Sleep, a Healthy Lifestyle, and Academic Success

Tips From a Private San Diego Tutor: Sleep, a Healthy Lifestyle, and Academic Success

Students mainly focus on how to succeed academically in college and how to pay for tuition, something that has been on everybody’s mind for decades, but they often forget to consider how health and happiness can effect education and academic success. Students should consider the value of sleep, nutrition, exercise, and general happiness when it comes to producing excellent grades. The mantra ‘work hard/play hard’ may work for some, but it leaves most students in the dust. College students and high school students preparing for college should consider the importance of a healthy life/study balance and how to access specific issues (READ: “Summer Study Tips From an Irvine AP Tutor”).

1. Are you getting enough sleep?

Experts say that teens and young adults need about 8 hours of sleep each night. Many students get less than 6 hours of sleep on an average night and even less if they are cramming for finals week. When people don’t get enough sleep, they tend to have trouble absorbing information and are generally more irritable, not a good thing when it comes to learning important test material and making social connections for the future.

Source: Mayo Clinic

2. Fruits, veggies, and proteins

Many college students live off of a steady diet of ice cream, pizza, and tacos. However, according to the food pyramid, this is not the path to health. Students should be eating veggies or fruit at every meal to meet their daily requirements. Additionally, young minds need ample protein to be healthy and active.

Source: Everyday Health

3. Exercise

Some students get tons of exercise just walking or cycling around campus. Many students walk or cycle up to 5 or more miles a day depending on the size of their campus. Students who use a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation will likely pack on the miles just going about their daily business of getting groceries and meeting up with friends. However, many students don’t get much exercise and suffer the effects of prolonged periods of sitting, which can cause fatigue as well as neck and back pain.

Source: CDC

4. Healthy socializing

College students may feel isolated if they spend all their time in the library or their dorm room studying and need time to be around other people to enjoy the overall college experience. However, this doesn’t mean that all-night parties are the way to go. Students are encouraged to find a healthy balance between study time and social time. High school students also need a healthy social balance and are encouraged to allocate time with friends on the weekends or create a study group so that they can combine study and friends in an efficient manner (READ: “Tips for Sophomores and Juniors: Summer To-Do List”).

5. Setting realistic academic goals

College prep students and new college students are encouraged to set academic goals that are realistic, ones they can obtain. Some students can handle three AP classes junior year, others can’t. Some college students can take on a double major, others will crack under the excessive study and tight time management. Students are encouraged to leave more time than they originally thought to complete freshman year assignments and schedule in each activity. Everything takes time: grocery shopping, walking to class, working a part-time job and, of course, self-study.

In short

Although students need to focus heavily on how to get all of their work done and be successful students, it’s also important to think about maintaining a study/life balance. Proper sleep, good nutrition, exercise, and social time all lead to a healthy college career.

For more tips on how to achieve academic success this coming school year, seek the counsel of your Irvine academic tutor. Don’t have one? Call us and we’ll pair you with the perfect tutor.

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