The Importance of Being Rested

Published on 14/08/2012 17:09

Advertorial Feature

Student life is often seen by the non-student as a few years of parties, long lie-ins and fun times. University does, of course, offer these things to people, but in no way is it an easy ride. There are those who do treat university as a holiday, but these are often the same people who end up having to repeat their first year. University is hard and it is stressful. Students need to learn and study throughout their entire stay and if they don't, they can find themselves with a very disappointing grade at the end.

Of course, it isn't enough to want to work hard. You may have the enthusiasm for it, but if your body isn't up to the job you'll start finding things very difficult. As everyone knows, a good night's rest is important. It's an integral part of being alert the next day. You'll soon find that trying to process new information after a bad night is very difficult. What is often underestimated though is that quality of sleep is just as important as quantity.

Student accommodation is not exactly renowned for its quality, so it is worth considering some things to help improve your bed and therefore how well youll sleep. A mattress could be a worthwhile investment when you consider the benefits to your well-being of getting a good nights sleep and how much better your Sunday morning lie in could be.

If your budget wont stretch to a brand new mattress, you could consider investing in a mattress topper which, in addition to making your bed much more comfortable, will also mean that youre not sleeping directly on top of the mattress that was there for the last tenant!

Dreams beds carried out a study on sleeping which helps to pinpoint the biggest issues that affect people's sleep and their sleeping patterns.

34% of Brits complain of being too hot while they sleep. This will lead to a restless night as it is near impossible to get comfortable when it feels like you have a fever continuously. This can be caused by a low quality mattress which doesn't help to regulate your body temperature. This means when the weather gets that little bit warmer, you'll feel hot and sweaty all night. On top of the temperature problem, a rubbish mattress will feel uncomfortable. The springs may be too stiff, or it could be very lumpy. You're never going to get comfy on something like that and your sleep will suffer for it.

The frame of the bed itself is very important. If you end up with what looks like a prison bed you can be sure that you'll be struggling to fall asleep on it. Then, if you do manage to drift off, you'll wake up in the morning still feeling terrible. A poorly supportive bed frame can lead to backaches, which means you'll be feeling miserable all day.

Feeling fresh and energised will be paramount to getting the most out of your studies. Your mind will need to be sharp for a number of reasons. First, you'll be getting a lot of new information and concepts thrown at you that youll need to wrap your head around. When you've got assignments to do, it wont help if you have to go over lecture notes three times because youre too tired to understand it in the hall. Second, as previously mentioned, youll need your memory to be on top form. It's no good sitting through a three hour lecture concentrating intently only to find your sleep-deprived mind failed to store any new information.

Don't underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep. A tired brain will just end up taking up your time as you try to keep up with your work. Each bad night you suffer could result in more work piling up, causing you to stress and in turn, lose more sleep. Solve the problem early and save yourself some trouble in the long-run.