What's the Best Time to Wake Up as a University/College Student?
In high school, lots of students become night owls because this is the only time to have to yourself without parents bothering you. Or when your parents previously set bedtimes for you in high school, you've moved to university residence and there's no more bedtime that you need to listen to. University allows you to sleep at random hours especially when you factor in things like all-nighters, events, and friends. It's not wrong to be a night owl or an early riser, but you'll need to manage the challenges that being each brings.
What tends to happen to a night owl in the morning? Let's say you went to sleep at 3am and have a morning class at 9am (ugh). Your phone alarm is set for 7.30am, you smack that snooze button and roll out of bed at 8am totally exhausted and your commute or stroll across campus takes 30 minutes, so you really only have 30 minutes to get ready, check your social media, pack your stuff and maybe get a coffee or grab something to chew on in class. Sound familiar? If you're trying to change up your mornings or how tired you feel as the day gets on, read on for some tips.
Improving your mornings
Everybody's got their own routines. The things we do and choose not to do can help start you off on the right foot for the day. As previous night owls ourselves, we've changed up our routines to regularly wake up before 6am every day now. And the benefits are simple- you get to focus on whatever you want fully energized before the rest of the day hits you and tires you out. Here are some things that worked for us- try them out!
1. Create a regular sleep schedule.
Aim to finish up whatever you're doing by a certain time, say 9 or 10pm. A lot of the time this is difficult with your social life, so instead of going out at 10pm, try to start events earlier- for example at 6pm and have dinner or drinks out right after.
2. Wake up gradually.
Just like how it takes time to accelerate a car from 0 to 100, don't expect to jump out of bed immediately when your alarm rings. Instead, think of it as a slow ramp up. We find the easiest way to do this is on your phone, find a song or alarm that gradually ramps up in volume or intensity. This way, you're slowly rising so you don't need to hit that snooze button. Alternatively, look for a combination alarm with a light that can slowly brighten up and simulate a sunrise.
3. Hydrate.
For those of us who don't eat much in the morning, it's usually because your mouth and throat is as dry as sandpaper from the night before and the last thing you want to do is eat something. Start by sipping some water, or even rinse out your mouth.
4. Energize yourself.
Have some sort of healthy breakfast, whether it's something like peanut butter on toast, a banana, apple, oats or milk and cereal. Of course if you have an allergy have something else!
5. Get oxygen to your body.
Close your eyes and slowly take in deep breaths (count to 5) and slowly breathe out (count to 5), do it 5 times. This is very helpful for fueling your body with oxygen and clearing your mind. If you have space to do stretches as well, go for it! Stretch your arms, neck and back if you can.
6. Know what you want to do and choose to be positive.
Focus on goals that you want to achieve each day, instead of letting whatever happens that day determine your mindset. Pick a quote or saying that resonates with you and read it out in the morning. One we like is: “Today I will be positive and focus on one thing at a time!”
What if I want to Stay a Night Owl?
The above may sound like a lot to change in your routine, so start with just one or two. Especially the social life adjustments! If you'd like to remain a night owl and it's difficult to change your night time routine, just be aware that you will have to work on your own activities after or between classes later in the day. This means you are more likely to feel frazzled or tired especially when you're running around from class to class. So what’ll be important here if you choose this route include Hydrate, Energize yourself, Wake up gradually from above and the 3 below.
1. Take breaks and energize yourself between activities and especially after a class ends and the next one begins.
When your day starts late, it’s easy to get frazzled because you have to jump right into your schedule. We're big fans of breathing and stretching exercises to keep sane. Keep them simple so you’re not freaking people out in the hallway. Just close your eyes and slowly take in deep breaths (count to 5) and slowly breathe out (count to 5), do it 5 times. If you have space to do stretches as well, go for it! Stretch your arms, neck and back if you can. Or if you can, take short 15-20 minute naps! These are great little mental breaks and resets for night owls.
2. Know what you want to do and choose to be positive instead of letting whatever that's already happened during the day affect your mindset.
Refocus on goals that you want to achieve each day, and find a quote or saying that resonates with you and read it out in the middle of the day. “Today I will be positive and focus on one thing at a time!”
3. Create a regular sleep schedule.
If you’re going to sleep late- that’s alright. Just make sure to sleep at the same time each night and wake up the next morning/afternoon at a consistent time - for example, sleep regularly at 2am to wake up at 10am.
Key takeaways:
Starting on the right foot matters, whether starting your day early or late. There are many ways to improve your mornings or afternoons and most importantly, your mindset. Energize yourself through giving your eyes a break and taking slow, deep breaths. Focus on what you want to achieve at the start of each day, throughout it, and choose to be positive!
Integrate the knowledge above into our Ultimate College Planner for Students.