Meditative Practice for College Students
How to Get Better Sleep
- Go to bed and get up at regular times.
- Get up at the same time each day no matter when you go to bed even if it is the weekend.
- Practice the Breath Meditation or other favorite meditations at bedtime.
- Learn to manage your stress-this is one of the best things you can do to get a good night’s sleep.
- Say no to “all nighters.”
- Create a sleeping space that is peaceful and inviting.
- Limit the type of activities you do in bed so your body recognizes bed as resting and relaxing. Some say you should limit activities in bed to sleep and sex (if you are sexually active).
- Sleep in a room that is at a comfortable temperature, at least 65 degrees. Keep the room dark and if it can’t be dark, wear an eye mask. The space should be quiet. If not, consider using earplugs.
- Have a comfortable bed. You may not be able to choose your bed but you can have comfortable sheets, pillows, blankets and bed toppers.
- Spray your bedroom with a light fragrance containing jasmine or lavender a few minutes before bedtime.
- Exercise daily but not within 2 hours of bedtime.
- Don’t work or study right up until bedtime. Take time to relax (read a book, listen to relaxing music, have a glass of warm milk or decaffeinated tea).
- Get into a bedtime routine- take a warm bath or shower, do some light stretching, write in a journal, listen to calming music, or practice meditation. A routine tells your body that it is getting close to bedtime.
- Don’t smoke. People who smoke take longer to fall asleep and awaken more often.
- Eat a healthy variety of foods on a regular schedule that provide needed vitamins and minerals including Calcium, B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, cooper and iron.
- Avoid or limit alcohol - it interferes with sleep
- Avoid or limit caffeine - it interferes with your ability to sleep. Don’t have caffeine any later than mid-afternoon.
What About Napping?
“Take a nap every afternoon!” Robert Fulghum, author, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Napping is an okay way to help lower your “sleep debt.” But a nap should be limited to 20-30 minutes a day; if longer it can interfere with your ability to get to sleep and stay asleep at night. Even if you don’t fall asleep, find 20-30 minutes in the course of your day to lie down, be motionless and close your eyes.
Have you heard about Power Napping? Learn more about it by taking out the Power Nap CD from the Resource Library in Health Services.
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