The 10 Commandments of getting a good night’s sleep in college

Shekie Olagunju
Student Writer

We all know the struggle of getting a good night’s sleep in college. Below are legitimate tips and commandments for getting sleep. Be warned, I am a trusted source who used to get four hours of sleep every night and once went three days without sleep in college. I’ve lived in the sleep deprived dark side, and now I know better. Here’s my compiled list of how to actually get a healthy amount of sleep in college.

1.Thou shalt not end up on the weird side of YouTube or Vine and stay up all night watching cute cat videos.

We have all been here, admit it already. And yes, memes are lit.

2. Thou shalt have a moderately healthy sleep schedule.

I’m just trying to be real here. In college, no one expects you to have a normal sleep schedule due to all the crazy things that are constantly happening. Just try to set some times that you aim to be asleep and awake. The idea of bedtimes may not be pleasant, but you will love them once they become a habit. The result? Regular, beautiful and precious sleep.

3. Thou shalt not procrastinate in school work and sacrifice sleep for grades.

Procrastinators unite! Tomorrow maybe… I get it; it’s sometimes hard to motivate yourself to do those really long papers and assignments. Sometimes you find yourself searching for other things to do that are really random (yes, rearranging your entire room counts). I’m guilty too, but the point is not to do this regularly because it piles up and steals sleep time from you. Just think—all the time you are spending procrastinating right now could be spent in a wonderful dream world and a nice, warm bed.

4. Thou shalt put your phone down an hour before bed.

This thought sounds a little scary to the millennial me because I check my phone before bed and as I wake up. What am I supposed to do in the awkward time before I actually fall asleep? Freeing yourself from technology before bed allows you to look within and spend quality time with yourself. Use this time instead for devotional reading, goal setting, journaling and other introspective activities. That meme can wait; there will always be something new and interesting on the Internet, but you need time and effort to know yourself first.

5. Thou shalt not eat late night snacks or heavy food four hours before bed.

This comes from experience. Just don’t do it. You feel will feel heavy and end up scolding yourself. A sandwich sounds amazing right now but do you know what sounds better? Sleep.

6. Thou shalt get your sleeping position right.

We all have our weird quirks when we sleep, and only you know what way your arm needs to be bent to get the most sleep. If you need three good pillows to get some good sleep, don’t be cheap—get those pillows. Your body and sanity will thank you for it.

7. Thou shalt remember to keep the lights down or dimmed during the night.

I know that this varies due to personal preference, from brightly lit movie studios to bat caves, but try to dull the lights before going to sleep. Cute Christmas lights (who said Christmas lights are only for Christmas?) are also a great option because they are not too heavy on your eyes, and can put you in a happy mood due to their festivity.

8. Thou shalt cut down on the caffeine (yes, I am judging you).

I understand that coffee is literally the oil that keeps your body machine working and lubricated in college. It enables you to act like a normal and polite human being at 7:45 a.m. when you are heading to your 8:00 a.m. class. Drink coffee, but not too much. When you start to see your hands shaking, that’s probably the time to stop.

9. Thou shalt have a sleep playlist.

Any song genre that is slow and soothing will help you relax and get you ready for bed. Play this at a really low volume that is almost a whisper, and see how fast you fall asleep.

10. Thou shalt not stress or worry about things that cannot be solved until the next day.

Wind down and clear your head of all your anxiety because stressing over them before bed will not solve them or help you in any way. Leave it to God and get your snooze. It may surprise you, but many times you wake up and realize that all of your stress and worries may not be as bad as you thought.