 Your Sleep
Habits:
Get Enough!I
know, I know, you’re a student… You’re young and you
may be getting a little freedom from your parents for the
first time – NO CURFEW!! Woo hoo! But, you still need your
sleep and lots of it. You may still even be growing
and that takes an enormous amount of your body’s resources.
You may also be exercising a lot or on a school team – again, this
takes an enormous amount of your body’s resources. You know
what else takes a ton of your body’s resources? Thinking
and learning.
When you are awake and doing a
bunch of stuff, your body has to really work… And the only
time your body can recover and rejuvenate itself is when you
are... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... ASLEEP!
I was a student (for a LOT of
years) and I know what I’m
talking about here, so listen to me on this one. If you are tired, that
report you have to write will take you 5 hours to write. If
you are well-rested, that report will only take 2 hours. If
you are trying to study for a math test and you are sleepy,
you won’t be able to remember nearly as much and you won’t
be able to think as clearly. What you THINK you are gaining
by not sleeping as much, you will immediately lose in efficiency. |
| How much sleep am I
talking here? Probably 6.5 to 8 hours… Usually 7.5 to 8
hours. Everyone is different. Donald Trump says that he
only sleeps 4 hours a night – every night – and that’s all
he needs. Personally, I think he is paying other people to
sleep for him!
So, how much sleep do YOU need? I good rule
of thumb is to take note of how you feel when you wake up in
the morning. If you feel refreshed and ready to start the
day, then you got enough sleep… If you feel like a truck ran you
over in your sleep or if your head feels really hazy, then
you didn’t get enough. If you HAVE to have coffee in
the morning to get you going, then you didn't get enough. Pay attention to what your body
tells you. Always respect your body's needs and it
will serve you well. |
