Back to school time is finally upon us, which means the restful nights summer blessed us with are unfortunately behind us. At any age, the student life can be tough. As much as students aspire to have a steady routine, being in school often requires a heavy load of work, odd schedules and unwanted stress. The overwhelming reality of school causes students to put sleep on the backburner, but our Cumming mattress store experts are here to shed some light on why sleep should be a priority for any student.
The life of a student is overwhelming. Between schoolwork, extracurricular activities and finding the right balance between work and maintaining a social life, students often have jam-packed schedules that are not conducive to sleeping. Not to mention, when finals come around, all-nighters become no stranger to the average college student, which forces them to rely on caffeine to recharge their batteries. If school is the reason you’re all too familiar with sleep deprivation, the importance of sleep is enough of a reason to make rest your No. 1 priority.
Yes, this goes without saying, but sleep is a direct reason why we have energy. Of course, other factors like eating give us energy, but sleep allows us to be able to perform at the rate that we do. Without a full night of sleep, your body is missing out on the proper charge that it needs.
Energy affects how much we’re able to do and how fast we’re able to do it. Think of it this way: Hypothetically, a full night of sleep gives you $100 that you need to spend throughout the next day. If you have to spend $20 (or 20 percent of your energy) at one time, you’re able to simply hand over a $20 bill if you have $100 to pull from. Let’s say a partial night of rest gives you only $50 to spend throughout the day. With a limited budget, you’ll have to pass on opportunities that cost too much, and each dollar you spend out of $50 is more valuable to you than if you were to have a full $100 to spend.
A body that is fully and properly rested will fight off viruses better than a body that is functioning on limited sleep. The chances of getting sick while you’re tired are higher than after a good night’s rest. Additionally, your heart rate is lowered while you’re asleep, meaning that your blood pressure as a whole could be lowered by achieving proper rest. With the emphasis on “might,” note that this might lower your blood pressure. Achieving a good night’s sleep is not a substitute for professional medical treatment to improve blood pressure.
Have you ever noticed that you’re more stressed when you’re deep into sleep debt? While the stress might be a result of all that’s causing you to lose sleep, a lack of rest is certainly a cause of stress. Your memory, judgment and problem-solving skills are hindered when you are running on limited energy, which is obviously not favorable when seeking to be productive. Experiencing a decline in your abilities can be draining – causing stress and depression.
One of a student’s more important abilities is the ability to focus. Even in a course that has a captivating subject matter, students can find it difficult to focus during class or study times when running on a lack of sleep.
As our Cumming mattress store experts helped us realize, losing sleep can seriously impact other areas of our lives. We know no one neglects sleep on purpose, but let’s take a look at the most effective sleeping tips now that we know the importance of a good night’s sleep for students.
Schedules can be unpredictable and inconsistent when in school, forcing students to go to sleep at 11 p.m. some nights and 3 a.m. on other nights. Though you might not be able to adjust your schedule too much, manage your time in a way that allows you to go to sleep at as close to the same time each night.
Anyone who’s been in school for a few years knows that you’ll get less sleep at the end of the semester opposed to the ample sleep you can achieve at the start of a semester. Sure, the workload may be heavier as the semester wraps up, but how much of that is because students procrastinate? Though putting off an assignment until a later day is an easy habit to get into, make an effort to start a project relatively soon after it’s assigned.
Another thing to not procrastinate on is sleep. A lot of students just wait for the weekend to sleep in and catch up on some rest. Accumulating sleep debt is not a good idea because you might not get an opportunity to catch back up.
Though your mattress might be a comfy spot to study or watch Netflix, it should be a dedicated spot for sleeping – especially if you have insomnia. Doing other activities in your bed will keep your mind running while you’re trying to fall asleep. If you use your mattress for thought-provoking activities, later in the night, you might think about studying or about the show you’re currently binging when all you actually want to think about is counting sheep.
Though the dorm life can be crazy, do your best to eliminate distractions in your room. Try drowning out some ruckus with a white noise machine or app. Keep your phone on silent or do not disturb to ensure that you can get a good night’s sleep.
No one can deny that two-hour naps feel amazing, but they throw off your internal clock too much. You might find sleeping that night difficult after resting in the middle of the day for a few hours. Limit your naps to only 30 minutes at the longest but aim for 20 – if you absolutely need a nap to push through the rest of the day.
Fred’s Beds, a Cumming mattress store, is committed to helping you save money in your pursuit of getting a good night’s rest, even with school getting in the way. Our inventory, which carries all the major brands, changes daily, so visit us today! Our hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and closed Sundays. For the best deal on a new, quality mattress, contact us at 770-628-5875 or stop by our store in Cumming. Connect with us on Facebook for more.