Ashley Dodson

Reporter

Can you get a good night’s sleep in college? Is this possible? Most college students live in dorms, and their sleeping habits can collide with each other. For college students, it is crucial to have a good night’s rest. It can improve your concentration, your mood and overall health. Here are some tips to help you get a good night’s sleep.

1. Make a bedtime routine. Try to get yourself in a pattern when you are getting ready for bed. This way you are telling your body that it’s time to go to sleep.

2. Try to go the bed each night at the same time and wake up each morning at the same time. For students, this seems like it will never be possible. But the more consistent you can be, the more reachable this goal can be. Your body operates on circadian rhythms related to patterns of waking and sleeping. When these rhythms are disrupted, so is your sleep. For example, when you sleep in one morning because you didn’t sleep well the night before, your cycle will change. You will get tired later every day and want to wake up later, too.

3. Avoid taking long naps. Naps also collide with our body’s rhythm. Naps can make you less tired at your actual bedtime. Instead of napping, try laughing or a brisk exercise to wake you up.

4. Try warm milk and whole-wheat bread. Warm milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that kicks serotonin, a brain chemical, into high gear. Research has shown that serotonin plays a big part in helping people sleep. Adding a slice of whole wheat bread also enhances the tryptophan.

5. If the milk and warm bread don’t work, try not eating or drinking anything before bed. Try to stop eating and drinking three or four hours until you go to bed. Doing this might help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.

6. Don’t drink caffeine, and avoid cheese and certain meats before bed. You should try to stop consuming caffeine around 2-3 p.m. Researchers have shown that meats and cheese like pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and salami contain a chemical called tyrosine. Tyrosine has been proven to keep people awake at night.

7. Stretch before bed. Stretching is a way for the body to unwind from a day’s work. Doing some gentle arm, leg and neck stretches can ease your body into a restful sleep mode.