by: Sarah Ens

With midterm exams now in effect, we as students have an obligation to take care of ourselves.

One important aspect of our well-being is SLEEP!

Sleep is prompted by natural cycles of activity in the brain and consists of two basic states:

1. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep

2. Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM) which has 4 stages.

During sleep your body will cycle between non-REM sleep and REM sleep.

Each stage on NREM can last between 5-15 minutes and 4 cycles must occur before REM sleep is

attained.

NREM is very important because this is when the body repairs itself, and also strengths your immune

system (CRUTIALWHEN LIVING IN RESIDENCE).

REM sleep occurs 90 minutes after sleep onset.

This is when all of your dreaming will happen and your brain will be stimulated.

Now that you know a little bit about sleep here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep

1. Set a regular bedtime: try and go to bed at the same time every night. Pick a time when you will

actually feel tired and try not to break this routine on the weekends.

2. Wake up at the same time every day. (yes even on weekends)

3. Nap to make up for lost sleep: if you need to make up for lost hours, try a daytime nap instead

of sleeping-in. (Be mindful though, napping for too long can disrupt your nighttime routine try

staying around 30minutes)

4. Fight after-dinner drowsiness: If you find yourself getting sleepy right after dinner, get up and

do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep. If you give into sleeping you may wake

up later into the night and have troubles falling back to sleep.

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