We discussed in many of our previous blogs how college is an entirely different phase of life. It is also true that college years can cause a lot of stress, leading to insomnia. It could be because of studies, responsibilities, staying away from home, friendships and relationships, and many other things.
Many may not have heard about insomnia. It is a mental condition when it is extremely difficult to sleep. People suffering from this condition go through sleepless nights and end up feeling tired throughout the day. The Machinist is an excellent movie that tells the life of a person who has insomnia.
It is crucial to overcome insomnia and get quality sleep to lead a normal life during your college years. You have to focus on studies, earning money and so many other things. You cannot let it overpower and take control of your life.
So, to avoid stress and insomnia, you have to know how to deal with them. We know you can find a lot of information over the internet about ways to deal with it. But most often, the tips you commonly find work well only in theory. So, we’ll tell you 8 practical ways in this blog that will help you deal with insomnia in college.
Let’s begin
Start Using Affirmations
Did you expect this tip when reading about how to deal with insomnia? We’re sure you didn’t. This is why we said in the beginning that our tips would be practical and different from most you’ll read online.
So, let’s tell you how affirmations can help you overcome insomnia.
Affirmations are positive statements that you say to yourself. Some affirmations are, “I am blessed,” “I can do anything I want,” “I am responsible for my happiness.” Similar to these, there is no end to the number of affirmations. You can think of anything positive and start repeating it in your head.
If you know anything about the subconscious mind, you’ll know that most things that happen in your life result from it. If you can change the programming in the subconscious mind, you can change your life. And affirmations are the best way to change the programming because this part of the brain can only be changed with repetition.
Start Visualizing
This point is similar to the point above because it can help you change your life initially in your mind and then in real life. Our brains are an extremely powerful source of creativity. Often we don’t realize this and don’t use the power of our minds.
Visualization is an excellent use of our brain’s creativity because we can visualize almost anything. You can create imagery where you’re driving your favourite car or living in your dream house. Some people may say imagining such things is a waste of time because they’ll never happen. But the truth is, things do manifest when you’re specific.
In college, you can visualize yourself as the class topper who completes all the assignments on time. Whatever aspect you lack in, you can imagine yourself excelling in it. And soon, you’ll realize the things you visualized start becoming a reality.
When you start achieving the things you think in life, we guarantee your stress will decrease (in turn decreasing your insomnia).
Exercise
Exercise is known to reduce stress. Any physical activity can help relieve stress from your mind and the body. You can join the college gym at discounted prices if you live in a dorm during your college years.
Use that opportunity and start hitting the gym every day. The benefit you’ll get will be a better physique, better mental clarity, laser focus, determination, a significant reduction in stress, healthy eating, and a good night’s sleep because of tiredness from exercise. We guess there is nothing other than exercise that can offer you so many benefits.
Moreover, older people always advise young people to exercise to avoid health issues at old age. Also, you have the highest energy during your teen and adult years. So, start using that excess energy into something that will benefit you in so many ways.
Cut Down On Caffeine
Coffee is consumed by a vast majority of people throughout the globe. It is a stimulant that helps people keep awake. Most drink it because it tastes good, but students in college do it at night to study.
Consuming strong coffee at night is a mistake that you should not make. We say that because putting unnatural boosters in your body will only harm it. It may not happen immediately, but you’ll wish you had avoided coffee at late nights when it does.
Coffee harms your health because you’re bypassing your body’s natural process, which is to sleep at night. Caffeine is a direct enemy to sleep and contributes a major factor to insomnia in college.
By saying that you must cut coffee, we don’t mean you leave it altogether. Do it slowly by shifting your coffee consuming time to afternoons. Also, never drink it on an empty stomach because you should not put artificial stimulants in your body first thing in the morning.
Do Something You Love Everyday
After entering college, most students forget about their interests and the things they loved to do as kids. Those things kept them happy, and they looked forward to each day so that they could do the same thing over and over again.
But what happened to the things you loved to do when you entered college?
We know from all the stress you’ve forgotten about them. Some students even say that they don’t get enough time in a day to do everything and then have time for their interests. But the thing is, you have to make time for things you love because it will help you significantly reduce stress.
It doesn’t matter whether you love dancing or drawing characters in your notebook; you can take out time for them. Make a timetable so that it is easy to know when to do what. Initially, following the timetable may be challenging. But after some days, your mind and body will get used to it.
Focus On Consciously Breathing
Breathing is a mix of voluntary and involuntary action. That’s because you’re breathing at all times, even if you don’t realize it. And when you take notice of your breath, you can control it.
We often don’t give importance to our breath, but it can do wonders when we start to breathe voluntarily. When you supply oxygen to the organs in your body by breathing, all the organs get relaxed. Our brain also knows that when the body breathes voluntarily, the situation is under control, and there is no need to stress and worry.
Yoga has emphasized a lot on breathing techniques. Other people like Wim Hof created breathing techniques to relax your body and take it into a trance state. Some breathing techniques can mimic the effects of DMT (a psychedelic). There is an entirely different term given for such techniques, and it is Breathwork.
Relax Your Muscles
Many times we feel stressed because of tension in the muscles of our body. It could happen because of a hectic day at college or after a sport session. Whatever the reason may be, there is an easy way to relieve your body from stress.
Anyone can use the method. So here it goes:
- Tense all the muscles in your body, including your jaw, hands, stomach, and fingers.
- Hold the tension for three to four seconds.
- After three to four seconds, release the tension.
- Do the process repeatedly until you feel relaxed.
Note: You have to inhale (breathe in) while building tension and exhale (breathe out) when releasing it. Your breathing will help ensure that you get the best results from the practice. Do it at night when you’re in bed, and you’ll discover how easily you can fall asleep.
Listen To Your Favourite Music
Music has the power to improve your mood and make you appreciative of life. It all comes down to the type of music. Some types of music can energize you, while others can pull strings of your soul. We honestly don’t know anyone who doesn’t like music.
So, pick your favourite genre or artist and listen to them during the night. You can also listen to soft or classical music while studying, which will increase your focus. Binaural beats (a type of music) can also help you sleep faster.
Conclusion
Most people say college life is amazing. It indeed is, but when one deals with insomnia, they see a very different picture. It can leave a negative impact on any student’s health.
If you’re in college and facing insomnia, then this blog is a perfect read for you. We’ve created this blog that tells you 8 practical ways to deal with insomnia during college time. This blog will help you fix the problem. But sometimes, a problem is on a deeper level, in which case you’ll have to seek medical help.
