Even if you understand the importance of sleep and schedule plenty of sleeping time, you may still have trouble falling asleep!  This insomnia is triggered by many different causes?–?some of which can be controlled by you!

1.  Avoid Caffeine

In addition to other dangerous side effects, caffeine can damage you night’s sleep.  Try to always avoid coffee or other drinks containing caffeine, but, at the very least, don’t have any coffee near your regular bedtime.

2.  Stay Out Of Bed

Do not use your bed for studying, reading, or any other activity beside sleeping.  By doing this, you strengthen your body’s association between your bed and sleeping?–?thereby making it easier to fall asleep at night.

3.  Be Consistent

One of the biggest keys to a solid night’s sleep is consistency.  Always go to bed at the same time and always wake at the same time.  Try to avoid staying up late and sleeping in on the weekends because doing so will make it harder to get up punctually on Monday.

4.  “Wind Down” Before Bedtime

Instead of pushing hard up to the very minute before bedtime, scheduling a “winding down” time can help you get to sleep faster.  For instance, spend your last thirty minutes reading a book, checking your email, scanning your feed reader, or completing some other leisurely activity.

5.  Use A White Noise Machine

If you wisely try to get to bed at a reasonable hour, sleeping may be made difficult by noisy neighbors.  In this case, a white noise machine can be very helpful.  The steady, soft noise will help you sleep by blocking most of the sudden, harsh noises that would keep you awake.

6.  Don’t Eat Just Before Bedtime

Try to stop eating at least two hours before bedtime because eating just before bed can also damage your sleep.  In addition, late-night eating can add to your “spare tire”, because that food will not be digested properly while you are sleeping.

7.  Don’t Exercise Right Before Bed

Many college students exercise late in the evening?–?sometimes just before bed.  Because exercising speeds up your blood flow and other body systems, it will make it more difficult for you to calm down and sleep.  To avoid loosing your in this way sleep, exercise in the morning (when you want to be more wakeful) rather than at night (when you want to be restful)!

If you have serious insomnia these methods are not likely to work well for you, but they often will solve the mild sleep problems of the average college student.

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