Sleep vs. The End of the School Year: 8 Steps for Finding Balance
The Sleep vs. Functioning Dilemma
Parents, kids, teens, and college students are all too familiar with pressure before the end of the school year.
Whether it’s finals, deadlines, or that Maycember feeling of too many activities and performances in too little time, it seems that sleep in this time of year is a luxury that few can afford.
It can seem like sleep, or doing the things that matter, are mutually exclusive.
There is no doubt that time is especially precious at this time of year, so how can we navigate these impossible decisions?
Choosing Activities/School over Sleep
Seems productive and martyr-like to keeping pushing to the limits, right? Maybe not. Here are some well-researched downsides to just pushing through.
Consequences of insufficient or low quality sleep
Lower cognitive performance
Less focus
Less memory retention
Higher anxiety
Lower mood
Higher stress reactivity
More physiological symptoms (e.g. headaches, digestive concerns, heart rate)
Seems like the exact opposite of what we need right now. But what’s the alternative?
Choosing Sleep over Activities or School
You might be imagining some of these trade-offs:
Getting less done
Missing out
Failing
More stress
Not being able to sleep anyway
Can there be a middle ground? A best of both worlds?
The “Goldilocks” Approach to Sleep and Functioning in Crunch Time:
8 Steps to Try Today
1. Be realistic and personal. How much sleep are you or your teen actually getting? What important things do you have coming up? It’s hard to make any changes if we don’t know what’s actually happening. What do you know about yourself and what makes you feel your personal best?
2. Be part of a team. No person is an island, and everyone’s actions affect one another. Reflect on how your decisions affect others in your family.
3. Prioritize. Of all the things that seem to matter at this time of year, what matters most?
4. Reframe: What matters both about sleep and about what you need to do? How can they support each other?
Examples:
Can getting a little more sleep help you remember things better for your test tomorrow?
Can getting higher quality sleep tonight help you be more calm in tomorrow’s busy day?
Can being more physically active tomorrow help you sleep better at night?
5. Talk with your team. This can include your family, friends, and healthcare providers. Share your goals and priority, and what’s getting in the way. See how maybe they can help you, and you can help them!
6. Identify your barriers. This comes with being realistic- what’s getting in the way?
Are you so stressed at the end of the night and missing your social life, that you scroll on your phone before you finally crash?
Are you procrastinating?
Do people at school show off about how little sleep they get?
Are you struggling with delegating?
7. Make an implementation intention. Follow this simple formula:
When I [experience a barrier], then I will [awesomely small and realistic solution].
8. Share this intention with a friend, or write it down somewhere.
Bonus level: Be a scientist. If things didn’t work out perfectly, reflect, adjust, and try again!
Now go do the thing! You’ve got this!