Is bad sleep affecting your studies? Or could stress and anxiety be leading to poor sleep?
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team has five top tips to help you catch some zzzs.
1. Start well
Good sleep starts from when we wake up! Start your day off well by getting up when your alarm goes off, making your bed, having a drink and a healthy breakfast to get you going.
2. Separate your spaces
Keep your sleeping space separate from where you work and relax. Try to make this space as comfortable, relaxing, and without distractions as you possibly can.
3. Create a routine
Build yourself a winding down routine at the same time every night. Do some gentle stretching, practise a meditation exercise, listen to a relaxing playlist, wash in warm water, or do some colouring. Try to avoid phone, tablet or TV screens before bed. Don’t forget you can sign up to meditation app Headspace for free with your BCU email address!
4. Think about what you think about
Try imagining a pleasant scenario if you’re struggling to fall asleep - what you would do on your ideal holiday or if you won the lottery, or picture yourself cooking your favourite meal.
5. Ground yourself
If you wake up in the night from a bad dream, try to ground yourself with what’s around you - five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can hear, and one thing you can taste.
Reach out if you need support
Remember, if you’re struggling at the moment, there’s lots of help available from the University and beyond.
Speak to your Student Success Adviser or our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team.