What is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep Hygiene is a term used to describe good sleep habits
- College aged people need 7-10 hours of sleep per night
- Less than 7 hours per night is sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation leads to:
- Memory/Learning challenges
- Frustration
- Anxiety/stress
- Depressed mood
- Exhaustion
Sleep Hygiene Tips
- Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day
- Sleep when tired, earlier bedtime may help
- Limit/Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
- Bed is for sleeping only! Don’t do work or read in your bed
- Limit or eliminate naps if you can’t sleep at night
- Sleep rituals
- Establish a sleep routine
- Dim or turnaround your clock/phone so you can’t stare at the time and stress about not sleeping
- Track your sleep with an app or diary
- Exercise during the day
- Create the ideal environment (temperature, darkness, sound app/machine, etc
Sleep Resources
A uniform [sleep] pattern may also help the brain process and cement new information, potentially resulting in higher grades
The Sleep Habits That Can Improve Your Grades, According to a New Study
“Among the most important findings, Grossman says, was that sleep consistency appears to be just as important as sleep duration and quality when it comes to academic performance. Most doctors recommend keeping sleep and rise times fairly constant throughout the week, to avoid disturbing the circadian rhythms that regulate wakefulness. Grossman’s data suggest that a uniform pattern may also help the brain process and cement new information, potentially resulting in higher grades.”
~~Jamie Ducharme, Time Magazine, 10/02/19
The Importance of Sleep for College Students
~~Colgate University, 2015