College is often a chaotic and sometimes exhausting experience, and one of the areas of life that tends to suffer first and most often is sleep. Anyone who has been a student can tell you that the experience is decidedly chaotic at times, presenting challenges that are not always (if ever) easily prepared for. With so many assessment deadlines to adhere to, and so many courses to keep track of and succeed in, it goes without saying that sometimes you inadvertently miss out on precious sleep to keep on top of everything. It can be draining – especially if this is a habit that becomes a long-standing frequent issue. So, how can it be remedied? From the seemingly simple tips and tricks, to the more in-depth solutions, there are many ways to improve sleep in college, but which are the most effective? What are the five most effective and popular ways to improve sleep as a college student (especially during those high impact assessment periods)?

Comfort is the biggest contributing factor to quality of sleep (or lack thereof). And one of the most significant parts of that is temperature control. When the body is too cold or too hot, it does not relax properly, which makes drifting into a comfortable sleep difficult. So, ensuring that you have relative temperature control in the room you are sleeping in (whether it be winter quilts or a fan or air conditioning) plays a significant role in the quality of your sleep. College campuses can be loud places, which can be distracting, so to improve the quality of your sleep, at the very least make sure that your room is comfortable. More than anything else, this will make a substantial difference in a good night’s sleep, and a fractured night’s sleep. When the temperature is just right, the body can relax properly, allowing you to drift to sleep easier and without the frustration of essentially fighting to keep your eyes closed.

Second, is avoiding caffeine intake late at night or just before you plan to go to sleep. Having a coffee any time after six, and especially within two hours of heading to sleep at night, does what it is supposed to do: alert the mind. This is the opposite effect that you can experience as you go to sleep, so avoiding caffeine before bed is a great way to improve your sleep. If you find that sleep still evades you after reducing your caffeine intake, you can try other alternatives such as tea. It might just be exactly what you need to take the edge off when you are stressing under the weight of assessment deadlines. Look up the best option, if you think this could help you.

 Up next is exercise. This might come as a bit of a surprise to some, but maintaining a steady exercise routine works wonders for improving your quality of sleep (as well as your quality of life) because it essentially keeps the muscles moving and the body on the go, which in turn allows the body to wear itself out during the day. This means that, by the time late afternoon rolls into early evening, and onward, your body will start to get more and more tired, until you eventually must go to sleep. And finally, going device-free in the hours leading up to bedtime is a great way to improve the quality of your sleep – difficult as it might seem at first. See, bright screens keep the brain alert, so even shortly after you put them down, your brain is still processing at the same rate it does throughout the day when you are at your most awake and alert. So, avoid the screens late at night to prepare your brain for the mental down time that comes hand in hand with a good night’s sleep.

 Being a college student can be a challenging experience for anyone, no matter how capable they are. This is especially true during periods of high impact assessment deadlines throughout the calendar year. One of the first habits that falls out of sync, and unfortunately also one of the most commonly affected habits of all, is sleep. Thankfully, there are many ways to deal with the issue and help combat fractured sleeping patterns. From avoiding caffeine and device screens in the hours leading up to bed, to taking CBD, and everything in between, the various ways to improve sleep in college also work outside of the college experience. Sleep is crucial to the body functioning and thriving at its best, and so it is incredibly important to prioritise sleep always – even when assessment deadlines loom.