In Bed by 10: How to Get Enough Sleep in College

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Cstudio Home. All opinions are my own. Don’t forget to enter the Sweepstakes at the bottom of this post!

Before we get started: is it ok to still have a corner bed at age 23? I vote yes, I love my corner bed. Maybe, when I don’t live in a 100 square foot room, I’ll move my bed to the center of the room like a mature adult.

If I’ve learned anything in college, it’s how to get a good night’s sleep. Even though most of it comes down to time management, it’s also about figuring out your body’s natural rhythm and working with it to be as productive as possible.

I’m a total morning person. People think I’m nuts, but 7 am to about noon is prime time for me. Usually I wake up around 6 to workout so I’m done by 7 and ready to start my day by 8. 2-3 feels a little bit like nap time, and I’m ready for bed by 9. I have classes from around noon to 5 or 6, depending on the day, so between my “productive hours” and class time, I’m pretty much spent.

If you can figure out your own prime time, leave that time open. I love using my mornings to work out, catch up on blog stuff, do homework, study, grocery shop… almost my entire to-do list gets finished during the first half of the day. Amazing right? None of that could be possible if I didn’t get in bed by 10 on the weeknights.

What My Day Looks Like:

6 AM: My natural body alarm wakes me up at 6:15. I set my own alarm for 6 AM which, trust me, is way easier in the summer when the sun is rising earlier. I also get a ton of natural light in my room in the mornings, which helps too. I almost never hit my snooze alarm, because I think it just drags out getting out of bed. Be honest with yourself: are you really getting more sleep in the 8 minute snooze sessions? Just do yourself a favor and either get up right away and save time, or sleep in the extra 8 minutes and don’t hit snooze.

7 AM: I like to work out first thing in the morning, before I eat. So right after I get up, I workout and then, right afterward, I take a shower.

7:30: When I’m out of the shower, I usually make myself a quick breakfast. Depending on the morning, I either make a bowl of Greek yogurt with granola and honey, a fried egg on avocado toast, scrambled eggs with vegetables, or a green smoothie.

8 AM – Noon: After I eat, I usually sit down and either crank out blog posts on the couch or work on homework at my desk. I like to work in hour increments; so I’ll do one thing for an hour, switch to something else and work on that for an hour, and so forth. I get distracted easily, so helps me keep on track. Around noon, I’ll make myself lunch and make sure I’m ready to go to class.

1 PM – 5 PM: Depending on the day, class starts around 12:30 or 1. On Thursdays, I start at 9:30, so I have a bit of revised daily schedule. Class generally lasts until the evening and, when it doesn’t, I have work until the evening. I work as a graduate teaching assistant, so I teach 3 classes a week and hold office hours twice a week.

6 PM: When I get home, I usually make dinner right away. I’m always starving by the time I get home! Sometimes, if it’s getting near the end of the week or the end of my groceries, I splurge and get dinner delivered. Shoutout to UberEats, Tapingo, Postmates, and GrubHub for always being there for me. (Hit me up if you want a first time user discount!)

Why I’m in Bed by 10:

As you can see, my days are pretty long. Sometimes, when I have a lot of errands, they feel hectic too! Except on the weekends, I don’t get a ton of time to relax, so I have to make sure I’m doing a good job of winding down at night.

Let me tell you, pulling all-nighters is not the road to success in college. I tried it… once. It was not the move for me. The entire next day, I felt sluggish and almost tipsy because my brain wasn’t functioning on any sleep.

I know that some people pull all-nighters all the time to study for tests, prepare for presentations, and finish up projects. Since the one time I did it, it’s never been a successful study method for me. I need at least 7 hours of sleep to have a productive day, and, if I’m in bed by 10, I can get a full (doctor-recommended) 8 hours!

Tips for getting to bed on time:

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a night owl. I don’t go out on the town often and, when I do, I’m usually back by midnight. (You hear that mom? All those times you said “nothing good happens after midnight” must have rubbed off on me.) But sometimes, I lose track of time and make it to bed a little late. To share a few of my tips for getting to bed on time:

Set an alarm. This sounds kind of funny, but I set up a “wake-up” and “bed-time” alarm on my phone. There are a few apps that will send you a push reminder when it’s time to go to bed, like FitBit, based on your own sleep patterns! You can adjust it based on how much sleep you need!
Indulge in cozy bedding. When I moved into my apartment, I needed full-size bedding. I invested in a set from Cstudio Home and there was no going back for me. I swear, all my bedding from this point forward will come from them. Their cotton sheets are perfect in the Arizona weather, so I never get too hot when I sleep! I also use their lightweight comforter and it’s the perfect weight for feeling cozy without overheating. My current set of bedding was inspired by my parent’s old place in Half Moon Bay, with gray stripes reminding me of the ocean on a hazy day with some light blue sheets. The crochet pillow covers also fit perfectly into my bedding theme.
Make a schedule and stick to it. Work hard to make a routine or schedule that allows you to get your work done during the day. If you’re rushing to finish things before the night ends, it’s almost impossible to make it to bed on time. However, if you get you’re to-do list done during the day and spend your evening winding down, it’ll be so much easier! I know, it’s difficult to not procrastinate sometimes. I’ve definitely stayed up late studying or doing homework I put off during the week. Just do your best!
Try to get off your phone and computer an hour before bed. It helps you fall asleep faster! Less time wasted rolling around restless in bed.
Be consistent. Honestly, just make a habit out of it. It takes about 3 weeks to make or break a habit, so do your best to force yourself to go to bed at a decided bed-time. Eventually, your body will adjust to the new sleep cycle and will begin to be ready for bed at the time you want. Now, I’m always ready for bed at 10! Freshman year me is in disbelief.

Shop my Bedding Set:

All the links to my current bedding set are above! If you have any questions about any of their products, feel free to shoot me a message or leave a comment! I have a lot of their products and love all of them. As a bonus, they’re also having a Friends and Family sale: 20% off + Free Shipping with code SPRING (expires 4/29). Take advantage of this to get some new bedding for Spring!

In Bed by 10 Sweepstakes:

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Enter HERE and check out why I’m in bed by 10 and why 3 other bloggers are in bed by 10 HERE!