Fine tuning the Time Warp
With school, work and a social life, staying sane can be draining. Between papers, projects, presentations, study sessions and social events, one might find it hard to sleep well, eat right and exercise daily. Here are a few suggestions on how to make the most of your day.
Forget the typical advice – getting eight hours of sleep every night is not for everyone. The number of hours of sleep one should get varies from person to person and they depend on many factors: inherited genetic need, drinking coffee or alcohol, exercise and the quality of sleep.
To see how much sleep you should be getting, try this – on a Friday night, don’t set an alarm. Take note of the time you went to bed and then wake up naturally. Count the number of hours you slept. That’s how many hours of sleep you should be getting daily.
If you still feel tired during the day, try power-napping. Studies show that power-napping can reinvigorate you for up to four hours. A power nap is a short nap, no longer than 20-30 minutes.
If you are a full-time student who is striving for the best grade point average possible, don’t work more than 20 hours a week. Consider the time needed for studying and completing homework. Try getting a job on campus because those employers will be considerate of school responsibilities. To them, students are students first and employees second.
Developing good study habits requires a little experimentation. Study alone or with friends? Study in the library, outside or in your room? Study at night or in the morning? Study with music or not? See which method yields more productivity.
Also, avoid distractions like MySpace, Facebook and AIM, and turn off your cell phone. Studying does not work well with multitasking.
If you have morning classes, try and wake up early enough to eat breakfast. Your stomach won’t growl during class. You’re less likely to overeat at lunch, which can lead to the fabled freshman 15. You’ll concentrate more on your class instead of counting down the minutes before you can grab a coffee and a pastry. Sticking to a schedule will ensure you will have more energy throughout the day. Eat some fruit and carbohydrates in the morning, such as whole-grain cereal or toast, to keep you going after the sugar rush begins to wear off.
Working out at the gym is great. Sign up for a class at Lombardi – they offer a variety of classes such as volleyball, swimming, basketball, yoga and kickboxing. Because you are earning credit for class, you are more likely to actually keep up with the routine. After a couple of weeks, instead of feeling drained from a tough class, you’ll begin to feel more energized. It’ll help you get through your day and your homework.
SOURCES PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM AND WEBMD.COM.
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