Looking back on my first two months here at Ryerson University, I have found that there are so many things that we as students have to adjust to. Completing assignments, reading, studying for tests, and being away from home just to name a few. But there is one habit I've seen a lot throughout some of my classes that a lot of students have either done or probably will do in the near future: and that's falling asleep in class.
That's right, I've seen the awkward 'wake up and realized I drooled on myself' look or the subtle nod just when you're about to fall asleep and then you wake up right before you smack your head off your desk.
And to all you sleepy-eyed students, let me be the one to say you are not alone.
I have found myself guilty of taking a snooze in the middle of a boring lecture but I am here to help.
Here are five tips I have found helpful to stay awake in class.
1. Be healthy
Perhaps this is the most obvious tip but for some reason students still skip meals, pull all-nighters and declare that their daily exercise was the walk to and from class.
NO.
Let me start by saying how important eating three healthy meals a day is. Without food, you will die - that's a fact. It gives you the energy you need in order to get through the day and without that energy you're going to be drowsy. If you're drowsy you're likely to fall asleep in class.
Easy as that.
Now something that's a bit tricky to get into the habit of: falling asleep at a decent hour.
Yes I know there was probably a 'really sick party' the night before or maybe you were binge watching Game of Thrones until 4am. But if you have an 8am class the next morning - guess what?
You're going to fall asleep in class.
You're in university now, which means you probably don't have your mom sending you off to bed at a decent hour. So do yourself a favor and get the sleep you need. It will save yourself from becoming stressed, getting sick and more importantly, falling asleep in class.
And here is the most dreaded word in my vocabulary.
Exercise
Yes. I said it.
To those who do exercise: congratulations you're amazing
To those who don't: Get moving.
I understand that with school work and classes it can interfere with your 'work-out' time, but seriously 15 minutes is all it takes. Go for a run, do some jumping jacks in your room, buy a yoga tape, whatever you decide to do it will give you the energy to get through the day.
2.Sit near the front
There is no rule saying the front row is reserved for the nerds and near-sighted. If you find yourself becoming drowsy in the middle of class, you're more likely to fall asleep in the back row as opposed to the front row. At the front of the class it's easier to pay attention to the lecture and process whatever information your prof is throwing at you.
3. COFFEE
If you haven't yet, you will soon find yourself in the unavoidable situation of being swamped in school work at 2am with no end in sight. All I can say to that is: coffee is your friend.
4. ACTUALLY Participate
After reading that I'm sure that 99% of introverts just cringed.
Being introverted myself, I've always found participation to be a struggle, but a great way to get involved with discussion, better your grade and surprisingly stay awake in class.
5. Don't Stress
One of the worst things you can do in university is stress.
Avoid overwhelming yourself by completing assignments as soon as possible and making sure you're in control of everything you're doing. It's tempting to participate in a bunch of clubs and teams but it's important to know your limits. When you stress you lose sleep, and when you lose sleep you're probably going to make up for the lost time in class.
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