Sleep Well
Sleep is mandatory element of self-care and it has a powerful impact on everything you do while you’re awake. Learn how to make sleep a priority and take steps to achieve sleep wellness.
How to sleep better?
We've learned why sleep is so vital to our well-being. Now let's explore how to get better sleep!
While getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep is the preferred recommendation, we understand that it does not always happen. On those nights you just don’t get enough sleep and are struggling to get through the day, consider a nap.
The perfect nap is 20 to 30 minutes in the middle of the afternoon, preferably laying down or lounging in a cozy chair.
If you are on campus and want to power up with a nap, check out our Wellness Resource Maps with some great, student recommended locations to take a break and catch some ZZZ’s.
- Food intake: too much or too little?
- Caffeine consumption: how much and how late in the day?
- Room temperature: too cold or too hot?
- Lights: how bright is your room?
- Sounds: too loud? Too quiet and you hear everything?
- Bedroom layout: messy? cozy?
- Alcohol consumption and other substance use
Alcohol can induce drowsiness, so some people are keen on a nightcap before bed. Unfortunately, alcohol affects the brain in ways that can lower sleep quality, making it best to avoid alcohol in the lead-up to bedtime. - Too much stress can have a profound impact on sleep and overall health. Getting enough sleep on a nightly basis can alleviate stress quite effectively. Unfortunately, a good night’s rest can be elusive if you are stressed, especially if sleep problems are a major source of your day-to-day anxieties.
- Sleep anxiety is a feeling of fear or stress about falling asleep or staying asleep. Sleep problems and mental health disorders such as anxiety are closely intertwined. One can often make the other worse, so it can feel like a never-ending cycle. But anxiety and sleep problems are both treatable. Talk to your healthcare provider about your symptoms and work together to build the right treatment plan.
Mental Health Self-Help
10 single sessions focused on helping you turn off the conversation in your head and relax to get a good night's sleep. A single session can provide immediate resources while additional time invested allows you to gain more knowledge and strategies.
- Meditation for Restful Sleep
- Physical Exercise and Sleep Habits
- Relaxation…and more
LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform enabling active FAU faculty, staff, and students to discover and develop skills through an online library of high-quality expert-led videos.
5-minute or less tutorials for sleep success
- Balancing Sleep and Life
- Transitioning to Sleep
- Create a Nightly Ritual for Sleep
- Simple Shifts for Sleep Success
- Sleep to Learn More Effectively
- Sleep Science 101
and more…search SLEEP
