Getting a good night’s sleep is more important than you think.  Sleep problems can have a negative effect on our mental health by influencing our emotions, thoughts, behaviors and body sensations.

 Emotions: If your sleep is disturbed, you might feel irritable, grumpy, numbed out, sad, anxious, worried or stressed.

 Thoughts: Sleep problems can make it difficult to concentrate or think clearly, or make decision the next day

 Behaviors: We are more likely to avoid our usual activities when we are experiencing sleep problems.

 Body Sensations: Sleep difficulties can leave us feeling tired, drowsy and worn out.

 Although sleep problems are common, there are some easy ways to improve the quality of your sleep. Many people find their physical and mental well being also improves when their sleep improves. Here are 7 useful tips to help improve your night’s sleep.

 1. Follow the same routine- try to keep the same sleep and wake schedule everyday, setting your internal clock.

 2. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking and exercising at least 2 hours before bedtime. These can cause some disrupted or trouble sleeping.

 3. Avoid being hungry or eating heavily before going to bed; instead eat balanced meals and snacks at regular intervals during the day.

 4. Make your bedroom comfortable and only use it for sleeping- Avoid using your bed for watching TV, work, studying, or any other mentally stimulating activities.

 5. Get up if you do not fall asleep within half an hour. Leave your bedroom and do something relaxing and later return when you’re feeling drowsy. Over time this will likely reverse sleep problems.

 6. Avoid taking naps if you are experiencing sleep problems. If you do take a nap, try to keep it to 45 minutes or less.

 7. Challenge the belief we can’t function without a perfects nights sleep- Don’t get anxious if you aren’t able to sleep and are worried about your productivity the next day.     

Quiet Hours are the most important residence standard for a reason. 

QUIET HOURS

Sunday to Thursday          10pm-7am

Friday to Saturday             1am-7am

For more information on:

 How to get a good night’s sleep
http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

What happens if you don’t get a good night’s sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

How Much is Enough?

 It’s different for everyone- some people need more than others but most need 6-8 hours. If you are frequently tired or irritable during the day or find yourself sleeping an extra 2 hours each night on weekends, then you’re probably not getting enough. 

It’s not just enough sleep – it’s about getting the right kind of sleep as well. Student who don’t get enough REM sleep perform way worse recalling newly learned information. It’s the last couple of hours of sleep that contain the most REM sleep – it’s the good quality REM sleep that suffers.