How to Sleep Better When Studying Online

With late night study sessions being a common occurrence when studying online, it can be hard to turn off the computer and get some well needed sleep. Not only this, but if you are choosing to study late at night, this can make falling asleep when you get to bed even harder. If you are studying online, here are a few tips to help you sleep better.

Don’t Power Nap

Studying online means sitting in the comfort of your own home, which brings around plenty of ways to procrastinate. If you have been studying and staring at a screen for a couple of hours, you may get the urge to hit your couch or bed and have a quick power nap to carry on. While this is tempting, napping in the day will make it harder for you to sleep at night. This can leave you feeling frustrated and exhausted the next day. You can counteract this by having regular breaks from your computer, or going outside for a quick walk and some fresh air. If you have textbooks, try to make use of them so you aren’t spending as much time in front of a screen.

Ditch the Caffeine

When studying, reaching for your favorite cup of coffee or fizzy drink is common. Unfortunately, caffeine can actually hinder your sleep and if you are drinking it too close to bedtime in order to study better, this may be detrimental to your sleep length and quality. Although a coffee in the morning is okay, you’ll want to try to steer clear of caffeinated drinks in the afternoon or evening.

Caffeine stays in your system for anywhere between three and six hours depending on your metabolism, meaning you will stay alert and stimulated even when you are wishing for a good night’s sleep. If you think caffeine is the culprit to your sleepless nights, try cutting out coffee.

Create a Better Study Plan

If you create a study plan that works around your sleep routine, you are more likely to get things done. Not only does a study plan help you stay on track, it can help you keep your home and work life organized too. This may mean cutting out studying online late at night and instead getting an early night to study first thing. This can help you to get a better sleep and cut out screentime too close to bedtime.

Stick to Your Sleep Routine

Having a sleep routine is essential, especially when studying. Having good sleep can help keep the brain alert and allow you to retain information better than without a good night’s sleep. Usually, you should have around eight hours of sleep every night, but some people need more. Going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day is the best way to ensure good quality sleep. If you have an important exam coming up, try to resist the urge to stay up past your bedtime to cram information in, as this will leave you exhausted and you won’t remember the information you need to know.

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Switch Off Your Phone

If you have been studying from home, you may have a habit of looking at your phone a little too often. This can transcend into your bedtime routine too, meaning you are still scrolling after lights out. Screentime, especially on your phone, can impact how well you sleep and how quickly it takes to fall asleep each night.

While it can be all too easy to lose yourself in a black hole of scrolling, switching your phone off before bed is essential to a good sleep. If you still have online studying to do, try to use a textbook instead, or use the time before bed to go through any notes you’ve made. If you do want to use your phone to watch a video, turn the brightness down or invest in some blue light glasses. This way, your brain will still keep producing melatonin, which is essential to sleep.

Don’t Study in Bed

When studying online, it is all too easy to sit in bed when doing your work. Although this may seem like a good idea at the time, this is also detrimental to your sleep. Your bed should just be for sleeping, otherwise your brain will start associating it with other things, such as studying. This can lead to a poor sleep and will make it harder for you to fall asleep when you get back into bed at night.

When you get into bed, if you have been studying elsewhere, you will feel more relaxed and ready for sleep. Your mental health can also decline if you stay in bed all day, even if you are studying and doing something productive. If your mental health begins to decline, you will struggle to sleep.

Exercise and Stretch Often

Online study can mean endless hours hunched up at a computer. This isn’t good for your body, or your sleep routine. Even when studying online, you must take regular breaks to stretch. If you have a long day of study ahead, make sure to make some time for exercise, as this can lead to better sleep and will keep your body from getting too stiff.

On your lunch break, go for a run around your neighborhood or do some yoga in your bedroom. Exercise is essential to good sleep and can also help you to stay more focused when studying. Keep a regular check of your posture while studying and do stretches to keep your spine aligned. If you don’t have good posture, this can lead to problems sleeping due to pain in the neck and back.

Although it may be easier to procrastinate when studying online, cutting down on your phone and screen time can help to get a good sleep. Be sure to keep your bed for sleeping rather than studying and make time to exercise and stretch often. This will all promote a better sleep when studying online.