Calling all night owls

Wake up 7 - 9:30 a.m. (even on weekends)

“Going to bed at the same time each night is one of the hardest things for students to do, partly because of exams and varying coursework. It’s more important to make their wake-up time more regular.”
—Shelley Hershner, MD

Sleep facts

• College students are among the most sleep-deprived populations (National Institutes of Health).
• To reset your body clock, wake up earlier (even 10–15 minutes helps) and at a quasi-regular time (even on weekends).

Quit the technology at least 30 minutes before bed.

How technology deprives you of sleep

• The blue wavelength light emitted by computer, tablet, and phone screens suppresses your production of melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone.
• Tech activities are super-stimulating in themselves. This is why there are no lullabies about online poker, Instagram, and web surfing.
• How to get horrible sleep: Text before bed and sleep with your cell phone close by. Studies prove it.
• “Using a phone or a tablet, which is closer to your eyes than watching television, sends a stronger signal to your brain that says, ‘Hey, this is wake-up time.’”

—Shelley Hershner, MD

Avoid caffeine after 3 p.m.

Caffeine. It’s in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and cocoa. It’s a stimulant. It blocks sleep-inducing chemicals. Here’s how it busts up your body clock:

• That crash when it wears off
• Your difficulty falling asleep
• Your wake-ups during the night

Limit distractions and interruptions

Environmental stuff is likely hurting your sleep. Living in a residence hall on campus, or in an urban apartment, subjects you to noise and other distractions.

Stay low-energy right before bed

A gentle evening environment helps your body and mind wind down, easing you into sleep.

Wake up 9 – 11 a.m. (even on weekends)

To reset your body clock, wake up earlier (even 10–15 minutes) and at a quasi-regular time (including weekends).

• “A student coming to me for insomnia said he went to bed at 8 a.m. That is not a normal sleep time for a young adult. I recommended he get to bed at a more appropriate, regular time, and get off Facebook. Within two weeks he had a regular schedule and was much less sleepy during the day.”

—Shelley Hershner, MD

Map your nap

Naps can improve your sleep—or ruin it. Strategize.

• If you’re sleepy during the day, squeezing in a 15–30 minute nap can improve mood, alertness, and performance. “In one study, a six-minute nap improved memorization by 11 percent.” —Shelley Hershner, MD
• Caution: If you’re taking naps and then lying awake at night, quit the naps.

Avoid early classes

Sign up for later classes whenever possible.

• “I counsel a lot of my students on avoiding the 8 a.m. class. If you can have a 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. class, you will probably get more sleep.” —Shelley Hershner, MD
• Of course, if you’re that rare morning lark flitting around the campus, 8 a.m. classes are a great option.

Get up by 11 a.m. (even on weekends)

Whatever your sleep pattern, it’s important to wake up at a reasonably consistent time each day. Sleep no later than 11 a.m.

• “For a student who’s sleeping from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., wake-up time is a huge focus. They need to start waking up at 11 a.m.” —Shelley Hershner, MD
• In a recent Student Health 101 survey, getting up at a reasonably consistent time each day was students’ top-rated sleep strategy.

Avoid naps

Lying awake at night? If so, quit napping during the day. “If you have a hard time falling asleep at night, naps are not recommended.” —Shelley Hershner, MD

Most research supports you...

• Using your bed only for sleeping or intimacy.
• Eliminating even a short nap if you have trouble falling asleep at night. Consult a sleep specialist if you’re unsure whether naps are working for you.

Make incremental changes

Learning and memory are the primary functions of sleep. Without sleep—and certain stages of sleep—learning doesn’t happen and GPAs can take a dive, studies show.

• “I’ve seen a fair number of students who have failed because of sleep issues. Once they solved these, they were able to go back to school.”

—Shelley Hershner, MD

Seek medical help at the campus health center or from a sleep expert

A sleep specialist can help figure out what’s making sleep so difficult and how to address it.

• “Extreme night owls probably have to see a physician. Their biology is so far off society’s schedule, they will need help to normalize.”

—Shelley Hershner, MD

• Most sleep disorders don’t disappear without treatment. Treatments can be: behavioral (e.g., waking at the same time every day), pharmacological (medication), or surgical.
• In a 2011 survey, 60 percent of Americans aged 13–64 had at least one symptom of a sleep problem on most nights, and 15 percent of adults aged 19–64 reported sleeping less than six hours each night during the week (National Sleep Foundation).

Why is it a problem?
In late puberty the body secretes melatonin, the sleep hormone, later in the night. This developmental shift alters the sleep-wake cycle, so we feel more awake at night, fall asleep later, and wake up later.

Strategies

• Get early exposure to sunlight. You’ll feel more alert while helping to reset your body clock for earlier nights.
• Quit your gadgets at least 30 minutes before bed. The blue wavelength light emitted by electronic screens suppresses your melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone.
• Try a light-dimming app, like f.lux. or Sleep Dimmer. These apps gradually dim your computer screen.
• Develop a consistent bedtime routine (e.g., change into PJs, organize your backpack for tomorrow, meditate).

Why is it a problem?

• Sleep-deprived students perform worse but aren’t aware of it. If you thought you rocked that test but actually bombed it, this might be why.
• Pulling an all-nighter gives you the driving performance of being legally drunk. Some states have laws against driving while drowsy. National and global disasters have been related to sleep deprivation, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown.

Strategies

• A little sleep is better than none. Get as much as you can, even if it’s only one or two hours.
• If you can manage four hours, that’s one full sleep cycle. The sequential stages of sleep appear to be important for memory and learning.
• Manage your study schedule. To-do lists are your friends.
• Buddy up with a friend in your class and make time for “study parties” throughout the semester. This will help you both stay on top of your workload.

Why is it a problem?
Kept awake by voices or music, doors closing, footsteps, vomiting, and the like? Late-night action on campus is a drag when you’re trying to sleep (or when you’re not trying to sleep, but should be).

Strategies

• Make time for fun while prioritizing sleep as highly as decent nutrition, physical activity, or grades. Think of sleep as a luxury, not a chore.
• Try an eye mask and earplugs. Improvise black-out curtains (e.g., hang a black fleece blanket).
• Try a fan, white noise machine or app, or low-beat music.
• Reach an agreement with your roommate(s) on what time you will transition into sleep mode (e.g., when friends leave, work stops, and the TV and invasive lighting go off).

Why is it a problem?

• Caffeine’s effects last 5 ½ – 7 ½ hours. Consuming caffeine in the afternoon is likely to mess with your sleep.
• Energy drinks are not subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The caffeine content is not limited by regulations. The labeling obscures the amount of caffeine per serving.

Strategies 

• Stop consuming caffeine by 3 p.m.
• Try other ways to energize yourself, like breathing deeply, taking brisk walks, eating a crunchy snack (e.g., apples and carrots), or chewing mint gum.
• If coffee seems irresistible, fill half your cup with regular and top up with decaf.
• Be wary of energy drinks, which may be high in caffeine.

Stimulants
Stimulants can make it harder to fall asleep. They can disrupt REM sleep, which is necessary for memory consolidation and creativity, and throw off your natural wake-sleep cycle.

Strategies

• If you take a stimulant prescribed by your doctor, talk about how the dose and timing could affect your sleep.

SSRIs
Antidepressants categorized as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) increase serotonin (the feel-good chemical in the brain). However, they can alter other chemical processes in the brain, which may affect sleep.

Strategies

• If you take SSRIs for depression and experience sleep difficulties, talk to your doctor. It might be possible to vary the dose, or use another medication, to reduce sleep disruption.

Why is it a problem?

• Alcohol and marijuana disrupt sleep, including REM sleep, which is necessary for memory consolidation and creativity.
• “Alcohol makes you fall asleep faster, but in the second half of the night it causes restlessness and fragmented sleep.” —Shelley Hershner, MD

Strategies 

• Do not drink to relax. The fitful night it causes will leave you tired the following day.
• To manage your alcohol consumption, plan it before going out (e.g., one drink per hour), choose less tasty drinks so you drink slower, and avoid drinking games.
• Be aware of the importance of avoiding marijuana within two hours of bedtime.
• Use proven tools for moderating your drinking or drug use:

+ Drinkers Checkup
+ SMART Recovery

CLICK on any to learn more

Circadian rhythm disorder
Continuous or occasional disruption of the internal body clock.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A neurological condition causing difficulty with focus and self-control.

Mood disorders
Severe changes in mood that interfere with daily life (e.g., depression and bipolar disorder).

Insomnia
The inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep.

Sleep-disordered breathing
An umbrella term for any disruption to the upper respiratory system (nose and mouth) breathing, resulting in disrupted sleep.

Narcolepsy
A neurological condition causing chronic disruption of the sleep-wake cycle, including suddenly falling asleep during normal daily activities.

Hypersomnia
A condition characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and extended sleep at night.

Restless leg syndrome
Overwhelming discomfort in the legs or limbs at night, temporarily relieved by movement, which disrupts sleep.

Anxiety and mood disorders including mental distress and depression

Risk factors include:

• Bedtime after 2 a.m.
• Sleep debt: Each night of shortened sleep adds to your total “sleep debt.” The more sleep indebted you are, the less likely that you will recognize it.

Poor performance including low grades and unsafe driving

Sleep is required for memory consolidation and performance on academic and other tasks.

• “Certain types of learning depend on certain types of sleep.” —Shelley Hershner, MD
• Nine or more hours of sleep a night and earlier wake-up times are associated with higher GPAs, studies show.
• Six or fewer hours of sleep a night and later wake-up times are associated with lower GPAs, studies show.
• High performance is more closely linked to consistent sleep and wake times than to the actual number of hours slept.
• Loss of sleep reduces drivers’ reaction time. Drivers aged 16–29 are the age group most likely to be involved in car crashes caused by falling asleep at the wheel.
• “Pulling an all-nighter gives you the driving performance of being legally drunk. In some states there are laws against driving drowsy.” —Shelley Hershner, MD

Sleep has an important role in weight maintenance and immunity to some illnesses, research suggests.

• The hormones that regulate your appetite, leptin and ghrelin, are affected by loss of sleep.
• Less sleep is associated with higher body mass index (BMI).
• Lack of sleep may increase your vulnerability to infection. In a study of young adults, those who slept seven hours or less were nearly three times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept eight or more hours.
• Students who reported up to six hours of sleep were twice as likely to rate their health “poor” than were students who slept for seven or eight hours.