So this is a question asked by a student.
“Sir, I have been finding it difficult to sleep at night on time since last week. It is not anxiety. It’s my routine now. I get to sleep only by 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. and then wake up at 12 noon or 1 p.m., which takes half of my day.”
Kindly suggest how to regulate the sleep cycle at the quickest so I can put in more hours effectively.
A lot of students have been facing this issue. So if you are trying to fix your sleep or sleep schedule, you’ll have to do multiple things.
1. Gradual Shifting
- First of all, try shifting it by half an hour or one hour max.
- Give it two days, and then do the next shift.
- So if the student who is sleeping at 5 a.m., he or she should start going to bed at 4 a.m., after 2 days 3 a.m., after 2 days 2 a.m., like that.
2. Avoid Things That Delay Sleep
- Secondly, you have to ensure that anything that delays the onset of sleep should not be done before going to bed or in the late evening hours.
- For example, the light. The light that comes out of your phone. It is something that would disrupt the onset of sleep.
- Using caffeine, using chocolates, using you know, colas. All these things also increase your stimulation and interfere with your sleep.
So, say after 5 p.m. in the evening, don’t take coffee, don’t take tea, don’t take colas, don’t take heavy meals.
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3. Make Your Room Dark
- Another important thing is light. You have to ensure that your room is dark.
- On the windows, put something—newspaper, anything. Ensure that it is pitch dark when you go to bed.
4. Don’t Mentally Stimulate Yourself at Night
- And finally, and perhaps very importantly, it is not a good practice to think about the next day before going to bed. Many students what they do, they make a plan that tomorrow I will cover this subject, I will do this revision.
- See, anything which is mentally stimulating to you should not be done at night. Why? Whenever you think about anything, even if you are not becoming anxious, you are at least becoming aroused. You know you are going into that mode of stimulation.
So these 4 things you must do.
If It Still Doesn’t Work: Seek Help
Even then, if it is not working, then of course we have the option of taking melatonin, which is over the counter. There are other medications also that can be used, like zolpidem and all.
But all of you know, you all are doctors—that you need to see a psychiatrist, take an online consultation, tell your problem and then perhaps the doctor would prescribe you, taking your individual problems and your characteristics into account.
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Conclusion:
So sleep is important. Ensure that you are sleeping well. Ensure that you sleep well the night before the exam. It is going to improve your performance in the exams.
All the Best.
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