Being at school, there is so much freedom in choosing what to do. From hobbies, to eating, to sleeping, and more. In this blog, I would like to highlight the sleep aspect. We can go to bed whenever we want, and wake up whenever we want, with no one telling us what we have to do or where we need to be. As I have talked about in previous blogs, I have always lived an active lifestyle. A routine is something that I have always had, but first semester, I struggled finding a solid routine that was easy for me to stick to. In high school, I went from school, to practice, drove home, ate dinner, did homework, slept, and repeated it, or at least most days. It was easy for me to do and to follow, and I always felt like I got everything done. Coming to college, I was constantly changing what I was doing. For example, one day I woke up at 10:30 am, the next at 7:45 am, and the next at 3:30 pm. Not only did this make me feel like I didn’t have a routine, but it made me feel slow, unproductive, and sluggish, even if I got everything done that I needed to.
When I went home for winter break, I realized that my sleep routine was completely out of order. My entire life, I have never been a morning person, but I have always wished I was at least able to wake up to an alarm. Coming back for 2nd semester, I had a goal of waking up not only earlier but being more productive in the mornings. When waking up at 10 or 11 each day, I found that it was hard for me to get everything done. For example, I hated going to the gym after my classes at 4 because it was crowded, which only made me procrastinate more, and be unproductive. This past month, I have found the importance of a good, or at least better, sleep routine.
After being in a better sleep routine, I have realized that it is one of the most important aspects of balance in life. Recently, I have found that waking up around 9 and starting my day off going to the gym makes me much more productive than waking up at 11 and going to the gym at 7 pm. While I only made it so that I went to bed and woke up around an hour or so earlier, it has made such changes for me in the way I feel, productiveness, and my overall schedule.
The Sleep Doctor states, “Optimizing your sleep schedule to get the right amount of sleep comes with a wide range of benefits.” Prior to this past month especially, I always thought this was kind of a lie. How much did it really matter that I woke up around the same time every day? After trying to do so more often, I have realized it does make a huge difference.
As Utah State University states, “Having a routine helps keep us on track both mentally and physically, which can help make our days more positive and productive.” With this, I encourage you to try and develop a productive routine, whether it comes to eating, sleeping, exercise, and more, as it has not only helped myself live a more balanced lifestyle, but can help everyone else too.
Sources:
https://extension.usu.edu/news_sections/home_family_and_food/the-importance-of-routines
Hi, I think your blog post was amazing. I also had trouble with my schedule, and sometimes still do. Having classes at such different times is so crazy. On Thursdays, my classes start at 1:25 PM, while on Mondays and Fridays, I am up at 8 AM for my 9 AM. Sleeping based on these varying times is bad, because there is no strict sleep schedule. So, I try to consistently be awake by 9 or 10 AM. That way, I can do some homework and eat before I start my day. Balance is so important. Great post!
I also have a horrible schedule routine, however, as a college student, you want to catch a few extra minutes of sleep wherever you can. I try to wake up within the same two hours on week days, but it gets increasingly harder as the semester drags on. I go to class, go to the gym, get my acai bowl, then do homework until I go to sleep.
This was a very interesting post to read! I too struggled with creating my own routine, especially since the times of my classes changed for each semester. I think that I work the same way that you do – I like to get up early each morning and go to the gym before my classes; for this reason, I like to schedule my classes to be midday so I can go to the gym, go to class, then have the entire afternoon to relax, do homework, and go to any club meetings. I didn’t realize how important a sleep schedule was, especially the whole “going to bed and waking up around the same time each day”. Thanks for a fun read!
I definitely struggled a bit last semester to find my groove, but I feel like my routine has gotten better this time around. I’m still working on how to stay productive in the large amount of time I have after my classes are done because all I want to do is lay in my bed and relax. Every time I do this, I just have my assignments looming over me.