HEALTHY SLEEP

HEALTHY SLEEP FOR STUDENTS:-                        Sleep is food for the brain.During sleep,important body functions and brain activity occur.Skipping sleep can be harmful even deadly,particularly if you are behind the wheel.You can look bad,you may feel moody,and you perform poorly.Sleepiness can make it hard to get along with your family and friends and hurt your scores on college exams and presentations,on the court or on the field.                                      REMEMBER:A brain that is hungry for sleep will get it,even when you don't expect it.

When you do not get enough sleep,you are more likely to have an illness that can disturb your studies too.Students who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk for many health and behavior problems.

   NORMAL SLEEP DURATION:-                                                  Teenagers(14-17):Sleep range widened by 1 hour to 8-10 hours.                            Younger adults(18-25):Sleep range is 7-9 hours                                                Adults(26-64):Sleep range did not  change and remains 7-9 hours.                                                       ARE STUDENTS GETTING A GOOD  NIGHT REST:-                                                      Between exams,classes,work,extracurricular and social activities high school and college students aren't getting enough sleep each night,which can have a major impact on their health as well as their GPAs.

                                                There are some ways by which a student can get a good sleep.                                                 1.MAINTAIN A REGULAR WAKE AND SLEEP SCHEDULE,EVEN ON WEEKENDS.                                          Try to keep wake and sleep times regular.Don't vary them more than 2 hours.This may be difficult on weekends,with the temptation to sleep in,but try to stick with it.Large variations in sleep schedules can have the same effect as getting less than normal amounts of sleep.

                                                                                                 2.CREATE A SLEEP FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT.                        A sleep friendly environment is dark,cool quiet,comfortable and interruption free.                                        It can be difficult for students living in residence halls,but here are a few suggestions that may help                                                                                                    1. Try hanging a black sheet around your bed.                                                     2. Hang up dark curtains.                                                                                             3. Use eye masks and ear plugs.                                                                      4.Try white noise like fans or humidifiers to cover other noises.

         3.LIE DOWN TO GO TO SLEEP ONLY WHEN SLEEPY.                                                                                            Don't ruin your sleep-friendly environment.If you try to go to bed when you are not sleepy,you may associate your bed with feeling frustrated about not being able to fall asleep.If you can't fall asleep after about 15 minutes,get up and go into another room.If you are in a residence hall,get out of bed and do something non-sleep related,but that is relaxing.Return to bed only after you feel sleepy.

                                                4.DON'T EAT WITHIN 2-3 HOURS OF YOUR PLANNED BED TIME.     

        Avoid heartburn and other discomforts.Eating or drinking too much before bed can make you feel uncomfortable as you are setting down into bed.Try to avoid heavy meals right before bed and be cautious of spicy foods,as they can cause heartburn,which may prevent you from sleeping. 

                                                                                       5.LIMIT AFTERNOON NAPS TO 1 HOUR OR LESS.   

An early afternoon nap may help you get through your day.It is OK to take a short nap after lunch,but don't nap longer than an hour,and never later than 2:00 or 3:00 p.m.                                                                                                         6.AVOID CAFFEINE BEFORE BEDTIME.                                  Caffeine is a stimulant.This means it causes your body to be more alert.Caffeine can stay in your body for an average of 3-5 hours.Even if you don't think caffeine affects you,it is likely to hinder your sleep quality.Avoiding caffeine within 6-8 hours before bed can improve your sleep quality. 

   HARMFUL EFFECTS OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP:-                                                                SACRIFICING SLEEP CAN AFFECT YOUR GRADES AND YOUR LONG TERM HEALTH.                                                          Staying up until 4:00 a.m to finish a project,getting a few hours sleep,and then heading to a 9 a.m. class may strike you as a norm at college.But short changing yourself on sleep,regardless of the reason,can lead to sleep deprivation and some serious health consequences.

  Sleepdeprivation:MEMORY LOSS                                                Good sleep is important for several things.For instance,good sleep can boost your cognition,or thinking skills,and memory and bad or insufficient sleep can worsen them.            Half the reason you're at college is to learn and not getting enough sleep can keep college students from their goals of succeeding in schools. So if it seems worth it to sacrifice a night shut eye to squeeze in your studies,think again.Staying u all night to cram for a test may be doing more harm than good.  

                                    PHYSICAL ISSUES                                                                    A lack of sleep can have physical consequences as well.Poor sleep has been associated with weight gain,which can be a problem in college students anyway.Not enough sleep can make you sick,leading to more colds,flu,coughs.Decreases sleep can also depress your immune system. Most college students needs at least 7 hours of sleep each night,but that amount can be adjusted based on how alert a student feels after a particular number of sleep.

                                     SLEEPING DISORDERS                                                                Another big issue with not getting enough sleep is that it can hide a serious sleep disorder.Inadequate sleep can mask other problems.When you brush off as fatigue from pulling an allnighter may actually be a more serious sleep disorder,but there's no way to know unless you are putting in enough hours in bed each night and are still feeling fatigued.If someone's a loud snorer or excessively tired during the day.or their roommates say they stop breathing in their sleep,it may be sleep apnea  which is a sleep condition that requires treatment.

                                                                                                                So establishing healthy sleep habits in college will do wonders for your successful student life as well as for your long term health.