Advice on Sleep from an Insomniac

By Sophia Pei ‘22

We’ve all heard how sleep deprivation can cause short-term consequences like poor judgement, weakened immune system, and poor concentration and is also correlated with detrimental long-term effects like heart disease and neurological degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately in an age of instant gratification and ever more invasive technology, maintaining healthy sleep habits is becoming more difficult. Sleep difficulty has been cited as the leading factors affecting USC students’ academic performance (along with stress and anxiety which also cause further lack of sleep, leading to an awful positive feedback cycle). As a diagnosed insomniac, I’m definitely guilty of not getting as much sleep as my body needs. The following are some tips that have helped me obtain a more consistent, healthy sleep schedule.

1) Maintain a consistent sleep schedule

Yes, I know… Much easier said than done. Perhaps Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays you have that 9am that forces you up at 8am where on Tuesdays and Thursdays you get the luxury to sleep in until noon. And then of course, there’s weekends where everything is a wild card. As difficult as it is, by forcing yourself up at 8:30AM every morning, you’d not only feel better on days you have that 9AM, but every other day as well. By trying to keep a consistent sleep schedule and waking up around the same time (give or take 30 minutes) you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed and surprise yourself with all the extra time you have that means finishing school work, exercising, or binging your favorite shows. Forcing yourself to wake up at a consistent time every morning will also help your body naturally feel tired at the same time each night. Maintaining a consistent schedule as a college student is challenging, but keeping a regular sleep schedule doesn’t have to be. By allowing the evolutionary effects of your circadian rhythm to take place, you’ll be able to wake up feeling more refreshed.

2) Regular exercise (but not before bed)

We all know the benefits of exercise, but it’s especially important for the sedentary life of most college students. Most college students spend the majority of their time sitting: be it in a lecture, study room, or dining hall. The couple of moments standing in lab or walking from class to class simply isn’t enough to maintain a healthy body. All the stress and anxiety from seeking to perform well academically can lead to insomnia. Work off that pent-up energy by working out! Embrace your free membership to the Lyon Center or the essentially “free” 2 unit PE electives and engage in some regular exercise. It’ll help physically exhaust your body so you’re more ready to sleep when you want to. Don’t feel like you have time? Do a quick 7 minute ab workout in the morning or read while pedaling on the stationary bike! A caveat: don’t work out before bed, because the endorphins will prevent you from falling asleep (your body needs about 2 hours after exercising to return to a calm state).

3) Don’t drink caffeine after noon

Studies have shown that drinking caffeine even 6 hours before bedtime can have a negative impact on the quality and amount of sleep an individual has. Skip that Starbucks run at lunch and definitely avoid the dining hall coffee at dinner.

4) Use a sleep mask and ear plugs

Roommate keeping you up? Invest in a sleep mask and some ear plugs. While it may take some getting used to, it’ll definitely help if you need silence and darkness for sleep.

5) Get a blue light filter

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the detrimental effects of blue light on both the eyes and sleep. Solution? Download a blue light filter for your laptop and phone. I personally recommend Nightmode since you can schedule it to turn on after it gets dark so it doesn’t inhibit your body from naturally producing melatonin.

6) Get a sleep tracker alarm

Hate the sound of your alarm? Feel groggy in the morning no matter how many hours you sleep? Get a sleep tracker alarm. People have sleep cycles that last between twenty to thirty minutes and in one cycle there are moment of deeper sleep and lighter sleep. If you are woken up in deep sleep, you’ll wake up disorientated, tired, and unhappy, whereas if you are woken up in lighter sleep, your body will feel more like it awoke naturally. There are many mobile apps that track your sleep cycles and help wake you up at the optimal moment. I highly recommend Sleepcycles. You set a 30 minute time range for it to wake you up and it’ll analyze your sleep patterns through your movement and breathing throughout the night to wake you up in the lightest stage of sleep in the interval that you gave it. It also has a bunch of great calming tones that gradually get louder rather to wake you up rather than the phone’s default alarm sounds.

7) Try breathing techniques and use your imagination

For many people, the main thing preventing them from sleeping is the constant overflow of thoughts. The common myth that you should “clear your mind” just doesn’t work in those situations. Rather than to clear your minds of all thought (which is impossible) try to channel them instead. Practice mindfulness techniques by focusing on the sound the breathing. If that’s not enough stimulation, use your imagination and invent an ideal place or situation and focus on that rather than all the stressors. Listening to soft instrumental music may help as well since it’ll be something to distract the brain from all thoughts provoking anxiety and keeping you up.

8) Melatonin

As all insomniacs know, the secret to sleep is melatonin. Offered over the counter, this easily accessible sleep supplement is a great way to sleep train to develop a better sleep schedule, or provide an extra boost on nights that are extra stressful. It should be taken with caution however. For first time users, definitely start a lower concentration. Take a tablet 30 minutes before bed and only if you know you’ll get at least 7 hours of sleep (otherwise you’ll wake up super sleepy in the morning if you’re able to wake up). While it’s non-addictive, I would caution against nightly use since the continual input of artificial melatonin may cause your body to stop producing as much natural melatonin.

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