Sleep

Homesickness

• Missing home is normal! Bring comfort into your space—decorate your dorm, add familiar scents, or have your childhood stuffed animal shipped to you (yes, everyone else brought theirs too).
• Suggestion: Visit our Adjusting to UCSC page for more support.

You and your roommates have different schedules

• Do you have an 8 a.m. and your roommate likes to stay up late, or vice versa?
• Suggestion: Establish a good sleeping environment by having an open conversation with your dorm mates as soon as possible.
• Learn how to manage tense talks from our friends at Stanford.

It’s noisy in your or around your dorm

• Are people outside your dorm shouting “POOORTTTERRR” every night?
• Suggestion: Come by SHOP for some earplugs. 

Caffeine

• The stimulating effects of caffeine in coffee, colas, teas, and chocolate (yes, really!) can take as long as 8 hours to wear off fully.
• Suggestion: Plan your schedule and count backwards 8 hours from when you want to go to sleep.

You’re stressed or anxious about something

• Our bodies can sense when something is bothering us, and that can make it challenging to fall asleep.
• Suggestions: Several tools can help you sleep when you are stressed or anxious:
  • Journaling before bed can help get all of the repeating thoughts out of your head before sleep. Stop by SHOP if you need a journal!
  • Make a to-do list for the next day. 
  • Headspace has a free playlist of sleep stories and meditations. 

You’re going to bed at a different time every night

• College schedules are unpredictable and can change every day.
• Suggestion: Creating a bedtime routine can help signal to your body that it’s time for sleep, and help you wind down for the night. 

Your devices are keeping you up

• Blue light from your phone or computer can keep you up at night. As a college student, it can be hard to avoid using your devices at night.
• Suggestion: If you can, try stepping away from your computer 30 minutes before you go to sleep, do a short bedtime routine, and listen to music or a podcast instead of looking at your phone.

Substances

• Alcohol and cannabis can help you fall asleep faster, but they also heavily affect sleep quality. Even if you fall asleep quickly or sleep for 8 or more hours, you might still wake up feeling unrested—tossing and turning during the night is common. 
• Suggestion: If you’re using substances often to help you fall asleep, check out the above tips or make an appointment with your primary care provider. 

Early bird? Night owl? Either can work.

• You’ve probably seen people on social media claim that waking up early is the secret to success. But the truth is—everyone’s different. Productivity doesn’t depend on what time you wake up; it depends on finding a routine that works for you.
  • For example: If your first class isn’t until 11 a.m. and you focus better at night, it’s totally okay to go to bed at 1 a.m. and sleep in. The key is consistency and getting enough rest.
• Suggestion: Try tracking your sleep for a week using a journal or app to see what schedule helps you feel your best.

You’re not sleeping enough

• This happens sometimes, especially on the quarter system. Naps are a great tool if you’re feeling really tired during the day. Remember: a nap should be 20-30 minutes max, any more than that is sleeping! 
• Suggestion: For more tips on how to make the most of mid-day rest, check out this Napping: Do’s and Don’ts resource from the Mayo Clinic.

You’re feeling stressed or anxious about something

• Our bodies can sense when something is bothering us, and it can wake us up in the middle of the night.
• Suggestions:
  • Try listening to a free playlist of sleep stories and meditations from Headspace.
  • If you wake up with thoughts racing, try writing them down to clear your head. Some students keep a journal by their bed just for this—getting worries or reminders onto paper can make it easier to fall back asleep. Need a journal? Stop by SHOP and pick one up for free!