Karan Dhunna is a third-year student in the Direct-Entry Nursing Program. He is passionate about pursuing mental health and addiction care and advocating for these populations with their best interests at the forefront.
I used to think pulling all-nighters was a typical part of nursing school and that the extra hours studying would give me an edge, but I realized that the real super weapon is sleep. I often stayed up cramming, doomscrolling and completing assignments at the sacrifice of my sleep. Other times, I just couldn’t fall asleep because I was used to going to bed later. It wasn’t until I started feeling tired during lectures that I realized it’s not healthy. That’s when I started looking into the benefits of sleep.
What happens to your body when you sleep?
I found that adults require a minimum of seven hours of sleep and that the quality of sleep affects your focus and concentration, emotional regulation and energy levels. This explained why I was getting tired so often. After realizing this, I wanted to understand what really happens when you sleep.
I learned that the body follows a 24-hour internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which shifts in response to light and darkness. It does this with tiny messengers (hormones) inside your body that send messages to your brain to tell you if it's time to sleep or wake up.
When we sleep, our body cycles through three main stages: light sleep, deep sleep and dream-filled sleep (REM).
The REM phase is when memory processing happens. I find that when I get more of it, I remember things better. Whereas when I sleep less, I have to review things to remember.
After trying to find inexpensive, science-backed ways to get better sleep, I concluded that the solution was to establish a routine. After finding over 50 tips, I realized it was less about doing all of them and more about experimenting to find what worked for me.
Tips that helped me improve my sleep
To reset my circadian rhythm, I immediately exposed myself to natural, bright light upon waking up so that my body knew it was daytime. This sends messengers to your brain to signal that it’s time to be awake and alert. I also did the opposite before sleeping.
Pro tip: Dimming the lights and creating a dark environment without any screens one to two hours before bed tells your body it’s time to sleep and helps build a routine.
Another part of my night routine is doing some relaxing, screen-free, activities regularly before bed. I also made sure to wake up and go to sleep at around the same time every day, even if it was the weekend. On top of that, I stopped consuming caffeine about 10 hours before bedtime. Gradually, my body adjusted and I started to get sleepy earlier.
Having trouble with your sleep? Help is available! Student Counselling, Health & Well-being (SCHW) provides free counselling to students, including single session walk-ins and short-term counselling, both in-person and virtually.
The process took a while, but with patience and consistency, it worked. Each person’s body works differently, and the time it takes to adjust can vary, but it is important that you don’t give up and stay consistent.