Are you sleeping right?

College students have a reputation for missing early morning classes or falling asleep in class, and we ask ourselves, why is that?

Facts show that students don’t necessary need to be out partying to fall asleep in class the following morning.

Most young adults have a circadian rhythm which is an internal daily cycle for sleeping and wakening that tells them when to wake up or go to sleep. These circadian rhythms can cause students to have a sleep deprivation due to the requirements of the college.

Students might feel drowsy, have burning eyes and find it hard to pay attention when they are sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation refers to sleep duration of less than the average seven to eight hours.

Most adults need eight hours of sleep each night, but the typical college student sleeps only six to seven hours on weekdays.

According to a survey by the American College Health Association, 23 percent of college men and 25 percent of college women rated sleep difficulties as the third major impediment, after stress and illness, to academic performance.

The side effects of not getting enough sleep are endless due to the fact that the body doesn’t have enough time to restore, and body tissues won’t be relaxed.

Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation are also linked to serious physical and mental health conditions including congestive heart failure, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, influenza, asthma, bronchitis, depression, suicide and obesity.

Sleep is associated with overall health and quality of life, so what can we do to have a better night of sleep and improve our sleeping habits?

We should maintain a regular sleeping schedule, so our bodies will be able to adjust well. Having an altering schedule throws the biological internal clock off and disrupts sleep.

We need to create a sleep-friendly environment by changing the mattress or the pillow, finding a quiet place to rest, finding the ideal temperature in the room for your body or adjusting to your best body position.

Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol before bed time, because these stimulants might take up to four to six hours to clear from your blood. It reduces sleeping time by half or might quadruple the number of night awakenings.

Also, avoid exercising close to bed time. Research shows that exercising three hours prior bed time is not recommended because it releases adrenaline.

Try to manage stress before nighttime and find what will make you relax, such as taking a break from technology or reading a book. Adjusting to a better sleeping schedule might take time, but it’s worth it– don’t hesitate.

A version of this was published at The Vista