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It's the start of university - you're already on your fourth themed night out of the week and have signed up for every quirky-sounding society your campus has to offer.
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campus → sign → society
But your relationship with your bed could be key to keeping up with a busy social life, as well as that lengthy reading list.
uncertain
relationship → keep → life
"If you can get out before 11am-ish then there's a part of the brain, just behind the eyes, that responds to light," says Jo Baker, a psychotherapist and student sleep and mental health expert.
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Baker → get → light
"Getting daylight early on in the day is really going to help to keep your body in check.
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Getting → get → check
How you sleep at night starts with how you wake up in the morning."
Sleep is essential to learning and absorbing information.
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Sleep → sleep → information
But late nights out, noisy flatmates and a strange new bed can mean good sleep habits go out the window.
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habits → mean → window
For Anna-May, 20, it's her four-hour round trip from Kendal, Cumbria to study dance at the University of Salford that leaves her short of sleep.
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that → study → sleep
She gets about five hours a night - the alarm goes at 05:00.
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alarm → get → 05:00
"I track my sleep and get worried about how little I will get, and then sometimes that keeps me up," she says.
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she → track → me
"I can tell I'm more tired towards the end of the week and things can feel harder."
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things → tell → week
Forcing yourself to have an early night isn't going to work, according to Baker, especially if you end up lying wide awake in bed.
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you → force → bed
"Your brain learns this is somewhere I lie and get stressed about not being able to sleep - so the most important thing is a consistent waking time," she says.
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she → learn → ?
Alcohol and caffeine don't help
When you feel groggy, it's tempting to chug multiple coffees or fizzy drinks.
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it → help → coffees
But caffeine hangs around in the body and blocks the build-up of sleepiness throughout the day.
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caffeine → hang → day
Too many flat whites and you'll not only be short of cash - you could also develop a sleep problem.
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you → develop → problem
Alcohol may also be a tempting way to boost your confidence around new people, but it doesn't help you sleep.
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you → boost → people
"When you fall asleep [after large amounts of alcohol], you're anaesthetised really.
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you → fall → alcohol
It's like having an anaesthetic.
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It → have → anaesthetic
You're not asleep," Baker says.
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Baker → say → ?
In fact, alcohol pushes out the deep sleep which restores you physically, and replaces it with lighter sleep, which doesn't.
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which → push → sleep
Emma Young, deputy director of student services for health and wellbeing at Manchester Metropolitan University points out the low-key alternatives during freshers' week.
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Young → point → week
You can also try wellness and wellbeing clubs, like yoga and crafts, if you don't fancy the sport or music societies.
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you → try → sport
"
Switch off properly before sleep
Anna-May likes a hot shower or bath before bed, which research suggests helps the body's core temperature to cool down and prepare for sleep.
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temperature → switch → sleep
Then the only way she can get to sleep is to watch episodes of Friends on her iPad.
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she → get → iPad
"I watch something I have seen time and time again - it's enough to quieten the busy part of my mind and I can fall to sleep," she says.
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she → watch → sleep
But activities without screens like journalling or reading a book might be best for creating a calm, gradual transition to sleep.
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activities → journalle → sleep
Listening to music or a podcast can also work.
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Listening → listen → music
The natural hormone melatonin rises before bedtime, making us feel sleepy.
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us → rise → bedtime
But watching social media reels or films means your eyes stay active, blocking that process and keeping you awake.
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eyes → watch → you
Baker also suggests:
Switching off screens an hour and a half before bed
Avoiding a heavy meal just before going to bed
Washing your sheets so they are nice and clean to get into
Chucking a throw over your laptop, books and desk so you know work is done for the day
Going for a walk at dusk - the changing light is a signal to the brain
Keeping your bed for sleeping in (rather than eating, working or watching YouTube)
Plan for feeling ill in bed
Feeling unwell can of course impact your sleep patterns.
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Feeling → suggest → patterns
Freshers' flu is tricky to avoid, but good hand hygiene - washing regularly or using antibacterial hand gel - might just reduce your chances of getting a fever, sore throat and blocked nose, and spending a day or two in bed.
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hygiene → avoid → bed
Meningitis is far more dangerous and requires urgent medical help (call 999).
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Meningitis → require → 999
It can look a lot like freshers' flu but if it's not diagnosed, it can progress very quickly and lead to seizures, brain damage and sepsis.
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it → look → seizures
That's why a free NHS vaccine called Men B is now on offer to all freshers students.
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vaccine → call → students
Many universities recommend planning ahead in case you feel ill and need some medical help at some point, especially if you're living away from home.
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you → recommend → home
A typical to-do list should include:
Registering with a local GP
Finding your nearest chemist
Registering with an NHS dentist
Finding out where the closest A&E is
You might also want to check out what your uni has to offer in terms of mental health support.
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uni → include → support
Some pair up students for peer support and run dedicated 24-hour phone lines.
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Some → pair → lines
Websites like Student Minds, external have lots of useful advice and information.
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Websites → have → advice
And if you're not feeling like yourself, Young suggests a regular call home, to family or a best friend.
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Young → feel → family
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