RISE Blog | Breathe Easy, Sleep Well: A Guide to Healthy Sleeping Habits

By: Mariah Carlo, Peer Educator
April 28th, 2023

If you were asked to think about a time where someone told you, “I'm staying up late to study,” I'm sure that it would not be hard to bring an instance to mind. Or maybe you're the person to say something like this. Maybe you had a really big test the next day and figured that to utilize the most of your time, you would stay up past midnight or even pull an all-nighter to cram. But when you are stressed and half awake trying to retain an entire unit of content at 3:00 A.M., do you ever question if it's really worth it to lose your sleep? Have you really considered the logic and effectiveness of this ideology or looked into the significance of sleep for your health?

It is important to keep in mind that sleep is fluid and changes every day, but keeping a consistent routine and/or implementing healthy sleeping habits into your nighttime routine is likely to produce a positive outcome in all aspects of your life. For the betterment of your mental, physical, and emotional health, as well as your performance on your next big test, please consider that your performance and functionality are heavily reliant on the quantity and quality of sleep that you get. With next week taking us into finals, here are some things to keep in mind about sleep and how it affects our daily lives.

So, What's the Big Deal with Sleep? 

Research shows that we spend about one third of our lives sleeping, or attempting to do so. It is a necessary and vital human need that our bodies sometimes even force us to sleep. With this consideration, it is shown that our bodies are heavily dependent on the valuable properties of sleep. Some examples of the factors influenced by sleep are: 

• Physical Growth and Development
• Immune Sufficiency and Health Aid
• Removing of Harmful Toxins/Detox
• Cognitive Functionality and Memory
• Mental Wellbeing
• Cardiovascular Health

Harvard studies show that sleep has a role in the consolidation of information. Consolidation of information takes place during sleep through the strengthening of the neural connections that form our memories. Sleep deprivation results in a loss of our ability to process and obtain information (Ellenbogen and Stickgold, 2006). This means that any material you were previously studying and working to memorize can be more easily retained as your body regains its ability to process and store information through sleep. When you exhaust your body and mind trying to cram information, you may end up losing all the effort instead. 

How Can We Encourage Healthy Sleep?

Scientists recommend adults aged 18-64 get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. During this period of time, your body is put into an altered state that allows for a change in blood pressure, breathing, brain activity, and protein synthesis. Certain positive sleep habits can actually be practiced in your day-to-day life to improve the quality of your sleep before you even go to bed. These habits include:

• Our exposure to daylight, which keeps our internal clock in balance
• Our exercise and movement levels, which should be in practice to reduce sleep onset
• Mindfulness of our intake of substances such as caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, because of their stimulant effects

If possible, find time during your day to go for a walk and take in some sun, or even if you don't want to go outside, try studying in a sunny area by a window. Being mindful of our substances may be a bit more difficult because many of us are only functional on copious amounts of caffeine, but with better and more enriched sleep, you will need less and less caffeine to stay energized and focused. You may find that these slight adjustments to your waking hours have quite a significant impact on your sleep. 

Developing Healthy Sleep Habits

Creating a Bed-Time Routine

The period of time leading up to your sleep is also very significant and valuable to consider. There are methods and factors that greatly influence your body and mind digression into sleep.  Consider the following as some helpful pointers and things to keep in mind when you begin to unwind for the night:

• Avoid Screen Time
  • We are all victims of falling into watching a really good series, the chokehold of TikTok, or even just finding stimulation for your brain while mindlessly scrolling on social media before bed. Although, it is important to note that screen time before bed can not only draw you in and warp time, but it stimulates and distracts your mind which makes the process of falling asleep and being well rested, quite difficult. Studies published by the American Physiological Society reveal that the light emitted by computer and phone screens affects our circadian rhythm, an internal process which interacts with our environment to regulate our sleep. Even with a small degree of exposure duration in their study, it was found that melatonin production was delayed, and ultimately there were many alterations in our brain activity during sleep (Cajochen, 2011).
• Wind-Down and Allow Your Body Time To Settle
  • • During the end of the day, most people are restless or would rather spend the rest of their night scrolling on their phones over sitting down to read a book, meditate, or just listen to music, but giving the body and mind a chance to slow down and decompress will significantly ease the process of falling asleep. If your body is not under the correct conditions, the internal systems which regulate your melatonin and cortisol levels will be thrown off, affecting significant factors of sleep such as falling asleep, the duration of your sleep, and the quality of that sleep. Finding what works best for you is important, so here are some suggestions:
      • Read a Book
      • Take a bath or shower
      • Drink a warm, soothing drink
      • Journal/write down thoughts
      • Cuddle with your pet or partner

Create a Good Environment to Fall Asleep In:

If you lack in the other two areas of improvement previously listed, this is an area where you can more easily accomplish the goal. It's simple really - just create a sleep space that is comfortable for you! This may seem like a quite obvious and minor task, it's often overlooked and can decrease the difficulty of falling asleep and overall quality of your sleep. Below are some options for potential additions and/or adjustments to your current sleep environment that may prove to be beneficial: 

• Little to No Light
  • Believe it or not, your body is aware of night and day and uses your biological clock to help you sleep and also wake up in the morning. Taking this into consideration, it is helpful to sleep in a dark environment which indicates to your body that it is night. This isn't to say that you have to sleep in pitch darkness, but if you do still have light, use subtle, preferably warm light. Oppositely, if you prefer complete darkness, or would like to try it out, blackout curtains or a sleep mask may be worth it.
• Find a Comfortable Temperature
  • Temperature can be a huge distraction when you're trying to fall asleep because you don't want to be tossing and turning. Research supports that sleeping around a temperature of 65 degree Fahrenheit is beneficial, but comfortability differs by individual. If you have roommates, hopefully they're on the same page as you, but if not, try using either a fan or heater in your room to create a well tempered environment. 
• Quality Bedding
  • This option is not always the most feasible, especially being a college student, but it may be worth the consideration. Quality bedding such as high performance pillows and mattress, as well as comfortable sheets, is an investment worth looking into. The way that your body feels is so important for your sleep but also long term effects, especially on your back are very significant. Ensuring that your spine and neck are properly supported helps to avoid aches and pains that may bother you during the day and also allows you to sleep more soundly. 

At the end of the day, you know yourself better than anyone else, especially when it comes to your sleep. With this being said, you should acknowledge that you have the most power and influence over the kind of sleep you get, so being knowledgeable on the effective methods and what to avoid, will likely be helpful for you. It is beneficial that you make considerations and stay aware of how your body is affected by certain factors of your daily life, and tailor your habits towards progressive change. If you have questions or concerns about your sleep habits, RISE is here for you. Come talk to us if you need direction and support; we value your wellbeing. 

References

Cajochen, C., Frey, S., Anders, D., Späti, J., Bues, M., Pross, A., Mager, R., Wirz-Justice, A., & Stefani, O. (2011). Evening exposure to a light-emitting diodes (LED)-backlit computer screen affects circadian physiology and cognitive performance. Journal of Applied Physiology.

Ellenbogen, J. M., Payne, J. D., & Stickgold , R. (2007). Sleep, Learning, and Memory. Healthy Sleep.

One Care Media. (2023). Better Sleep for a Better You. Sleep Foundation. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Circadian Rhythms. National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Vinall, M. (2021). How Sleep Can Affect Your Hormone Levels, Plus 12 Ways to Sleep Deep.Healthline. 

 

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