How's your sleep?
With exams coming up, we may find ourselves struggling to get some shut-eye. It can be particularly frustrating when this is the time where we want to be feeling our best! Maybe you’re a late-night crammer, an oversleeper, staring up at the ceiling or having some very odd dreams 😯
Poor sleep can affect our concentration, learning, memory and mood. It’s not the end of the world to lose a night or two of sleep. But in the long run, adding sleep hygiene into your study routine is an invaluable way to keep yourself feeling and doing great!
What are those moments where you find your sleep being affected by exams or study, for better or worse? Have you found any strategies which help with your sleep? 🤔 We recently ran a Weekly Wellbeing on Getting a Good Night's Sleep and have a bunch of articles on the topic here, but we want to hear your stories too!
Comments
Hi@Stormy-RO sleep can be difficult but it is SO IMPORTANT to prioritise in order to feel great and concentrate. Had to learn this the hard way.
For me I try to cut off ALL study after dinner so I have an hour or 2 to myself before bed. This has helped me try and get the most out of my studying in the day and have something to look forward at the end. It's also helped my constant need-to-spend-every-waking-hour-studying-or-else-I'm-nothing mindset that's dominated most of my life. Oh and I'm also on medication that's helped significantly too.
I only discovered these tips work for me in the past few months but hey, better late than never.
Hi @Stormy-RO 
I used to disregard the importance of proper sleep for years. For a long time I had incredibly inconsistent sleep - oversleeping during the day when lack of motivation, anxiety and low mood hit and pulling continuous all nighters trying to catch up with work right before assignments were due. And the long term effects were awful - difficulty concentrating and remembering things, and extremely low energy that made it difficult to function.
Since sleep has been so closely tied to my mental health struggles, I actually had to work on other things with my psychologist before it became better. This involved implementing daily relaxation techniques (mediation + yoga) instead of napping to avoid anxiety/negative feelings , taking small steps towards my goals, acknowledging small wins and planning activities that used to give me joy. This didn't happen overnight and I didn't do everything all at once, but my sleep has definitely improved... and it's made an incredible difference to my energy levels.
If I'm having a particularly bad time - the combination of sunlight in the morning + tiring myself out with some exercise during the day so that I'll fall asleep at night also helps!
@sunset_hues thank you for sharing your journey with sleep and what has worked for you. It sounds like sleep is something that you learned to prioritise after a long time of anxiety and low moods, and that you recognised made it difficult to function. I'm really glad to hear that your psychologist worked with you to improve your sleep. Getting a professional perspective on what works for you (and then sticking to it!) is a really admirable step 😊
Hi @Stormy-RO 
Attaining good "sleep hygiene" has been a huge goal for me for a while now. For me, personally, I had to rewire my brain to recognise my bedroom as a place of sleep and rest - so that means I try not to use my phone, or computer or read study notes when I am in bed, or if possible, my bedroom. When I commit to this rule (I sometimes fall off the bandwagon), my sleep is amazing !!
However, there are some great tips in this thread that I will definitely try to adopt.
That is such a good idea to rewire the brain to recognize the bedroom as a place of sleep and rest! I need to create this habit!
@SD2247 thank you for sharing, rewiring your brain through separating study from sleep in a physical sense sounds like a really effective method for you. And I agree, there have definitely been some great tips here!
Hi @Stormy-RO 
Sleep is such an important topic to discuss as it affects us more than we might realise. I'm fortunate to get my 8 hours regularly, but I try to ensure this by going to sleep before midnight. I aim to stop studying by 9pm, so that I have time to unwind before I sleep, as it would take me a few hours to fall asleep if I had all my work fresh in mind.
Also, using up energy during the day creates a clearer distinction between my active and relaxed states, making it easier for me to fall asleep. I usually happen to do this without going out of my way, such as by walking a lot at uni.
@loona I'm glad to hear that good sleep is something that has come to you through unwinding from your studies in the evening 😊 Using up your energy during the day is a great tip too!
Hi @Stormy-RO 
Good sleep is so important for all aspects of health. However, it can still be difficult to prioritise. I’ve always struggled various sleep issues and found medication to be the only way for me to be able to sleep relatively well. I think it’s important for people to see medical help if they are having significant difficulties with sleep. There is nothing wrong with needing medication!
@Lapis_Anteater thank you for being honest about how medication helps you sleep. It's very true that different methods work for different people and that medical help is sometimes the best solution. I hope you continue to have lots of restful sleep!
Hi@Stormy-RO 
This is something so important. I'm someone who has never really slept well around times of exams and stress in my life. I have found what works for me is a routine no matter what and stick to it, wash my face, journal, read, listen to music go to bed etc. I also found that while everything going on around me, taking a day or a night to myself. Whether that's catching up with a friend, going for a walk or just doing something different helps, it allows me to go to bed with little stress from the day and get a good night sleep waking up refreshed and ready for what ahead the next day. Even I'm having a really bad night, I will often get up move around or read and then settle back into bed and that helps me get to sleep or stay asleep better. I hope this helps someone else
@Rara thank you for sharing your routine with us! It sounds like you've incorporated sleep wellness into your daytime hours too, which really shows how you've been able to reflect on your sleep over time. It's been said that getting up when you can't sleep is important, so I'm glad that it works so well for you 😊
Hi @Stormy-RO 
I absolutely love this post! Sleep is so important for our bodies and mind. It allows our body and mind to heal, rest and helps our long-term memories to be stored.
Strategies that help me sleep better are reducing screen time by getting off my phone at least 1 hour before I go to sleep, drinking chamomile tea with some honey before bed; and doing some journalling/gratitude or meditation before going to sleep to calm my mind a bit. Perhaps these may work for some and not others, but you eventually find what works for you!
Sending you all love and light!
@Love_and_Light I really appreciate the way that you have mentioned the importance of healing ourselves through sleep 😊 You sound like you have a really great bedtime routine! Chamomile tea is so calming, as is thinking about the positives of the day.
