Evaluating the importance of a good night’s rest

I’ll sleep when I’m dead. I can just catch up this weekend. I can just drink caffeine tomorrow… 2 hours of sleep won’t matter. We’ve all heard (or used) them. It also seems to be a collegiate badge of honor: I pulled an all-nighter! Let’s talk a bit about what sleep does and how you might be able to improve it so you can do your best in and out of the classroom!

The science: getting enough quality sleep, at the right times, improves our brain functioning to allow the cells to communicate with each other. This helps us to incorporate the information we have learned, create new memories, and perform tasks more efficiently and with greater success than if we have failed to get good quality sleep. It detoxifies. It eliminates unnecessary pathways. It strengthens necessary pathways. Sleep reaches beyond the brain and impacts the entire body. It improves our immunity and health. It improves our heart functioning. It reduces blood pressure and inflammation. Sleep helps our muscles to recover after performing. It helps us to manage our mental health and stress management.

The reality: most people need somewhere between 8-9 hours of sleep every night. And it can be difficult to prioritize your sleep above socializing, homework, or TikTok. We may not realize that we don’t “catch up” on sleep… especially if you are significantly deprived. If you are sleeping only 6 hours a night on-average, by the weekend, you have lost upwards of 15 hours of sleep. So it’s best to get your sleep throughout the week and not rely on the “catch up” strategy.

But Alicia, how do I optimize my nights so I can get the best sleep possible?

1. Stick to a schedule – our body works on a rhythm – the circadian rhythm – and it follows many signals to release natural chemicals in the body to cue sleepfulness and wakefulness. Be as regular as possible to give your body the chance to establish a rhythm (this means weekends too). Wake up and go to sleep at the same time each day.

2. Protect your bed – restrict your use of your bed to ONLY sleep. Avoid doing homework, doom scrolling on social media, binge watching your favorite show, or other things that may confuse the cues your brain needs to equate BED and SLEEP.

3. Create a pre-sleep routine – it can take up to 30 minutes to transition your brain from awake to ready to sleep. This is a good time to put away the homework, take a shower, brush your teeth, stretch, listen to a bedtime story, or any number of relaxing activities that prompt you that it’s “Time for Bed”.

4. Know what impacts your sleep – check out your medications, caffeine, or other activities to learn if they stimulate you too much to be ready to fall asleep. You may need to change your schedule to improve your sleep quality. Take care of the basics (nutrition, exercise, rest, laughter, etc.) as these can also impact sleep.

5. Set up a sleep-friendly environment – think about what you need to feel comfortable: is the room too hot/cold? Any noises? What about light? Consider using a sleep mask or ear plugs that can insulate you from external disruption.

Consider using an app to track your sleep or Calm.com or Headspace for relaxation or bedtime stories. Check out the Dream Team’s Instagram account for more tips!