Sleeping in a dorm room can be tough – too loud, too bright, too hot (or cold!) and too much going on. And if you’re not sleeping well, that sleep deprivation makes it hard to study and get good grades. The way to excel in college is to get healthy sleep, night after night.
The good news is that designing your dorm room for a good night’s sleep is totally do-able. The first approach is to design your light environment to replicate natural lighting. Dim in the evening, dark at night, and bright light in the morning. Continue to make your dorm room ideal to sleep by controlling the noise level. Learn to set your thoughts aside and relax with a weighted blanked. Here are the best supplies to make your room a sleep oasis, and get a good night’s rest whenever you want.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
So much of student life is on screens – computer, smart phone, TV. Late at night students are online studying hard. The problem is that blue light signals it’s time to wake up and get active, exactly the wrong signal in the evening. Wearing blue light blocking glasses for a couple hours before bed helps students fall asleep quickly. It’s important that the lenses are the right orange-red. This wrap-around style prevents blue light reaching your eyes from the side.
Black Out Shades
Sleeping in a truly dark room makes all the difference. This is especially true for young people, as their circadian system is more disrupted by light at night than older people are. The room should be dark enough that you can’t see your fingers when your arm is stretched out fully. These black out shades are perfect for dorm rooms, because they are ‘no drill, no tools’. Easily install them at the beginning of the year, and then remove them without any trace at move-out.
Eye Mask for Sleeping
An eye mask for sleeping is another alternative to make it dark enough for your natural melatonin to rise. This one is top of the line, with a breathable cushion around the eyes which makes it truly dark. It can be taken apart and easily washed with all the other laundry.
Best Ear Plugs for Sleeping
Dorms are noisy at all times of night and day. There’s nothing worse than trying to sleep, tossing and turning because it’s too loud. These are the best ear plugs for sleeping because they are specially designed for side sleepers. They block 27 dcb, making it truly quiet so you can get a good night sleep and be ready for class the next day.
Best Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets not only help us feel calm, they also help with sleep. This is a great gift for hard-working students. This is the best weighted blanket, in several ways. It’s made of 100% fabric, no noisy beads. That also makes it uniform weight. And can be easily washed in your home washing machine. Note it should only be at most 10% of the weight of an adult.
Best Sunrise Alarm Clock
Isn’t it a treat to wake with the sun? With the dawn sunrise alarm you wake with the sun every day. Set the alarm for when you want to wake. Thirty minutes beforehand, the light will start to brighten, replicating sunrise. The last 5 minutes before your alarm, hear the sounds of birds, just like we do at natural sunrise. This is a gentle start your day, with a strong signal to your circadian system that it’s time to wake up.
Best Blue Light Glasses
Ideally, we get outside for 20 minutes in the first hour of our day. This sends a strong signal to our circadian rhythm that it’s morning, time to switch into wake physiology and get active. For those days it’s not possible to get outside right away, use the best blue light glasses for 20-30 minutes. They give a strong blue light signal, just like morning light does.
Circadian App
Living in rhythm with the natural light-dark cycle synchronizes our circadian rhythm so we are wide awake during the day, and deep asleep at night. Other time cues are important too – meal timing, exercise, even the time we regularly socialize. The Circadian app helps create this regular routine, translating into better sleep, daytime energy, and long-term health!
Goodnight Mind for Teens
College life can be thought provoking – all the new info you’re learning in class, plus friends, social life and living on your own. All that adds up to having an active mind at night. Sleep expert Dr. Colleen Carney teaches exactly the skills you need to quiet noisy thoughts and get the sleep you need.
