Tips and Supps for the Best Nights Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important aspect of anyone’s life, no matter who you are. As a college student, it is very important to be well rested to be able to function and attain information throughout the day. Being on your phone in bed or drinking coffee too late can be some of the major causes why you are tossing and turning throughout the night. Here’s are some tips for the perfect night’s sleep:

1. Cut the caffeine. I know the whole ~college students run on coffee~ lifestyle is super in right now, but honestly it shouldn’t be. Too much caffeine throughout the day can leave you wired when the sun sets, which in turn can lead to a disturbed sleeping schedule. So do yourself a favor and toss the caffeine out after 3 PM – I know it’ll seem like you’re dying for a few days, but you’ll adjust, I promise. 

2. Stop doing work at least 20 minutes before bed. You may have that HUGE test tomorrow, but if you can spare 20 minutes of relaxation before bed, you’ll fall asleep much better than if your brain goes straight from staring at your notes to the pillow – and a good night’s sleep can do wonders for your mental sharpness throughout the day. A period of time to wind down helps slow you down and gives your mind and body time to chill so your brain isn’t buzzing when you finally need to sleep.

3. Put away your phone! This is one that everyone really knows to do but refuses to admit. We’ve all been there – staring at our phones in a dark room when you realize you meant to be asleep an hour ago. But really, it’s probably not a great idea to browse through Instagram right before you hit the hay. I promise you that not much is going to change between the hours of 12 AM and 8 AM – as hard as it sounds, your eyes will thank you for freeing them from the strain of squinting at your tiny screen in the dark. Take the time instead to listen to music, read, or reflect.

4. Take a shower. This may be one that only works for me – but let me tell you, it really, really works. 10-15 minutes in a hot shower can help you feel super relaxed, especially if you put some good smelling lotion on afterward (aromatherapy is real, people). Note – this may have the opposite affect for some people and wake them up, but I’m always droopy eyed when I do it. If a full on shower doesn’t work for you, take this time to do some self-care – wash your face, brush your teeth, moisturize, etc.

5. Drink something warm. I don’t know what it is about a warm cup of tea before bed, but for me it’s like instant sleep. Chamomile, Sleepytime tea, hot lemon water, and warm milk are all great choices. 

6. Make a list. I’m definitely a list person, but I’ve found this works for many people. If you have tons of thoughts running through your head about your responsibilities for the coming day, write them down. Make a schedule, to-do list, or simply jot down a few words to get your thoughts down on paper – that way they aren’t bouncing around your head and leaving you tossing and turning when you need rest.

7. Stick to your routine and sleep schedule. As college students, it can be hard to stick to a constant sleeping schedule with tests, deadlines, and late weekend nights, but if you can stick to a relativity consistent sleep schedule for most of the week (waking up and going to bed at the same time), your body will begin to adjust and you’ll have a lot more energy throughout the day. If anything, stick to your nightly routine to help wind you down before getting some shut eye.

Supplements to help you get a good nights sleep:

1.CRASH

This is a nighttime muscle recovery and fat burning supplement. It will increase your sleep productivity to make you build muscle better while REM sleep and burn more fat in the process. 

2. NITE BURN-BPI

This is a sleep aid pill that will help you get restful sleep to rebuild muscle and burn more fat while you sleep. It will help tone you out when burning calories is at its highest.

3.ZMA PRO

ZMA will help your body to stay in this anabolic state thereby increasing your body´s overall lean muscle mass.*In an eight week double blind, placebo controlled study with college football players, ZMA was found to increase total plasma testosterone levels by 32.4%, increase Insulin-Like Growth Factor by 3.6%, increase free testosterone levels by 33.5%, and increase muscle strength by 11.6%.* This study showed testosterone levels and IGF-1 levels actually dropped in the placebo group overnight, whereas with the ZMA group, it jumped considerably.*

4.P6 PM

This is a testosterone support and nighttime recovery to enhance recovery while you sleep. When taking a sleep aid to speed up recovery, it allows your body to repair muscle and cell tissue faster and more efficiently. When you sleep, you will go into deeper sleeps and spike testosterone to take muscle building to its unlocked potential. 

5.Z-SLIM PM

FitMiss Z-Slim contains ZMA, a blend of nutrients (Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate, with Magnesium and Vitamin B6) proven to help you sleep deeper. 5-HTP helps you stay asleep, while suppressing your appetite so you don’t wake up with the munchies, ruining your perfect night’s sleep. On top of all that, Z-Slim provides your body with raspberry ketones, which signals the metabolism of fat as energy so you don’t have to worry about burning fat while you’re dreaming about bikini season.   

Contributing Author: Julia DeCeccio