Got sleep?

Photo by Enkhtuvshin Chimee

Maintaining good sleep hygiene can be challenging while in college, but there are effective strategies that can help, said BYU–Hawaii faculty and students.

Counseling & Disability Services Office Manager Kathleen Cowan said what is done during the day is as important to good sleep as things done at night. Sticking to a sleeping schedule and exercising at least 30 minutes daily boosts serotonin levels in the body, she said. According to Colorado State University’s website, serotonin is converted into melatonin when it starts to get dark. Melatonin is a hormone that promotes sleep, says the website. Not having enough serotonin or being surrounded by artificial light can lower amounts of converted melatonin unbalance a sleep schedule, explained the blog iHerb.

Boyd Timothy, an associate professor in the Faculty of Sciences, teaches sleep hygiene tips in one of his psychology classes. These tips included:

• If you haven’t fallen asleep in 20 minutes, get up and do something mindless, then try going to bed again. Tossing and turning will make it harder to sleep.
• Do not eat right before bed, especially sugar or carbohydrates. These foods give your body a spike in glucose and energy.
• Do not do anything in your bed except sleep.This trains your brain to know that when you get into bed, it is time to sleep. Eating, studying, being on your phone or any other activity done in bed teaches you to stay awake when you get into bed.
• Do not take naps more than 30 minutes. Napping during the day can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
• Do not look at screens or take in a lot of artificial light before bed. Looking at artificial light can interfere with the production of melatonin.
• Wake up at the same time every day.
• Go to bed at the same time every day.This consistency will help your body get into a rhythm.

A love of sleep

Wilmar Banguilan, a senior majoring in social work from the Philippines, said being a wife, mother and student can be draining. However, she said having good sleep hygiene helps her perform well academically and juggle everything else too.

Pono Murray said irregular sleep patterns during people’s college years impact academic performance and mental health by depriving them of well-needed rest. “Students have decreased focus, energy and drive throughout the day to complete school work,” said Murray, a junior majoring in Hawaiian Studies from Maui. He also pointed out that lack of sleep increases anxiety and depression.

Banguilan prioritizes sleep, she explained, by having a consistent bedtime routine and creating a comfortable sleep environment. A consistent sleep schedule helps regulate her body’s internal clock and promotes better sleep quality, she explained.

Kalonisita Tonga, a freshman from Tonga majoring in accounting, said her love for sleep comes from her ability to work better and more efficiently when she is well rested. “If I don’t get enough sleep, I get exhausted and burn out. It is important to get enough rest at night to handle the stress the day brings,” she said.

The sleeping brain

There are four stages of sleep, explains the National Institute of Health. Each stage is characterized by a different wave of electrical activity in the brain, writes the Mayo Clinic website. Stage one consists of theta waves and lasts between one to five minutes as a person falls asleep, writes the NIH.

The second stage consists of brief, powerful bursts of neurological firing called sleep spindles. Some studies suggest that sleep spindles play an important role in memory consolidation, says the NIH. Stage two also has long delta waves which promote memory, the NIH shares.

Delta waves in the third sleep stage have low frequencies, the NIH website says. If awoken during this stage, a person will be moderately mentally impaired for 30 minutes to an hour, says NIH. During this stage the body repairs, regrows tissue, and strengthens the immune system, the website explains.

Rapid eye movement happens during the last sleep stage, which is why it is often referred to as REM sleep. The brain produces beta waves in this stage and dreams take place, writes the NIH.