Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Rest

• Establish a regular, relaxing routine such as light stretching and breathing exercises or meditation in order to help you unwind from the activities of the day. This signals to the body that it is time to prepare for sleep and eliminates hours of lying awake in bed "counting sheep."

• Don’t read books or watch television programs that are violent, frightening or controversial. That type of content not only acts as a stimulant that may keep you awake, but since things that bother you stay on your mind, it’s likely to leave your mind "scrambling," and the quality of your sleep will deteriorate.

• Don’t consume any caffeine in the afternoon and evening—it acts as a stimulant. Even a beverage like coffee or cola can leave small amounts of caffeine in your body, preventing you from winding down at night.

• Although it seems like a solution to the problem, a nap could do more harm than good. Once the body is used to a certain sleep pattern, a nap can easily throw it off. One of three things could happen. You could wake up and be unable to sleep until way after midnight, wake up even more tired than before napping, or you could do the worst thing possible—your "nap" could turn into an early bedtime and you could sleep from 6 p.m. to midnight, not only getting an insufficient amount of rest, but also having absolutely no ability to go back to sleep between midnight and 6 a.m.

After speaking to Dr. Caskadon, I tried to take some of her advice. For starters, I stopped napping in class. I set up a definite sleep time for myself—no matter how far into my homework I got, I stopped at midnight. Next, I began to set my alarm clock for 9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, eliminating those "Monday morning blues." Overall, her advice helped me out a lot, but I know that if I actually had the opportunity to get more sleep, by Friday morning, I’d feel a lot better.

Can this advice help the many students who share that infamous tired feeling? Try to take the advice of the sleep experts, and perhaps you too can get a good night’s rest … Good night!!!"