Get Your Zs to Ace Your Game

It’s 2am in the morning. You are still typing out your assignment and exchanging text messages with your project mates. Sleep? No time!

How Are the Zs Linked to Your A Game?

Do you know that one of the secrets to doing well is a good night’s sleep?

“Getting enough sleep is very important. When I get seven to eight hours of sleep, I feel alert, can focus well and complete my assignments quickly. When I stay up late for several nights, my focus and concentration is affected. It just takes me more time to get things done,” said Pang Yijun, a Business Studies student at Temasek Polytechnic.

When you sleep well, it has a positive impact on your immune function, metabolism, memory, and learning.

So, if you are aiming to do well, aim to sleep well first!

Related: 3 Ways to Improve Sleep Quality

Why Some Youth Don’t Get Enough Sleep

What keeps you and your friends up at night?

Is it an increasingly digital lifestyle? We know how hard it is to put away your electronic devices like tablets and smartphones. What you may not know is that using electronic devices before sleep makes it harder for you to fall asleep. This is because the blue light from the screens of smartphones, computers and tablets has been shown to delay or reduce the production of melatonin in the evening, a hormone that makes us feel sleepy.

Maybe your schedules are simply too packed? Like Chia Wen Chong, a third-year life science student at NUS, who has a heavy workload and after-school activities, and goes to bed only between 12am to 2am.

Or do you view keeping late nights as a badge of honour, thinking you can do more, when you “mug” to study or complete your homework assignments into the wee hours of the night?

Sean Koh, second-year nursing student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic sees many of his peers going to bed after midnight, with some as late as 3am. The reasons? Computer games, completing homework assignments or social activities.

Sounds familiar?

Related: Back to School Tips and Tricks

Want to Break Bad Sleep Habits for Good?

Try to take charge of your sleep by aiming to:

• sleep for at least seven hours a night
• aim for quality sleep with healthy sleep habits

Try these to break the habit of staying up late:

1. Find out what’s keeping you up. Are you preoccupied with a busy social life online or offline, spending too much time completing assignments, juggling school with non-academic activities or have poor scheduling? 
   Learn how to manage your time better and prioritise what you need to do, so that you can have ample time to prepare your body for a good night’s sleep. 
   
   For example, check the amount of time you spend on your mobile device or on social media. There are free apps that can help to rein in your mobile device usage by either giving a breakdown on mobile phone usage and/or can block the usage of the phone apps that are distracting.


2. Have a plan. There’s no time to waste! Think about what needs to get done each day, then plan a schedule and create rules, such as no social media after 10 pm.
   
   
3. Shift your bedtime gradually. If you are sleeping at 1 am and want to change your bedtime to 11 pm, set an initial goal of sleeping 30 mins earlier, e.g. at 12.30 am.
4. A little reward or motivation may do the trick. Give yourself something to look forward to, such as a nutritious breakfast when you wake up refreshed and early. Try out some of these sleep hygiene tips too:

Besides aiming to sleep enough, try to sleep well too. To have quality sleep:

1. Maintain a regular wake and sleep schedule, even on weekends.
2. Have a regular, relaxing bedtime routine. For example, take a warm shower, read a book or listen to relaxing music.
3. Create a sleep-friendly environment, such as by hanging up dark curtains, using eye-masks and/or earplugs.
4. Avoid heavy meals just before bedtime.
5. Exercise regularly.
6. Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
7. Avoid naps that are too close to bedtime.
   

When you get enough Zs, you will wake up feeling more refreshed to take on the challenges ahead of you!

Visit MindSG for more tools to take care of your mental well-being.

Visit Parent Hub, for more useful tips and guides to give your child a healthy start.

Download the HealthHub app on Google Play or Apple Store to access more health and wellness advice at your fingertips.

Read these next:

• Are You Getting Quality Sleep?
• Snooze
  
• Catch Your Zzzzs: Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep