10 Sleep Tips for Your College Kid

With the school year fast approaching, it's important for college students to know the basics about getting enough (and the right kind of) sleep. Extreme sleep deprivation is a common affliction among young students, especially when they're stressed with heavy workloads, variable class times and action-packed social lives. Read on for 10 things every college student should know about sleep.

College students need eight hours of sleep at the very least. If they shave off sleep time in order to study for exams, they are likely doing themselves more harm than good. Sleep deprivation creates decreases in both academic and sports performance, so the gain they’re shooting for is actually sabotaged.

To ensure 8 hours of sleep every night, students can set a target bedtime and fit their schoolwork and socializing into reasonable waking hours.

Exercise is obviously great for a number of reasons, but does your college kid know that it also promotes deeper sleep? Daily exercise increases the percentage of deep sleep and decreases mid-slumber awakenings, making it a fabulous sleep-stoker.

Because movement can sometimes activate general wakefulness, students should be careful to plan their exercise well before bedtime.

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Bright light in the morning helps sleepy college students wake up and get their brains ready for a day’s work. More interestingly, light may actually help them get tired at night, thus promoting regular sleep. Outside light is ideal and can be absorbed with the same benefits even on a cloudy day.

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Today’s college students toggle between various technologies effortlessly. They text, Google, Skype and change their music—all while writing a paper. While students think nothing of their tech prowess, their brain activation levels tell the tale. Reasonable bedtimes come and go unrecognized because tech-activated brains don’t feel sleepy.

If a target bedtime is 11 p.m., all technology should be turned off by 10 p.m., giving students a chillout trajectory that promotes sleepiness and slumber.

B-complex vitamins are known to enhance restful sleep as well as reduce fatigue. Luckily, many college campuses offer healthy, tasty food options college students can sink their teeth into. Dairy, veggies, nuts, beans and eggs all offer sources of B-complex vitamins. Caffeine, a common crutch for exhausted college students, should be consumed reasonably and avoided completely after midday.

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College time is often party time for young people tasting their first bits of freedom. While some think that alcohol helps them unwind and get some sleep, it actually disrupts the sleep cycle and leaves students feeling less rested and focused the next day. While parents can’t control how much partying their college student is choosing, they can share information about how alcohol adversely affects sleep.

While it may sound convenient and cozy to study in bed, it’s actually not a good idea. Even in a small, poorly appointed room, beds should be for sleeping and not studying. When the brain associates a bed with sleeping only, students are more likely to benefit from that paired association. It’s also a good idea for sleepy students to have bedding they really like. Super-soft sheets and the perfect pillow create more comfort and positive feelings about bedtime.

College students who “frontload” their responsibilities often get better sleep. Procrastinators, by contrast, get into crisis mode and shave down sleep in order to pull off last minute studying. If your college kid is still caught in procrastination, you have a challenge because it's very likely he or she won’t be interested in coaching from you. You might get away with passing on an article about procrastination or time management. If you convey compassion instead of criticism, your message might just get through.

When college students hear that sleep deprivation may lead to the freshman 15, they pay attention. In the last several years, research has confirmed a strong link between being tired and packing on pounds. It’s because hunger hormones surge while satiation hormones decrease when people get less than eight hours of sleep. Additionally, tired people crave fattening food. Sleepy college students join the ranks with new parents, and shift workers as populations at greatest risk for sleep-deprived weight gain.

Before college kids leave for the year, parents can support them in making rest and rejuvenation part of their daily schedule. While older kids aren’t huge fans of “the teaching moment,” keep in mind that teaching by example is the most powerful mode of influencing behavior. Parents who exercise, eat well and value sleep transmit a healthy message to kids who only seem to be oblivious. While the kids may not let you know it, you serve as a teacher by living your life the best that you can.

Lucie Hemmen, Ph.D, is a clinical psychologist, author, expert in teen behavior and mom to two.