A good night of sleep is one of the most critical factors for student success, yet it is often the most overlooked. For college students and young adults between the ages of 18-25, researchers suggest seven to nine hours of sleep per night is ideal. With classes, extracurriculars and social lives, college students may find themselves using weekends to catch up on sleep they neglected during the week. This can have an adverse effect on overall sleep hygiene and developing a healthy sleep routine. Even the highly desirable midday nap can throw off a person’s ability to sleep at night, particularly if taken in the late afternoon. 

If your student is having a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, has daytime sleepiness, or experiences other sleep disturbances, this may be indicative of poor sleep hygiene. Here are some tips to help your student practice healthy sleep hygiene so they can wake up feeling rested and alert:

• Make sleep a priority! This may include setting boundaries with social engagements, schoolwork or other responsibilities that eat into sleep hours.
• Establish sleep and waking times, and stick to them.
• Limit caffeine intake to the morning hours and limit alcohol, as alcohol can significantly disrupt sleep quality.
• Turn off screens (smart phone, TV, computer, etc.) 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Engage in regular exercise.
• Create a nightly routine for winding down the mind and body. This might look like dimming the lights, engaging in a mindfulness activity, light stretching, or curling up with a book.
• Keep a sleep journal to monitor your progress. 

If your student’s sleep disturbances persist, they might consider setting up an appointment with a therapist from Counseling Services to get additional support. Appointments can be made by calling the Student Wellness Center at 717-544-9051 or using the MyLGHealth portal. F&M students are eligible to receive up to six free counseling sessions per academic year. Walk-in hours are offered between 1 and 2 p.m. weekdays, during which appointments are not required.

DipCares

Many students face challenges during college that can interfere with their success. DipCares is a wellness program at F&M that directs students toward available supportive resources, empowers them to seek them out and ask for help when needed, and ensures faculty and staff know how to help if students are distressed.

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