Sleep is extremely important and is vital for both mental and physical wellness. Studies have shown that deep, restful sleep assists your body in rejuvenating energy expended during the daytime. While you’re asleep, your brain is still actively working and creating fresh connections to assist with tasks such as learning, insights, and memories. Your cardiovascular system gets a break while you’re sleeping because your heart rate and blood pressure both decrease when you’re asleep. Sleep deprivation can cause difficulty concentrating, loss of memory, slow reaction time, and a long list of other troubling side effects.
As a college student, having a steady sleeping routine is difficult. There are research papers to finish, loud residence halls, social events, and many other distracting factors pulling you away from getting a good night’s rest. Even so, it is important that you do your best to get as much sleep as possible. Although it can vary from person to person, most adults require an average of eight hours of sleep a night. Take the quiz below to see if you are getting enough sleep!
1. What time do you usually go to bed? Approximately…
A. 10:30pm almost every night.
B. Midnight or 1am most often.
C. Go to bed? I usually fall asleep on the futon at 3am.
2. How many times do you hit snooze?
A. Who needs snooze? My body wakes up at the same time everyday.
B. Just once, and it’s pretty easy to get out of bed after that.
C. Too many to count- I add in an hour of snoozing before I need to get up.
3. When you’re thirsty in the afternoon what do you reach for?
A. Some water or sugar-free juice.
B. A cup of coffee or mocha drink.
C. A liter of the strongest energy drink available at the local gas station.
4. How do you feel in the morning?
A. Like a spring chicken! Ready to take on the challenges of the day.
B. Kind of tired, but a hot shower usually shakes off the cob webs.
C. Like death. Did the black circles under my eyes give it away?
5. If your bed was a dinner experience, what would it be?
A. A five course meal lasting several hours.
B. A sit down restaurant for a quick bite to eat.
C. A fast food joint where you’re in and out in no time at all.
So, how did you score? If your answers were:
- Mostly A’s, then you are a sleeping machine. You have a specific time set for bed and you do your best to stick to your routine. Most days you feel refreshed and ready to take on classes, even if they are early in the morning. Stay on track and you’ll find yourself feeling well rested and content.
- Mostly B’s, then you try to get a good night’s sleep occasionally. Sometimes you find yourself dozing off in classes or burning the candle at both ends, but for the most part you do a good job of spending some quality time staring at the backs of your eyelids.
- Mostly C’s, then you’re probably a walking zombie. You are tired all of the time and try to sneak a few minutes of sleep any chance you get. Keeping up with your current routine will lead to added stress, fatigue and, more than likely, poor performance at school. Time to make some changes!
Do you have any tricks you use to fall asleep at night? Are you sleep deprived? Leave your comments in the box below!
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