For those of you that are students, here are a few tips to help you succeed in your endeavors.

Do you drive your car to school? You better buckle up because many of today’s car crashes are caused by sleep deprivation. Chances are you’re not getting enough sleep at night. Sleep deprivation doesn’t just cause physical symptoms; your brain can be affected as well. This article looks at the connection between sleep and learning.

According to the national sleep foundation 85% of students do not get enough sleep at night. What’s enough sleep? While definitions vary, the average is 8.5 hours of sleep per night according to the foundation. If 85% of your fellow students are suffering from sleep loss, then you can gain a major edge in the classroom just from lying in bed, relaxing, and falling asleep.

Lack of sleep impairs one’s ability to pay attention, abstract thinking, creativity, communication, problem solving, innovation, and more. If these symptoms look familiar, they are also symptoms of ADHD, the attention deficit disorder many learners experience. Studies have shown that these symptoms lead to poor performance in the classroom.

The key to getting more sleep is making sleep a priority. Many operate on a sleep schedule that treats sleep as a low priority. While this is common, it is not a healthy habit. To make getting more sleep a priority you can add incentives to getting rest. This could include investing in a new set of super soft sheets. Even some sleep inducing music, such as sounds of the sea can help one fall asleep.

Once a student is given more sleep the results should be almost instant. You will see grade go up because of better quality work. There will be a significant increase in energy which can be translated into more productive work time.

It has been noted that getting more sleep can have other fringe benefits besides helping you learn better. When the body gets at least 8 hours of sleep the body burns more calories, and after being rested the chance increases for more active behaviors while you are awake. This can lead to significant weight loss for those getting sufficient sleep. Also sleep can contribute to happiness. Serotonin the chemical the body needs for a good sleep also provides happiness feelings to the brain. Thus when one sleeps more they are happier.