HALEO | Students' sleep

Students’ sleep  

The student population is diverse and faces its own challenges. One of these challenges is getting a good night’s sleep in the years leading up to graduation. Indeed, many academic, social and financial stressors are characteristic of this period and can impact sleep in return. 

Studying means screens, as well as long hours spent trying to perfect one’s knowledge in order to pass an exam or finish an assignment, sometimes in the evening or even during the night. We’re also talking about a population who, in addition to studying, often have a job on the side. In short, your post-secondary studies are a fertile moment to develop insomnia. 

However, it doesn’t have to be like this. At HALEO, we think being a student can be compatible with a good sleep. So, here are a few tips to help you achieve that. 

Memory  

Sleep helps to consolidate memory. Through a number of physiological processes, previously learned information is partly consolidated during slow-wave sleep. Some studies even show that taking a nap after learning can help us remember better than staying awake. In short, sleep can be an invaluable memory booster, even more so in moments of intense learning, such as before an exam. 

Stress

If you’re sleep-deprived, you may be more reactive to stress. Why? Because sleep helps the body to regulate cortisol, the stress hormones. Which means that if you want to feel relaxed during a stressful period (like exams), you should sleep as much as you need. 

If you have to work in front of a screen in the evening, there are a few tricks you can use to protect your sleep. You can, for example, reduce the brightness of your screens and avoid working in bed. 

Here are some other tips to help you sleep better and enjoy those years (and your sleep!) even more: 

A few tips to help you sleep better

Here are some other tips to help you sleep better and enjoy those years (and your sleep!) even more:   

• Watch your caffeine intake. If you need to be alert to study or complete an assignment, make sure your caffeine intake doesn’t interfere (too much) with your sleep (remember that sleeping helps you consolidate the information you learned). In the best of all possible worlds, caffeine would be stopped 8 hours before bedtime. 
• Keep your alarm clock for when you wake up in the morning, but don’t look at the clock during the night, since it’s an additional source of stress and automatically puts you in calculation mode. 
• Don’t look at your cell phone during the night if you are awake, no matter how tempted you are: your brain sees such a screen as a reward. In order to obtain this reward, your brain may wake you up the next night, creating a habit that is detrimental to sleep. 
• Set aside a few minutes in the evening, even after long hours of studying, to reduce your hypervigilance, relax and do something that helps you relax. 
• After a period of sleep deprivation, such as the end of a semester, make sure you take time to recuperate in the days that follow. 
• You might need more or less sleep than your friends, so don’t compare yourself too much and follow your own sleep needs.

Your academic performance, stress levels, health and well-being are all affected by your sleep. If you have insomnia problems, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia can help you overcome them. 

So, instead of neglecting your sleep, why not learn to use it to your advantage? By prioritizing your sleep now, you’re laying the foundation for your body to build on for decades to come.

Need help with your sleep? 

We can help you! HALEO offers a solution that can contribute to productivity and well-being through quality sleep. Schedule a discovery meeting by booking your time here.