Sleeping is essential to life.

It rejuvenates your body and gives you the mental and physical health you need to survive the stresses of daily life.

Eight hours of sleep every night is recommended, however, we all know that can be quite the challenge for college students.

How to make the best use of your sleep time:

Eat healthy, and allow time for digestion.

The ideal eating pattern consists of 5 small meals spaced throughout the day. It is easier and better to sleep waiting three hours after your last meal.

Greasier foods also wear you down and make you feel sluggish, so try to eat as healthy as possible.

Nap

Take power naps.

Taking a 30 minute nap in the middle of the day can do wonders.

A shorter nap allows one to get some rest without actually entering the regular sleep cycle (SWS- Slow Wave Sleep), which leads to sleep inertia (grogginess, and feeling even more tired after a nap).

However, a shower, snack, and coffee can often make you feel good as new after a longer nap.

Exercise.

Staying in shape improves your quality of sleep, alertness, and energy level.

Try doing some pushups or jog in place after a nap to get back into the groove of this hustle and bustle world.

Caffeine.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but studies show caffeine intake before a power nap is actually beneficial, and leads to feeling better after the nap.

Caffeine takes 30-45 minutes to take effect, so a nap shorter than that will not be compromised. This works better if you can fall asleep faster.

Use alarms to make sure you don’t oversleep or miss anything.

Planning your days in advance can also allow you to strategically plan times for naps. Remember, it is important to have a good napping environment (space to sleep, no noise, no light). Happy napping!