The amount of sleep that a person gets is very important to cognitive and physical functioning. There are many reasons that a person does not get enough sleep, with insomnia being one of them. This can become a major issue among college students due to increased work loads as well as an increase in stress that can be associated with school in general. Lack of sleep becomes a major issue among college students due to an increased need for high cognitive functioning and other activities.
There are many ways, aside from pharmaceutical methods, in which an individual can increase the amount of sleep they get each night. One method of increasing the amount of sleep that an individual is able to get in a night is to manipulate what types of food you eat during the day or before bed. To increase sleep you should avoid any large meals within several hours of trying to sleep. Although having a small snack before bed is okay, a heavy meal will make it difficult to get to sleep (NIH, 2012). Caffeine and other stimulants (such as nicotine) should also be avoided (NIH, 2012). Having these in your system when you are trying to go to sleep will make it far more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Other ways in which you can increase the amount of sleep you are able to get each night includes making changes to the area in which you sleep. Keeping your bedroom dark and quiet can aid in falling asleep (NIH, 2012). It allows for you to relax better and will help to fall asleep. Relaxing before falling asleep in vital in being able to fall asleep, thus relaxation techniques can be used, such as taking a hot bath or other types of relaxation techniques (NIH, 2012). This also includes using the time before you go to sleep for relaxation. Avoiding exercise and other strenuous activities right before bed will help you to relax and aid in sleep (NIH, 2012).
The final group of ways in which you can increase the amount of sleep you get each night is making changes to your schedule in order to increase the amount of sleep you get each night. This first is to keep the same sleep and wake times everyday (NIH, 2012). This will help to keep the body on a similar rhythm and increase the body’s ability to sleep. This must also be extended to the weekend in order to minimize changes in your sleep-wake cycle and allow the body to stay in a similar rhythm, making it easier to sleep at those times (NIH, 2012).
Sleep is very important in maintaining cognitive and physical functioning and allowing yourself to get enough sleep is important to functioning properly. In college this is very important, so giving these methods a try may be a good way increase the amount of sleep you can get and help you to be more productive and function at a higher level.
Resources
National Institutes of Health (2012, Ferbruary 22). “Strategies for Getting Enough Sleep”. Retrieved March 22, 2014 from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/strategies.html
Carroll Wellness 
