Reading Time: 2minutes It can be tempting to “treat yourself” by eating sugary foods when you study. However, this can leave you with less energy than when you started. Try these healthier alternatives for sustained energy.
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Students adore and crave sleep. When we asked hundreds of you what youâd love to be doing right now, sleeping ranked secondâbehind only âbeing with someone I love,â and ahead of eating delicious food, having sex, and other pleasures. In a recent survey by SH101, 91 percent of respondents said they âlook forward to and relishâ their sleep.
And no wonder. Every time we sleep, weâre taking a luxury nano-vacation. âEach night we leave ourselves and enter a dreamworld…What a gift to spend a third of our lives in rejuvenation,â says Alyssa Rocco, a graphic artist based in Massachusetts (quoted online).
Which sleepy moments do you relish the most?
Getting into bed after a long day
The warmth and security of being in bed
Waking up refreshed
Reading or watching TV in bed
Waking up and remembering a good dream
The drowsy transition between being awake and asleep
Eating or drinking in bed
Source: Student Health 101 survey. 920 students answered this question.
Four ways to honor sleep as the hedonistic pleasure that it is:
1 Â Make your bed every day
Think of your bed as a gift to yourself. Youâll peel back the duvet and blankets (unwrap the gift) before you turn in.
Making our bed daily gives us a sense of control and is a surprisingly effective happiness fix, according to Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project.
2 Â Reframe your thinking
âSleep isnât something we have to do; itâs something we get to do. Itâs a luxury. We do it because it feels good, not because weâre afraid of consequences,â said Heather Turgeon, a psychotherapist (to the New York Times). In our survey, four out of five respondents (81 percent) described sleep as âone of lifeâs greatest pleasures.â
3 Â Think âdonât,â not âcanâtâ
Hereâs a mind trick that helps with desirable behaviors, like relishing bedtime: Frame your self-talk so itâs empowering, not punitive.
âI donât use gadgets after 11 p.m.â
âI donât stay up after 12:30 a.m.â
âI donât deny myself sleep.â
When we remind ourselves âI donât,â we are more successful than when we tell ourselves âI canât,â studies show.
4 Â Pamper yourself
TryâĶ
Changing the sheets: Fresh sheets mean better sleep, said 7 out of 10 people in a National Sleep Foundation survey. In our survey, only 1 in 10 students said they change their sheets weekly.
Lavender: Itâs relaxing. Drop some aromatherapy oil on your pillowcase.
Memory foam pillows: They conform to the curves of your neck, head, and shoulders.
How do students rank lifeâs greatest pleasures?
Being with someone I love
Sleep
Good food
Being in nature
Sex (or fantasy)
Music, literature, arts
Source: Student Health 101 survey. 800 students answered the question: Which of these would you relish most right now?