Dorm Deck is a life hack deck of 52 cards that works like a best friend or trusted advisor. It guides you on your path from living at home with family to living alone or with a roommate at college in the dorms. The deck shows you tips and tricks that can make life a bit easier, less stressful, and helps provide a leg up on life organization. The deck is perfect for anyone going away to college for the first time and living in the dorms. Or even in an apartment, for that matter.
One of the most important dorm hacks is getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep is incredibly important when you’re trying to learn. But college life and dorms aren’t always conducive to good sleep. For this reason, we’ve included some sleep hacks to help you get a good night’s rest. This blog is part one of two parts about good sleep and the importance of establishing good habits for resting your body after a long day.
What Are Some Reasons I Don’t Sleep Well at School?
While we’ve all heard that college is a lot of work, it is less stressful if you get the right amount of sleep. Sleep is crucial for maintaining good health throughout college and ultimately throughout life. Knowing this, however, doesn’t always mean implementing some of these important habits. Let’s look at sleep and ways to avoid being sleep deprived as an undergrad.
Get Sleep: Stop Procrastinating and Waiting Until the Last Minute
Procrastination is not your friend in college, especially your first year. Knowing how to schedule your time means that you’re not waiting until the last minute to complete an assignment or pulling an “all-nighter.” This type of routine is less than beneficial to your immune system, memory, and ability to learn.
Getting a good night’s sleep improves memory and thinking skills, as well as cognition. You retain more information when you’re well-rested. Instead of procrastinating, study a week or so leading up to an exam, and don’t save everything for the last minute. This is a life hack, and one of the reasons it’s so important to learn this skill at an early age.
Get Sleep: Keep a Sleep Schedule
Going to bed and waking up at different times each day can drive your sleep pattern completely out of whack. Try to keep your nightly bedtime around the same time, and the same goes for wake-up times. This might be more difficult on the weekends when you’re tempted to sleep in, but overall, it’s best to be regular in your sleep patterns.
Get Sleep: Prioritize Sleep Each Day
College is truly a juggling act. You’re trying to balance school, work, extracurricular activities, and friends, all while trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. Unfortunately, for many, sleep isn’t a top priority. And you need to make sleep a priority. Good sleep, along with eating right and exercise, is the foundation of good health. If you’re not prioritizing sleep, your grades, work performance, and even general mood will suffer. When you get the right number of hours of sleep each night, you’ll see a big difference in the way you feel.
Get Sleep: Limit Screens
Watching TV or playing on your phone, computer, or iPad is keeping you awake at night. These devices keep your brain active, and it reduces your melatonin levels, which helps you fall asleep. Instead, put your screens to bed at least thirty minutes before you tuck yourself in for the night. Although you may be tempted to check your phone if you wake up, try to keep from picking it up as it may be more difficult to get back to sleep.
Get Sleep: Make a To-Do List
This life hack is a good practice to start in college. Staying on track during the day can make for a better night. Create a to-do list and plan what you need to do during the day. Then act on your to-do list. In doing so, you’re less stressed at night thinking about everything you didn’t get to on your to-do list. And you won’t have to stay up late trying to get it all done. If you can’t clear your mind, write down what you’re trying to process, and see if that helps.
Get Sleep: A Dark Room
Try to get your room as dark as possible for bedtime to allow you to fall into a deep sleep. Lights from the hallway or a streetlight in your window can let light in. Put up some dark curtains that limit the amount of light that can get in to bother your sleep. A sleep mask for your eyes can be helpful, too, especially if you’re sharing a room.
Get Sleep: Watch Caffeine – It Keeps You Awake
That cup of coffee might be your saving grace in the morning, but avoid caffeine in the evening. Don’t consume caffeine (or limit it) four to six hours before bed. It’s not just coffee though. Soda, chocolate, caffeinated teas, and even some medicines have caffeine, too. Read labels and be aware of what you consume before bed.
Get Sleep: Try to Relax Prior to Bed with Soothing Music
Instead of turning to a screen when you’re ready for bed, opt for soothing tunes instead. You can find relaxing playlists on music apps and YouTube. Think: instrumental spa, meditation, soundscapes, or light classical music to help you wind down.
Get Sleep: Read a Book
When you don’t feel tired but it’s getting to be about that time for bed, read a book instead of turning on the tv or grabbing your phone. Don’t start the assignment in your textbook or read something stressful but instead find a light or relaxing book that you read for yourself. Reading before bed turns off the chatter inside your head and helps you think about something other than your day before falling asleep.
Sleep Hacks from Dorm Deck™
This is the first part of dorm hacks for sleep, which are also life hacks that you will carry with you after college. Sleep is one of the most important things in life, and establishing good habits in college helps to carry over after your four years are up. While living with a roommate is a great experience, it can also be a sleep challenge. Try your best to implement some of these dorm hacks, and you should see your sleep improve if you’re struggling to get good rest. Remember, rest is very important for your long-term success.