Dear Honors Student,
Exam season is upon us. Long study sessions, comfy clothes, coffee, and late nights are often a staple of this time of the year. While it is very important for students to prioritize academics, we also want to make sure you are taking time to center one of the most critical needs of your body: Sleep. Sleep is often put in the back burner to tend to academic or social commitments. The purpose of this issue of take Care Tuesday is to highlight the importance of sleep, its benefits, and how to make sure we get enough of it.
Also: Join us next week for our next Take Care Tuesdays Zoom edition! Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m., we'll focus on building and maintaining healthy habits, as well as breaking old unhealthy ones. Presented with Health Educator Aftan Jameson.
Meeting ID: 952 7098 8594
PW: 325727
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This Psychology Today piece chock full of advice on how college students can develop and maintain healthy sleep habits. According to the article, “Studies of college students show that they tend to sleep less than the 8 hours per night that most older adolescents require–the average is around 7 hours.”
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This reminder from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that getting enough sleep is actually vital to academic success. And just in case you think skimping on sleep for a few weeks won't hurt you? We've got bad news: "After two weeks of sleeping six hours or less a night, students feel as bad and perform as poorly as someone who has gone without sleep for 48 hours."
Another important distinction in the piece? Sleep quality, in addition to sleep quantity. Read on for more information and—our favorite—tips on how to develop a sleep routine.
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“It’s 4am, and the big test is in 8 hours. You’ve been studying for days, but you still don’t feel ready. Should you drink another cup of coffee and spend the next few hours cramming? Or should you go to sleep?” In this quick five-minute video, Shai Marcu defends the latter option, showing how sleep restructures your brain in a way that’s crucial for how our memory works.
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This completely free meditation for sleep from app Headspace. So you're finally lying in bed but finding yourself replaying a test or stressful conversation? "Meditation for sleep is a specific, guided experience that offers a natural sleep aid all on its own, allowing us to let go of the day—everything that’s happened and everything that’s been said — so that we can rest the mind while simultaneously resting the body." You had us at natural sleep aid, Headspace.
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+ Join Us as we find new ways to connect. Honors staff and faculty fellows, like you, are getting creative about finding connection and taking good care of ourselves. This edition, we hear from Amanda Limon, Graduate Assistant to the University Honors Program.
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As a graduate student, I would be lying if I said I get a solid eight hours of sleep a night. However, because sleep is important to me and my well-being, I prioritize it as much as possible. This means, I practice good sleep hygiene—when I go to sleep, I put myself in the best position to sleep well. To help ensure that I do not have difficulty in falling asleep, I make sure not to drink any caffeine after 2pm (unless I am going to have a late night). I am the type of person who needs a good night’s sleep to function, therefore, I make sure that unless absolutely necessary, I keep a regular sleeping schedule. Keeping a regular sleeping schedule allows me to practice good sleep hygiene. I try to go to sleep around the same time each night and wake up around the same time each day (minus weekends and the end of the semester). Thirty minutes before I head to bed, I limit my exposure to blue light—no computers, phones, or TV 30 minutes before bed. To help get me in that sleepy mindset, I drink a soothing herbal tea and stretch a little. When I am ready for bed, I make sure I have the perfect blanket to room temperature ratio and before I know it, it is morning.
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We’ll be back with more soon, and until then, take good care. 💙
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