tired bulldog at desk | college student sleep tips
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You’re familiar with the eight-hour rule. But actually getting eight full hours of shut-eye? Not so easy when you’re juggling things like a busy class schedule, work, and a social life. Getting more sleep, however, can actually help make all those things more manageable. 

Take the age-old dilemma: Should you study for a few more hours before your final or rest up before the test? Sleep has major brain benefits, including helping to improve your memory. So trading the flash cards for your pillow might do more to boost your grade.

Here’s the case in favor of getting more zzzs.

Sleeping away sickness

You’re not dreaming—you really will feel a difference in your body when you let it reenergize. Getting sufficient sleep helps your immune system function at its best. In a 2020 review of studies, researchers found that getting less than six hours of sleep per night can impact certain immune responses. In other words, if you’re exposed to a virus when you’re sleep-deprived, you’re more likely to get sick than if you were slumbering more.

male sick at home | college student sleep tips

Sleep and energy levels

A lack of sleep can also affect your endocrine system, which is responsible for managing your hormones, says Dr. Michel Bornemann, a sleep medicine specialist and former co-director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis. Hormones play an important role in generating energy—so when your sleep is off, it can throw off other routines, like eating or working out.

The part of your brain that controls these functions—the hypothalamus—needs sleep for regulation. When you haven’t gotten much sleep, you’re more likely to crave less nutritious foods that provide a quick shot of energy, such as sugary snacks. Plus, your body can’t fully reap the benefits of regular physical activity if you’re not getting consistent, deep sleep.

Sleep and stress

This might come as no surprise, but sleep has a major impact on our mood (just think about all the times you’ve gone through the day grumpy because you didn’t get enough shut-eye).

“If I don’t get enough sleep, I am usually grouchy and more prone to crying,” says Allison C., a third-year student at Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado. “When I get a good night’s sleep, I’m more outgoing and focused.” Specifically, sleep deprivation is linked to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol—a huge reason we feel out of whack when we don’t get enough shut-eye. That can turn into a vicious cycle where stress keeps you up at night. Academic research backs this up: In a 2020 study published in Behavioral Sciences, researchers found a connection between stress, insomnia, and poor mental health among a group of mostly female undergraduate students.

woman falling asleep while studying | college student sleep tips

Bad sleep = bad focus

Getting more sleep can help you focus better in class so you can spend less time reviewing the material later in the library. In a recent CampusWell survey, respondents stated they have difficulty concentrating when they don’t get sufficient sleep.

“[When I get enough sleep] I have more energy and can concentrate for a longer period of time,” says Trisha M., a second-year graduate student at Clemson University in South Carolina. “I’m also less moody, and my anxiety is not as intense.”

If you find yourself nodding off at your desk (it happens to the best of us), you’re obviously exhausted, but you might not realize how powerful your fatigue is. “Acute sleep deprivation is often associated with episodes of ‘microsleep,’ or brief, uncontrollable periods of sleep lasting three to six seconds. [They can] intrude upon wake at inopportune times, such as during a lecture,” explains Dr. Bornemann.

It can also be more serious—Dr. Bornemann points out that research shows that driving after pulling an all-nighter is “very similar to the impairment experienced when driving while intoxicated with alcohol.”

Making sleep a priority

Even when you’re totally on board with the importance of sleep, getting enough of it is easier said than done. Follow these tips to score more sleep.

list icon | college student sleep tipsReevaluate your to-do list.

If you can prioritize what needs to be done immediately and what can wait, it’ll allow more time for sleep. For example, do you need to call your best friend from home after you study, or can you save the call for your walk to class tomorrow? “I know that my body wants to go to sleep between midnight and 2 a.m.,” says Nicki K., a student at Northwestern University in Illinois. “If something isn’t done by then, it’s not usually worth doing.”

X icon | college student sleep tipsBe mindful of time wasters during the day.

Track how much time you spend on social media for a day, including checking Instagram before class or the number of minutes you spend on TikTok. It adds up. Think about how else you could use mindless scrolling time to be more productive during the day—and get more shut-eye at night. 

mobile device icon | college student sleep tipsDon’t check electronics after going to bed.

The blue light from your screen interferes with your body’s internal sleep clock, keeping you from drifting off. Plug your phone in to charge on the opposite side of your room to resist the temptation. 

coffee cup icon | college student sleep tipsLimit caffeine

Limit your caffeine intake at least six hours before you plan to go to bed so that the caffeine isn’t in your system when it’s time to sleep. “This is killer for some students, but limiting caffeine legitimately helped me. It’s sometimes frustrating not being able to have a glass of Coke with dinner, but I just had to take the time to build new habits,” says Elliece R., a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan.

clock icon | college student sleep tipsGet in the sleep zone

Take a relaxing shower before bed, practice pre-snooze meditation, or read until you drift off. “[I’m] in bed at least an hour before I want to be asleep—e.g., 9 p.m. if [I want] to be asleep by 10 p.m.,” says Corleah B., a second-year student at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana.

question mark icon | college student sleep tipsWill a nap help?

Consolidated night-time sleep is the goal, but if you’re still struggling, you may benefit from taking a nap. Take the quiz to find out if napping is right for you.

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Article sources

Michel Bornemann, MD, lead investigator, Sleep Forensics Associates and physician at Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, Minnesota.

Adams, S. K., Murdock, K. K., Daly-Cano, M., & Rose, M. (2020). Sleep in the social world of college students: Bridging interpersonal stress and fear of missing out with mental health. Behavioral Sciences, 10(2), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10020054

CampusWell survey, July 2022

Haspel, J. A., Anafi, R., Brown, M. K., Cermakian, N., et al. (2020). Perfect timing: Circadian rhythms, sleep, and immunity—an NIH workshop summary. JCI Insight, 5(1). https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/131487 

Leproult, R., Copinschi, G., Buxton, O., & Van Cauter, E. (1997). Sleep loss results in an elevation of cortisol levels the next evening. Sleep, 20(10), 865–870. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/20/10/865/2725962

National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Drowsy driving: Too tired to drive. https://www.thensf.org/ddpw-tf/ 

Wright Jr., K. P., Drake, A. L., Frey, D. J., Fleshner, M., et al. (2015). Influence of sleep deprivation and circadian misalignment on cortisol, inflammatory markers, and cytokine balance. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 47, 24–34. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889159115000069