More sleep.

Yep… I said it.

Novel idea, I know.

And while students could use more sleep in general, it’s all the more important during the stress-filled weeks surrounding final exams.

This is a season notorious for late nights (or all-nighters) — and when coupled with poor eating and high stress that are also commonplace during this time of year — you’ve got the contextual makings of an end-of-the-term disaster.

So here are a few ways we can encourage our students to make sleep more of a priority in the coming days and weeks:

1. Commit to getting “enough” sleep — It simply has to be a priority for each student. If they can keep this in front of them, it will likely help them to make better use of their day-time hours, as well as help them to avoid distractions that can push a late night into something much later. 
2. Manage their time well — This can be incredibly difficult as the term winds down, but increasingly important. We need to help our students understand that “the end is in sight,” and if they can lean into God, and exercise the last bits of self-discipline they have within, that they can get in (almost) everything they need to do and still get some decent rest. This will likely include limiting the time they allow themselves to be engaged in online activity.
3. Find a real alarm clock — This might actually be the most crucial, and easily overlooked, suggestion of the bunch. Most students use their phones as an alarm clock, and opt not to “silence” all of the notifications that regularly come through. They’re prown to not only receive texts, notifications, and even calls throughout all hours of the night — but actually check them and even respond — when they should be getting the sleep they so desperately need. Encourage students to go to a store and purchase a simple alarm clock so that they can power their phone off for the night.

So those are just a few ideas…

What would you add to this list?