Good sleep is one of the bases of good health and feeling sleepy during an important class can be very torturing. So if you find yourself in this situation, how do you handle it? In this article, I will give you the 12 major tips on how to stay awake in class even if the class is boring.
Before I talk about the ways to stay awake in class, let me show the reason people sleep in class.
Reasons people sleep in class:
Our circadian rhythm has been interrupted.
We feel sleepy in class most times because our circadian rhythm has been interrupted. This is what regulates our body’s sleep pattern. So when we don’t sleep at the proper time, it becomes irregular at that moment.
Production of Adenosine.
We have a body molecule called Adenosine which when increased in the body leads to drowsiness. This occurs when our Adenosine Tri Phosphate the ATP of the body (energy house) has been used up. Our body then produces Adenosine to cause us to sleep in order to produce energy.
Boring Lectures
This reason isn’t really your fault. Some teachers don’t know how to engage the students when teaching or make their class lively while teaching. As a result of the boring environment, the students start feeling sleepy.
Comfortable Environment
If you learn in an environment that is too comfortably, then sleep is inevitable. What do I mean by too comfortable? Having a sit that gives you the comfort of sleeping easily, and having the fan blow swiftly over your head. These things can make you feel too comfortable and thus sleep balls in.
Read this: 20+ Fun Things to do in College when bored
How to stay awake in class:
Eat light meals in the morning:
After you must have had a heavy meal in the morning, staying awake in class becomes an impossible task because you are probably feeling heavy at that time.
Having a light breakfast in the morning is just one of the ways to avoid feeling sleepy in class.
Going to bed early:
If you are the type that goes to bed late, then you will certainly feel sleepy in class. The way out of this is to develop quality sleep habits.
Getting enough sleep in the night should help you stop the habit of sleeping in class. You have to really plan your day well so you can rest better at night.
Check out: How to wake up Refreshed
Go through the material first:
We get our scheme of work at the beginning of the term or semester because our teachers or lecturers want us to read and prepare for the class ahead of him/her.
If we are able to go through the material or the next chapter before coming for the class then we would find the class more interesting and sleep won’t be a problem as you would have a better understanding of the class.
This would also help you score better on tests and exams.
How to stay awake in class
Develop a regular sleep schedule:
Developing a regular sleep schedule disciplines your body enough to know when to sleep and when not to sleep. The sleeping schedule will automatically wake you up in the morning if your body gets ascertained to that time.
Drink water rather than eating snacks:
If you feel sleepy in class, drinking water is way better than eating snacks. Drinking water will make you more alert because you feel hydrated, and every cell in your body needs water to function better too.
If you eat snacks, you might feel awake for just a short period of time. What if you are having a long lecture what happens?
The need to sleep automatically increases because your body needs to digest the snacks which would require energy. The body also releases chemicals that make one drowsy especially after eating a snack rich in carbohydrates.
Sit where the lecturer can see you:
Sitting in that kind of position makes it a bit impossible for one to sleep because the teacher can see you and you wouldn’t want to get shouted at because you are sleeping.
Because of your sitting position, you would have people around you that are participating actively in class, and talking to them occasionally would make you alert, but if you sit where the teacher can’t see you it becomes impossible to concentrate because you can hide comfortably and sleep without being noticed.
Bouncing or shaking your legs:
Bouncing or shaking your legs constantly will make it difficult for one to sleep. Engaging in a physical activity makes it impossible for one to fall asleep.
A quick stroll to the bathroom or around the school premises makes it difficult to sleep because of a little change in the environment and it also increases your heart rate thereby releasing energy.
Read this: 13+ Things To Do When Bored In Class (Fun things)
Reward yourself:
Develop a habit of rewarding yourself whenever you conquer the habit of not sleeping in class. This would help by making you look forward to the reward after you have conquered the sleep.
How to stay awake in class
Take up courses you are sincerely interested in:
Taking up courses you are interested in makes it difficult for you to sleep in class because you are genuinely interested in it and wouldn’t think of sleeping at all.
Exercise:
When you wake up in the morning, knowing you didn’t get enough sleep, exercising your body will go a long way in making you alert for the day.
Stand in class:
If you really need to listen to that lecture, take permission from your teacher and stand while the lesson is going on. That way you would keep awake.
Taking short naps:
You can take a very short nap like say 5mins to 10 mins. This goes a long way in helping you be awake for the rest of the day. It can be risky but take it tho… if thats the only way out.
Importance of having adequate sleep:
- Getting a good and quality of sleep can help you maintain good body weight.
- Having good sleep regularly can make you focused and concentrated on your work.
- When you sleep the brain stores information better so you can get more stored.
- Good sleep also improves athletic performance.
- It can also improve your immunity.
- Having less sleep can make you have a mood disorder, but having a good sleep helps process your mood to help make you feel better.
- Not getting enough sleep not only interrupts school but also interrupts work, social functions, and driving.
Read this: how to wake up refreshed: 6 Amazing Tips
Final tips:
Staying awake in class is a decision you can make and stick to if you wish. So, check out these tips and pick out one that can work for you.
Awesome one, I hope this article on “How to stay awake in class” helped.
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