Advice for a good night’s sleep from campus

Translation: Karitas M. Bjarkadóttir

We all have to sleep. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s not always enough to just rest our heads on the pillow, close our eyes and let unconsciousness come to us. Sometimes, our heads start to spin, minutes become hours and all of a sudden, like a cruel reminder of what little sleep we’ve gotten, the alarm rings and it’s morning. This is a problem most of us probably recognize, and unfortunately, sleep is not always the top priority for students. Therefore, I’ve gathered some advice that I got from all around campus, that I hope will help you in your insomniac state.

Meditation is great

A lot of the advice I got included meditation in one form or the other. This one is of course, quite obvious. The point of sleeping is to rest, and therefore it’s nice to get some inner peace in order to drift off to dreamland. Meditation makes a point of emptying the mind and focusing your attention on the body. There are a lot of ways to meditate, focus on breathing, scan the body from head to toe or simply empty the mind. The most important thing, though, is finding what works best for you, in each situation.

“I breathe in for 4 seconds, hold my breath for another 7 seconds and then breathe out for 8. It helps me calm down.” - Hulda Sif Högnadóttir, a law student.

“I really like listening to some ASMR before going to bed.” - Þórhildur Davíðsdóttir, a political science student.

Being tired is beneficial

Sometimes, the reason for our insomnia is that we simply aren’t tired enough before crawling into bed. A simple solution for that issue is to not go to sleep too early but to stay awake a bit longer and let the fatigue come to us. Light exercise, like a walk, can also aid our tiredness, but be mindful that this can also perk you up. It is recommended to not drink caffeinated drinks or use smartphones late in the evening, two things that can wake up our minds.

“I try to read before bed. I make sure not to be on the phone too much because I feel that once I try to go to sleep right after scrolling, it doesn’t happen.” - Guðrún Lilja Friðjónsdóttir, an Icelandic linguistics and literature student.

“I find it easiest to fall asleep if I do it late enough.” - Ragnhildur Katla Jónsdóttir, a psychology student.

Don’t overthink

When it’s hard to fall asleep it is vital not to panic. Once you panic, your mind starts spiralling, and then it’s even harder to sleep. It can be nice to stand up and do something else for a bit when that happens. Just enjoy being alone and try to lose yourself in unimportant thoughts. Who knows, they might lead you directly to sleep.

“If I can’t fall asleep right away I try not to get too stressed about it. Instead, I lie a bit longer and think happy thoughts.” - Guðrún Lilja Friðjónsdóttir, an Icelandic linguistics and literature student.

“I play sudoku or solitaire when I can’t sleep.” - Brynja Eyfjörð, an engineering student.

The small, personal stuff

Sometimes, the small stuff helps the most. It doesn’t matter how weird, silly or unhelpful they may seem at first. Like someone said that one time: If it works, it works. Find what suits you best and use it to your advantage.

“Weighted comforters can help people who like to cuddle or are always switching positions a lot.”  - Kjartan Ragnarsson, a political science student.

“I find it integral to have cold feet when sleeping. Otherwise, there is no chance that I’ll fall asleep. If it takes you too long to fall asleep and your feet get warm, you just have to start over.” - Mars M. Proppé, a physics student.

“Real advice that I started using is that when I can’t sleep, I read an old textbook, preferably on a boring subject. I normally don’t last for 10 or 15 minutes before I’m unconscious.” - Jón Ingvi Ingimundarson, a political science student.