When you’re looking to fix your sleep schedule, typically the most popular solution is to pull an all-nighter. During finals or midterms, all-nighters are an all too common part of college students lives. But are they okay in moderation? Science says nope.
According to USA Today, staying up for 24 hours gives you a Blood Alcohol Content of .10. This means driving while sleep-deprived is basically the equivalent of driving while drunk. If you’re depriving yourself sleep over time, long-term effects can include obesity, heart disease and even early death.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to fix your sleep schedule. However, there are plenty of healthier changes you can make that don’t involve depriving your body of sleep.
Here are five (science backed) ways to fix your sleep schedule that don’t involve pulling an all-nighter.
1. Set A Consistent Time To Wake Up
When you go to sleep and wake up at different times every day, your circadian rhythm is thrown out of whack and you can’t fall asleep when you need to. This is why it is super important to find a time to wake up that works for you, and keep that time consistent. By waking up at the same time every day, your body will get used to your new circadian rhythm and you’ll start getting tired at the same time every night as well.
The time you choose to wake up doesn’t necessarily have to be obscenely early; what’s important is that it is something you can do consistently.
2. Get Rid Of Bright Screens
It’s common knowledge that bright screens keep you awake, but does anyone actually know why? Yes! According to Scientific American, the reason for this is that using a device with maximum brightness suppresses melatonin, the hormone that helps your body know it’s time to sleep.
If you can’t give up your phone cold turkey, consider making small changes like turning your brightness down and selecting “night mode” on your apps.
3. Get Some Sunshine
In a similar vein, exposing yourself to sunlight during the day can do wonders for getting your circadian rhythm back on track. A University of Colorado study found that natural sunlight can help your sleep schedule shift earlier to wake up with the sun.
Participants in the study tested this by going camping. However, if you can’t get out of town this weekend, you can integrate sunlight into your everyday life by spending time outside in the morning, and keeping your blinds open.
4. Don’t Hit Snooze
While catching an extra couple of zzzs may not seem like the worst thing in the world, it’s best to nip that bad habit in the bud if you’re trying to fix your sleep schedule.
According to Business Insider, falling back asleep when you’re extremely tired can make you fall back into the beginning of a sleep cycle, which can make you feel even more exhausted when you wake up.
5. Eat Healthier
What you put into your body can affect your sleep just as much as what you do with it during the day. A study from the American Academy of sleep medicine found that a diet high in fat and sugar and low in fiber led to lighter sleep, and more waking up during the night. This means fueling your body with a healthy diet of fruits and veggies during the day can help you get deeper and more restful sleep.
6. Cut Out Afternoon Coffee
As a longtime coffee addict, this was the hardest change for me to make personally. However, even an afternoon brew can keep you up well into the night.
According to a study by Michigan’s Henry Ford Hospital’s Sleep Disorders & Research Center and Wayne State College of Medicine, caffeine can disrupt your sleep if consumed less than 6 hours before bedtime. This means you’ll want to cut it out around 4 if you want to be asleep by 10:30.
While fixing your sleep schedule is a worthy goal on your #adulting journey, depriving your body of what it needs isn’t the right way to do it. By making a few simple changes, you can end up happier, healthier, and maybe even start making it to your 8 a.m. class on time.