Time for an intervention.

I'm sure many of you have established that I struggle quite heavily with sleep deprivation, but it has definitely progressed even more since I started this project and I think I'm going to start my own intervention plan. I'm definitely more aware of the harm I am doing to my body by not getting enough sleep and this has made me want to improve my sleep routine (awareness was one of my solutions to this issue!). Here's what I'm planning to do:

• Lighten my course load next semester- I definitely put way too much pressure on myself with the classes I chose to take this semester. Statistics, Sociology, Art History and upperlevel English. Bad choice. This seems like a pretty manageable schedule, but these classes all require a lot of the same work and this has put me through the wringer. Between all the reading, papers, projects, tedious statistics homework and exams I am in over my head. This month I had 3 research papers, a multi-media project (this blog!), two exams and on top of that I had to keep up with the reading and material in my classes. YIKES. My homework load has defintely been the biggest factor in the cause of my sleep deprivation. It's time for that to change.

• Lower the stress- The stress I have experience this semester has also been affecting my sleep quality and ability to sleep in general. I've mentioned in some posts how I've had trouble sleeping because I am so stressed out with school. My thoughts are constantly swarming with worry about school and how I'm going to get my assignments done in time. I've had numerous dreams where I'm trying to work on a paper or project and can't seem to do it right. Overall, this has made my sleep very unpleasant and well, stressful . Stressful sleep, a bit of an oxymoron don't you think? Sleep should be relaxing and rejuvenating. Since my stress is strongly tied to school I think my stress levels will defintely decrease with the lighter course load I plan to take next semester.

• CAPS- The University of Michigan has a great counseling center called CAPS. It stands for Counseling and Psychological Services and it has a variety of services available for students seeking help. Sometimes when you're stressed out it helps to simply talk to someone about it who wants to listen. Just being able to flesh it all out can be a great relief. I've actually made arrangements to have my own counselor at CAPS and I think this will be a great resource for me to have when my stress levels are high.

• MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY- This is what's most important and some of you other college students who don't get enough sleep should consider this too. Whether you have to give up being more social, working more hours for your job, or working late into the night on homework, it will be worth it..trust me. Many students don't realize the benefits of getting a healthy amount of sleep because they never actually do. I was never as sleep deprived as I am now and the difference in how I have felt during the day is very noticeable. I'm constantly fighting to stay awake in classes, easily frustrated, have low self-esteem and overall just exhausted with no energy. I'm not putting up with all that negativety anymore because SLEEP IS COMING FIRST.

~*~If you are sleep deprived don't let it defeat you, make the effort to change your habits!~*~