Being a student quickly leads to overwhelm and stress due to a heavy workload. With so much to accomplish each day, sleep may take a backseat to other tasks. If you’re not making sleep a priority, you’re not alone. More than half of all college students admit that they’re chronically sleep deprived. However, the dangers linked to a lack of sleep are no joke. And even more concerning, running short on sleep can seriously harm your memory and concentration, leading to poor academic performance. Therefore, skipping sleep means that you’re lowering your ability to achieve your highest success as a student. That’s why we’ve rounded up sleep hacks to help build the best night routine for students that promotes academic excellence. For example, that all-nighter that you think will help you get a better score on tomorrow’s exam may actually decrease your score. And that evening coffee that you rely on to get through homework? It’s keeping you awake at night and throwing off your sleep patterns.

Breathing exercises have gained popularity in recent years, but they’re actually rooted in ancient cultural practices centered around deep, controlled breathing. When we use our abdomen, or diaphragm, to breathe instead of our chest, our breathing transforms from shallow, fast breaths to slow, deep inhalations and exhalations. As a result, our bodies and brains shift out of a state of stress and into a state of relaxation. Countless abdominal breathing benefits follow, including improved mood, lessened pain, and even better digestion. Moreover, the more often you practice abdominal breathing, the stronger your lungs become. As the lungs strengthen, oxygenation improves, and boosted productivity and performance follow. If that wasn’t already exciting enough, deep breathing is linked to improved immunity and better sleep. Long story short, abdominal breathing is the quickest, most effective way to shift your mindset and physical body into a state of greater well-being.

Do you often struggle with a lack of sleep, eyes that are tired the next morning, and never-ending daytime grogginess? If your sleep-deprived eyes are becoming a daily distraction, addressing and correcting your sleep hygiene should be at the top of your to-do list. That said, lack of sleep has much more intense side effects when it comes to our vision than just tired eyes. Eye spasms and sensitivity are both tied to running short on sleep. Chronic dry, itchy eyes are, too. Moreover, undereye bags, dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles may become more apparent when you’re short on shut-eye. But the damage isn’t just aesthetic - over time, sleep deprivation may even increase your risk of permanent vision loss. Glaucoma is more common in individuals who are short on sleep. Therefore, regular, consistent eye exams and healthy sleep habits are vital for seeing clearly in the long run.

Light helps regulate our circadian rhythm and sleep patterns by sending signals through our eyes to suppress the sleep hormone melatonin until nightfall. In contrast, sun exposure during the day ramps up the production of feel-good hormones like serotonin and vitamin D, helping us feel energized. Without this daily light exposure, we’re sure to feel groggy, grumpy, and gross. Neuroscientists say that unfiltered morning light exposure is best – that means no hats, sunglasses, or windows. However, too much unprotected sunlight leads to sunburns and fatigue that may leave you asking yourself, “why does sunlight make me sleepy?” Light exposure late in the evening is also bad news, as it prevents melatonin production from causing sensations of drowsiness that help us drift off. There’s just one problem: our electronics emit tons of blue light known to partially mimic sunlight and throw our sleep patterns off by confusing our brains. Therefore, our circadian rhythm relies on morning sunshine and limited electronic use before bed to function properly.

Your lunch break is over, and you’re over it! Tiredness after eating can throw a huge wrench in your productivity. Post-meal fatigue is a common experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s a normal one. The post-meal slump you may feel after eating has many potential causes, including hidden food intolerances, poor blood sugar regulation, and the types of foods you choose to reach for. Extreme fatigue after eating may also be tied to high alcohol consumption with your meal or extensive sleep debt. Therefore, putting an end to your post-meal exhaustion depends upon ruling out food intolerances (such as gluten intolerance), checking in on blood sugar regulation, and monitoring the types of foods you eat often to ensure they don’t increase drowsiness. Moreover, building a solid bedtime routine full of consistency and low on alcohol is key to controlling and managing daytime fatigue.

There’s nothing worse than being unable to get the quality sleep you need before a big day. Waking up tired throws off your entire day, and it can start a chain reaction that leads to a bad week. Common signs of a lack of sleep include grogginess and irritability. But sleep deprivation is more than just an annoyance, it’s dangerous. Did you know that a lack of sleep also depletes cognitive and bodily functions? Lack of sleep causes anxiety, heightened emotional reactivity, increased forgetfulness, chronic pain, and more. And it may be easier than you think to fall behind on rest - just losing one or two hours of sleep each night can impact the body and mind just as severely as skipping out on one or two full nights of sleep. If you find yourself losing your cool, experiencing more anxiety or depression than usual, or getting sick more often, your sleep patterns may be the main culprit. That’s why it's vital to address and correct our sleep patterns to protect the body and brain from further harm.

Many of us suffer from a lack of sleep. Aside from causing extreme grogginess, insufficient sleep is known to cut our life span short. When you’re sleep deprived, your brain becomes just as impaired as it does after drinking a few beers. That means that everyday tasks like driving become increasingly dangerous if you didn’t get enough rest the night before. Military personnel face many challenges with achieving quality sleep, especially when faced with the stress and challenges associated with such a high-stakes work environment. It’s not surprising, then, that different branches of the military around the world have developed military sleep systems and hacks to help personnel fall and stay asleep. From “The Military Method,” which claims to induce sleep within two minutes, to unique acupressure points, we’ve rounded up sleep hacks tested and approved by the armed forces that you can implement into your daily life to achieve your most restful sleep yet.

Vitamin D deficiency plagues many adults across the globe. In fact, approximately 42 percent of US adults suffer from vitamin D deficiencies known to cause fatigue, muscle aches, and even depression. Low vitamin D and insomnia are also closely linked, meaning that most of us might struggle with getting quality rest due to low levels. As you may know, vitamin D is derived from both sunlight exposure and supplementation. But is one better than the other? While vitamin D supplements may not elevate levels at as steady of a pace or for as long of a duration as sunlight-derived vitamin D, many people prefer supplements out of concern for their skin. Even just minutes of sun exposure when the UV index is high can cause sunburns, which are known for increasing the risk of skin cancer. That said, sunlight exposure offers other benefits aside from vitamin D production. Sitting out in the sun in the morning is known to help regulate our sleep-wake cycles by keeping levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone, in check. If you’re unsure about whether you should supplement vitamin D or sit out in the sun to boost your levels, we’ve broken down the benefits of both sources.

Some days you wake up ready to conquer the world, while other days your feet drag the floor and you just can’t seem to get going. Your choices from the day and night before directly influence how you feel upon waking.The world of sleep tracking can feel overwhelming, though, as so many options are available. From expensive, sophisticated wearable devices to free smartphone apps to a simple, DIY bullet journal sleep tracker, there is an option available for your lifestyle and sleep tracking needs.