able to get to sleep faster. Getting into this routine will help your body get used to the times that you go to bed and wake up in the morning.
Energy Drinks
Do not drink them. Trust me, I know how it is to need just a little bit more energy so that you can finish what you’re doing at night, but drinking an energy drink will screw up all of what came before this paragraph. You may even find them tasty, but instead, opt for water or juice to fuel your mind. Besides, I don’t think that your body would enjoy the side effects from energy drinks, especially if it’s not used to processing them.