Getting A Good Night’s Sleep: 5 Top Tips

University is a bit of a mad old time, one where you burn the candles significantly at both ends - and, somehow, you’re able to do it without any serious repercussions!

A lot of things kind of just look after themselves when you’re in your 20s, but even with youthful exuberance on your side, you’ll definitely soon start to feel it if you’ve been working hard and playing hard, without getting much sleep in between.

Sleep is one of life’s biggest pleasures (trust us, it’s true!), but it’s not just a wonderful way to pass the time, it’s also absolutely essential for our general health and wellbeing.

It gives your mind and body time to recharge so that you feel fully alert and refreshed when you wake up, as well as helping with focus and concentration, emotional regulation, stress management, problem solving and judgement… all of which you’ll need in abundance if you’re to get the grades you want at the end of your uni career.

We also need lots of lovely sleep (aim for between seven and eight hours a night if you can!) to give our immune system the support it needs, so if you’ve been coming down with lots of coughs and colds of late, it could simply be down to the fact that you’re not getting enough rest.

So, with all this in mind, we’ve put together a handy little guide just for you to help you build a solid sleep routine, with lots of tips and tricks for you to try.

And, of course, we’ve got lots of tasty student discounts and deals running at the moment that will prove very useful in this regard… so make sure you take a look to see what you can find.

1. Make sure your bed and bedding is snuggly

If your bed is uncomfortable, you can kiss good sleep goodbye. Mattresses can be a little pricey but it’s a small sacrifice to make if it means you can sleep properly each night - plus mattresses last for years, so the investment will pay for itself in no time.

It’s advisable to try before you buy so you know what your mattress preferences are, so pop off to a local department store to sleep test your options and find out if you like soft, firm, hybrid or memory foam.

Then get your trusty phone out and check out our amazing deals and discounts with the likes of Silentnight, Bensons for Beds and Mattress Online… lots of savings to be made!

2. Get regular exercise

Training and getting lots of exercise is great for your mind, body and soul - but it can also help you enjoy better sleep, as well, with studies showing that it can help you nod off more quickly and enjoy better-quality sleep once you are catching Zs.

Just pay attention to when you exercise, because some people find that training a few hours before bedtime actually keeps them awake. If this is the case, just aim to exercise early in the morning if you can.

Regardless of the time of day, you can make exercise a lot more accessible and a lot easier on the bank balance thanks to our partnership with The Gym Group, where you can get ten per cent off monthly memberships and enjoy unparalleled access to state-of-the-art equipment, 2/7 gym facilities and scores of gym classes to try. Can’t say fairer than that!

3. Don’t eat too late

You need to give your food time to digest, so once you’ve established a regular bedtime for yourself, you can work out what time you need to eat so that you’re not still digesting when you’re trying to sleep.

Interestingly, the type of food you eat can also make a difference to how well you sleep and particularly fatty food might cause you problems.

If you’re looking to overhaul your diet at the moment and reduce the amount of processed food you’re putting on your plate, check out our fantastic student discount with Hello Fresh where you can get an incredible 55 per cent off your first box and then 20 per cent off the next seven boxes. Wowzers!

4. Try supplements

We’re very lucky these days to have all sorts of supplements at our disposal, with something to take to suit every physical, mental and emotional need, helping to support our overall health and wellbeing.

But it can get pretty pricey indeed if you’re not careful, so make sure you take full advantage of our sweet deal with GP Nutrition, where you can enjoy free standard shipping on orders of over £35 to help you take that next step on your wellness journey.

Top supplements to consider for sleep include magnesium, which our bodies need to make adenosine triphosphate. This is what gives us energy and drives our metabolism, with GP Nutrition products formulated to be four times easier to absorb, while staying in the body for longer and fortified with extra vitamins B12, B2 and B6.

Just remember that supplements should always be taken as part of a regime that includes following a healthy well-balanced diet, as well.

5. Practise mindfulness

If you find that your mind is racing at bedtime and you’re having trouble falling asleep, don’t try to force it as you’ll only make the situation worse. Instead, try out some relaxation techniques to see if you can quiet your mind and ease any worries you might have.

Mindfulness is all about anchoring yourself in the present moment, usually achieved through breathwork and focusing on your breathing. Square breathing is one way to go about doing this… simply breathe in for four, hold your breath for four, exhale for four, hold for four, breathe in for four - and rinse and repeat!

If you still find yourself feeling super stressed, check out our student mental health discount that we’ve got running right now with Better Help, where you can get 50 per cent off your first month of therapy. Hopefully you’ll be sleeping like a baby before you know it!