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 little tips and tricks that can make life a bit easier, less stressful, and helps provide a leg up on school and dorm life organization. The deck is perfect for anyone going away to college for the first time and living in the dorms at school.
As explained in a previous blog, 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 additional sleep hacks to help you get a good night’s rest. This blog is part two about good sleep and the importance of establishing good habits for resting your body after a long day of learning.
Tips for good sleep
Good Sleep: Limit Naps
If you’re not getting enough sleep during the night, a nap during the day can seem like a good option to rest and recoup. However, if you’re napping too long or too late in the day, it perpetuates the cycle of not sleeping well at night. Experts advise to limit a nap to 30 minutes, so be sure to set an alarm if you’re taking a quick cat nap. Shoot to get in a nap at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon to avoid a nap negatively impacting your night sleep.
Good Sleep: How Your Dorm Room Looks and Feels
When you’re designing your room and buying accessories and storage to make it feel like home, think about colors that are soothing and will help when it comes to bedtime. Skip a lot of bold, warm colors, such as reds, pinks, and bright yellow and orange, as well as stimulating decor. They activate the mind, which is great for studying but not for bed. And you must do both in your room. Consider adding soothing colors, including grays, greens, blues, and creams. Incorporate plants, peaceful paintings, and photos of scenic spots with positive memories. Stock your bed with cozy blankets and plush pillows, not too many, but enough to provide comfort.
Good Sleep: Reduce Daily Stress
What you are doing during the day is going to impact when you fall asleep and if you stay asleep. College, and life in general, can get overwhelming and stressful. Learn how you can better manage your day to reduce your stress. Try to reduce stress when you can and find the healthiest ways to deal with it when it takes hold. Included here are some quick tips to reduce your stress level, but, of course, find what works for you:
- Work hard, but don’t take on more than you can handle.
- Stay organized and maintain a clean space for studying and homework. See our Dorm Deck for more ideas about staying organized.
- Don’t procrastinate and don't leave things to the last minute. Make a plan.
- Take breaks during the day to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Whether it’s journaling, taking a bike ride, or reading a book, find the things that reduce stress in your life. Exercise is part of taking breaks to shift your thinking and energy from schoolwork to taking care of your body and mind.
- Eat healthy, balanced meals and snacks throughout the day.
- If you’re having trouble with a certain subject, talk to your professor. They can point you in the right direction for a tutor, teaching assistant, extra resources, or a study group. For more ideas, check out our Dorm Deck. It provides ideas to keep you on track for success.
- If you’re stressed about money, talk with the student finance center. Create a budget and stick to it. There are thousands of articles online that can help you learn how to manage your finances better in college.
- If you’re worried about life after graduation, talk to the counselors at your school. There are plenty of resources for resume writing and interviewing, finding a job, and all the financial responsibilities that come with graduation.
- If you feel like you’re dealing with too much stress, talk to your doctor or a mental health care professional. Stress is common, but when it gets to be too much, it’s time to talk about it.
Get Sleep: Sleep Rituals Really Help
Like establishing a sleep pattern of going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, sleep rituals function the same way. If you’re coming from a chaotic day, jumping in your bed at night and trying to fall asleep immediately is only going to stress you out more. Instead, consider making your own little sleep ritual to do at night. Do what works best for you. Incorporate tips such as drinking a cup of chamomile tea or winding down with soothing music.
Get Sleep: Which Foods Work Best to Induce Sleep?
If you’re hungry before bed, a big meal isn’t the answer. Be aware of when you’re eating throughout the day to prevent late night snacking. Plan your dinner at a time that won’t make you hungry right before bed. If you’re going to eat late at night, make it a light snack instead of another full meal. And it’s not only the amount of what you’re eating that impacts sleep but also the food itself. Steer clear of fried, fatty, acidic, or spicy foods along with sugar and refined carbs. These will keep you up at night. And for a snack before bed, try a banana, walnuts, yogurt, low-sugar cereal, almonds, or cherries to help you sleep better.
Get Sleep: Exercise (But Try for an Earlier Workout)
When you exercise, you’ll typically maintain a healthy weight and overall good health, which ultimately helps you sleep better. Exercise is also shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, two issues that commonly cause insomnia or difficulty getting to sleep. Check out your school’s fitness center to see if they offer free fitness classes. While regular exercise is going to help you sleep better and improve your overall health, the time of day you do it is important. Working out is going to boost your energy level, which is fantastic for the morning or afternoon. Saving exercise for later at night may make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Sleep Hacks and Dorm Deck
Sleep is essential to good mental and physical help. Try a few of these life hacks, paying special attention to establishing good lifelong patterns and routines. Whether learning to sleep better or being able to incorporate stress-reducing tactics for life, we hope these hacks improve your overall quality of health. Learning little tips and tricks to make life easier is what Dorm Deck by life Hack Decks™ is all about.
Good luck on your sleep journey. We hope these hacks help you get a good night’s sleep when sleeping in your college dorm room.