Sleep and sleeping difficulties
Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and brain to recharge and process information. Sleep also affects your memory and ability to learn new things. At the same time, a lack of sleep is perhaps the single largest contributing factor to mental health issues. Use our tips to improve your sleeping habits.
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The sleep formula
There are three factors that influence our sleep:
- The amount of time spent awake since we last slept.
The longer we are awake, the more sleep we require. It is important to keep in mind that daytime naps make it more difficult to sleep at night. - The internal biological clock.
Our bodies need to maintain the same rhythm for sleeping and wakefulness every day. Being outdoors in daylight in the morning makes us sleepier in the evenings and can contribute to a more balanced circadian rhythm. Exposure to morning sunlight can also help us to wake up and make us more alert during the day. - How stressed, excited and physiologically active we are.
This factor can make falling asleep difficult, even if we are extremely tired. Make sure you have a clear start and end time for your studies. Creating an evening routine that allows you to unwind is necessary to be able to sleep well. Doing relaxation exercises may help too.
Difficulty sleeping?
Sleep is essential for our ability to think, concentrate, solve problems and store memories. At times it may be more difficult for us to sleep when we are not feeling well, for example due to stress and anxiety. The fear of not getting enough sleep the night before we need to perform can trigger an ‘alarm reaction’, increasing our heart rate and causing muscular tension, which in turn can make it more difficult to sleep.
On occasions where we do not get enough sleep, the body regulates itself through periods of deep sleep for the next few nights.
Take a sleep test on alexit.se for a better understanding of your sleep. Once the test is complete, you will receive feedback on your sleep and what you can do to remedy it.
To improve the conditions for good sleep, here are some things to consider:
- Good habits: Prepare your mind for sleep by creating an evening routine which acts as a signal to end the day. Carry out your routine at the same time and place every day.
- Create a good sleeping setting: Do something relaxing, such as reading a magazine or listening to music. Avoid screen time as a way of relaxing; digital content in combination with the blue light works to stimulate alertness rather than making us tired.
- Handle thoughts, stress and worry: If your thoughts are keeping you awake, make it part of your evening routine to write down your thoughts and concerns at least two hours before you go to bed. Identify troubling thoughts and try to find a way to turn them into reasonable and calming ones instead.
- Get up for a short while: As a last resort, get out of bed if you have not fallen asleep within two hours. It is better to break destructive thought patterns by doing something else for a while to avoid associating the bed with poor sleep. Stay up for a short while; around 10–15 minutes is enough. Read something relaxing and then lie down again. Repeat this until you fall asleep. You can also try a relaxation exercise to shift your focus.
Also bear in mind that:
- Food activates the body. You should therefore avoid heavy meals close to bedtime.
- Avoid foods that contain caffeine as they make you more alert.
- Avoid alcohol as it increases your heart rate and blood pressure, triggering your stress response, which is designed to keep you alert.
- Exercise is good and can improve sleep quality, but do not exercise too close to bedtime. Your body needs time to unwind after working out.
Book an appointment
If your study situation is negatively affecting your sleep or if your sleeping difficulties is affecting your ability to study, turn to us at the Student Health Centre for help.
Contact information
Telephone and appointment booking
NB: The Student Health Centre is closed from 23 December to 7 January 2025. Our appointment booking system is open for consultations in January.
+46 (0)46-222 43 77
Monday–Wednesday, 08:30–09:30
Thursday, 08:15–08:45
Friday, 08:30–09:30
Subject to temporary changes.
Make an appointment at the Student Health Centre
Visiting address:
Sandgatan 3
Lund
For student unions and other organisations
Contact form for student unions and other organisations
Other healthcare providers
Other healthcare providers are referred to our telephone hours above. Please note that the Student Health Centre does not accept referrals from other healthcare providers.
Suggested reading
- Sleep problems – studenthalsan.se/en
- Sleep problems on the NHS website
- Book: The Little Book of Sleep: The Art of Natural Sleep by Dr Nerina Ramlakhan