April 7th, 2010
Some people are bright and cheery by the time the sun comes up. They can hop out of bed before the alarm even rings, go out for a brisk morning jog, and belt out a catchy tune in the shower. Others, particularly night owls, are less than jolly before noon. Night owls are those who perk up during midday and stay up well past the time when many other people have already gone off to bed. They are the antithesis of morning people. Yet, many college students who have been night owls most of their lives will find that they need to change those habits when it comes time to register for classes and the only slots available are in the morning.
Morning classes are typically those that take place from 8 A.M. to 11 A.M. Many undergraduate classes are offered in these time frames. Late afternoon classes are popular and fill up quickly, so it is inevitable that you may end up with a morning class at least once or twice during your college career. For night owls, waking up this early and trudging to class may seem impossible. At any rate, it calls for an overhaul of your typical sleeping habits so that you can actually wake up to go to class and stay awake long enough to learn.
The first thing you must do to prepare for your morning classes is to stop going to sleep late. Count on getting at least six to seven hours of sleep each night. This means that if you typically take an hour to get ready in the mornings and your first class is at 8 A.M., you should be in bed by midnight so that you may get up at 7 A.M. the next day with a full night of sleep behind you. This may be difficult at first, but you will find that as you go to bed early more often and rise early, it will become easier and easier. At least a week before classes begin, you may want to practice sleeping and rising early so that your internal clock gets used to the idea.
During your first few days of class, be sure to make enough time to eat a nutritious breakfast. You will likely be feeling especially tired these first few mornings because you are not yet accustomed to being awake at this hour, so fueling your body is a good way to give yourself an energy boost. Store a granola bar or two in your backpack to snack on as you make your way to class if you cannot make time to sit down and have a bowl of cereal in the mornings.
Sooner or later, you will have to change your night owl ways to adjust to an earlier schedule because many professional careers demand early risers. It is good for you to work on changing your habits now before you enter into the professional world.
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