Tips And Tricks For Students To Get A Good Nights Sleep

Is there anything worse than not being able to sleep and waking up shattered? It’s the worst, especially when you’ve got a full day at uni ahead of you.

If you want to sleep better at night, have a read of our 8 sleep tips and tricks within this guide – they’re all you could ever dream of!

With our help you’ll be snoring in no time, carry on reading to get a good night’s sleep within your student accommodation.

Why Is Getting A Good Nights Sleep Important?

As a student, it’s super important that you ensure you’re getting enough sleep.

Which as research suggests, for young adults aged 18-25 the range is between seven and nine hours each night.

What many people don’t realise is that sleeping too much, or for too long, can make you more tired and drowsy.

So, make sure that you’re sticking to a regular sleeping pattern and getting those all-important 8 hours of sleep in.

What does getting those 8 hours in actually do? Well, there are many mental and physical health impacts that sleep has that aren’t just stopping you from being grumpy!

We’ve listed a few benefits of sleeping below:

• Improves concentration and productivity
• Increased energy levels
• Helps boost your academic performance

• Improves memory
• Can boost your immune system
• Reduces stress and improves your mood
• Can help prevent weight gain

Tips & Tricks To Sleep Better

Many university students suffer with sleepless nights so you’re not the only one, in fact research suggests that students in the UK have less sleep and worse quality than the rest of the population.

If you’ve been facing some restless nights of tossing and turning recently and it’s beginning to affect your daily life, have a read of our simple and effective tips and tricks to help you get a better night’s sleep below.

1. Stick To A Sleep Schedule

Our first section on sleep tips and tricks is maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, where you’re sleeping at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning.

Whilst you may have a different schedule each day which affects when you sleep and wake up at, you should try to try to sleep at a similar time each night with no more than two hours difference each day.

Your sleeping schedule may change when it comes to the weekend when you don’t have any lectures or seminars to wake up for but try not to completely change your sleeping pattern.

What we mean by this, is don’t go to sleep at 10pm one day and the next go to bed at 1am, you’ll mess up your sleeping routine!

If you struggle with sticking to a sleeping schedule, you can use your phone to set a bedtime and wake-up time which is the same every day, or at least during the weekdays.

Try not to fall back asleep when your alarm goes off either, as this can leave you feeling more tired. Instead, allow yourself more time in the morning to prepare for the day ahead.

2. Regularly Exercise

Another key to getting enough zzz’s is to include physical activity in your daily routine.

As you will already know, exercise is good for your physical and mental health, but it’s also good for ensuring you sleep well, because it tires you out.

Those who regularly stay active, will sleep better and feel less tired during the day.

The more time you exercise for, the better night’s sleep you will get.

We’re not saying you must work out for multiple hours a day, but you’ll notice a huge difference in your sleep quality if you incorporate even even a small amount of exercise each day.

Although, you should try not to exercise too close to bedtime as this can stop you from being able to fall asleep.

3. Avoid Certain Food & Drink Before Bed

Make sure that you avoid eating or drinking certain things too close to bedtime if you want to get a good night’s sleep.

It’s important not to drink caffeine-based drinks such as coffee, energy drinks or tea as this can give you too much energy and cause you to stay awake.

The same goes for alcohol, whilst students are bound to go to hit the pillow after a big night of drinking, doing this can interrupt your sleeping and make it harder for you to fall asleep.

When it comes to eating and sleeping, you shouldn’t eat massive portions of food heading off to bed as this disrupt digestion.

Although, it is important to ensure you’re not going to bed on an empty stomach as this can also leave you struggling to fall asleep, there’s a fine line to eating too much and too little before trying to sleep!

Normally, you should try and wait about 3 hours after eating your dinner before trying to get in some well-needed sleep.

4. Disconnect From Any Devices

We’re all guilty of spending too much time on our phone or our other devices whilst in bed, whether it’s scrolling through TikTok until all hours or staying up playing games.

However, using any devices will be impacting your ability to fall asleep for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, using technology before bed can keep you awake because they emit an artificial blue light which prevents the natural production of melatonin, which is the hormone you require to feel sleepy.

Secondly, using devices before bed can also stimulate your brain too much, as you’re active and taking in information when you should be trying to unwind.

You may even feel anxious or stressed from checking your devices such as seeing a certain thing on social-media or receiving a particular message, so it’s always best to try and stay off your phone and disconnect from devices to improve your sleep health.

A general time frame to switch off from any electronics is between half an hour to an hour before falling asleep.

It’s not just your phone and TV you should disconnect from either, you should also avoid studying before bed, and don’t pull all nighters to get your work done. Turn off the laptop and get it done in the morning!

5. Take Time To Unwind

A further trick for good sleep habits in is to take time to unwind. Research has found that over half (51%) of UK university students state that stress or anxiety is the cause of their sleep disturbances.

If you do struggle with relaxing once you’re in bed, perhaps you’re stressed or anxious about something, try and practice relaxation techniques and manage your worries before your bed hits the pillow.

If you have a lot on your mind when it comes to bedtime, try and think about your worries and plan out what you can get done the next day to resolve them.

There are a few relaxation methods including listening to music, meditating, deep breathing and having a warm bath or shower before heading off to bed.

You could even use a lavender spray for sleeping as this is a natural sleep mist that can be used to make you feel calm. See which methods work for you!

6. Create A Calming Sleep Space

We all know that a tidy space = a tidy mind so this should also be applied to your sleeping environment.

Studies have found that a bedroom’s environment such as the light and noise levels, temperature, and comfort can affect a person’s ability to sleep.

We’re not saying your bedroom must be spotless to be able to hit the haystack, but you should try to make your room more sleep-friendly and calming.

Try to ensure sure your room is cleared of too much mess and is at a comfortable temperature, quiet, and dark (those who leave their LED lighting on).

A further way to fall asleep could try creating a super cosy sleep environment with your favourite bed sheets – there’s nothing better than fresh bedding!

If your room isn’t particularly dark no matter what you do and you have trouble falling asleep, you could invest in a sleep mask.

Additionally, avoid studying in bed as this can cause problems when it comes to falling asleep. Your bed should be a place of rest and relaxation.

7. Identify Any Sleep Disturbances

There may be other factors which are causing you to struggle with getting a good night’s rest.

Such as, if you’re living in a student accommodation or shared house where it’s particularly loud at night.

It’s best to try and identify these factors and see what can be done about it.

If it’s particularly loud, you could try communicating this is to those who are making the noise or make a noise complaint if it’s really impacting your sleeping.

Noise-cancelling ear buds are also a good option to block out sleep-disturbing sounds.

You could even be creating your own sleep disturbances, such as leaving the TV on when you’re trying to get some shut eye.

Another factor that would be affecting you falling asleep come night-time, could be napping during the day.

Your bed might feel super snug after a busy day at uni, but try to refrain from napping longer than 20 to 30 minutes.

8. Speak To Your Doctor

If you are seriously struggling with poor sleep, then these tips may not work for you.

It’s a good idea to contact your GP to help identify any underlying causes that could be interrupting your sleeping, especially if you already have a mental or physical condition.

If you regularly have problems sleeping, you may could be suffering from sleep disorders such as insomnia or sleep apnea.

After all, poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation can impact your daily life, your health and your safety so it may be time to speak to a professional.

Help is there if you need it, don’t shy away from getting support for your sleeping!

If we can offer you a final piece of advice to take away from this post on sleep tips and tricks, it’s to avoid sleeping pills and sleep medicine unless a professional suggests you take them.

Not only do they have side effects, but research suggests they aren’t actually all that helpful in getting a restful night’s sleep.

Instead, take on board these tips and tricks to make a step forward in getting better quality sleep.

Try them out and see if they work for you, just remember to keep a consistent routine.

Think of sleep as an essential part of succeeding at university, and within your daily life!

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