Six tips to get better sleep

What can you do, besides avoiding last minute cramming, to help you sleep better and perform better on your exams? Sleep and Health Research Lab director Daniel Taylor offers these tips:

1. Go to bed and get up at the same time every night, even on weekends.
"The most important way to avoid sleep loss is to keep a regular sleeping schedule," he says. "This will prevent Sunday night insomnia that is common and can cause trouble for the rest of the week.  Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep, but we all need pretty consistent amounts of sleep." 

Keeping a regular wake time sends a strong signal to the circadian clock in your brain, which helps control sleep, and the body will get sleepy at about the same time every day. 

"In those cases when sleep is not possible at the normal time, having a regular sleep schedule will make getting back on track much easier," Taylor says.

2. Don't sleep in, even if you didn't sleep well the night before.
"Light is the number one signal for the circadian clock to restart each day," Taylor says. "When you sleep in, you shift your circadian clock back. It also shifts your bedtime back by the same amount.  It is much easier to shift backwards than to pull if forward again."

3. Avoid caffeine after noon.
Taylor also recommends avoiding doses of stimulating medications and consuming lots of fluids shortly before bedtime.

4. Don't take naps, especially in the afternoon or evening.
"The idea is not to compensate," Taylor says. "The body will get the sleep it needs eventually so you should maintain a normal schedule if at all possible. 

If, however, you have lost so much sleep that you find it dangerous to drive or do other potentially hazardous activities, then taking naps might be appropriate. "But realize that if you take a nap, especially if it is longer than 45 minutes, late in the afternoon, you might cause difficulty falling asleep at night," Taylor says, adding that it could be the beginning of a very bad cycle.  "If you think about sleep as an allowance, and you only get eight hours of sleep per 24 hours, when you nap, you are taking some of that allowance for the nap, and you might sleep that much less that night."

5. Don't exercise if you're going to bed in less than three hours.
"Exercise close to bedtime can cause sleep interruption," Taylor says. "However, if timed correctly (three hours or more before bedtime), exercise can actually help you sleep better." 

6. Take a 30 minute hot bath two hours or or more before you go to bed.
Timing your pre-bed bath or shower is as important as timing exercise, and has roughly the same effect. The warmth from bathing can help you relax and prepare your body for sleep, but if the bath or shower is within two hours of sleeping, it can cause difficulties with heat regulation during the night, causing night sweats.