Batka is a staff psychologist at IU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Batka spoke as a part of the Monday Motivators workshop at the Indiana ?Memorial Union.
Included in the group was freshman Annamarie Marino,who said she hopes to get accepted into the Kelly School of Business for ?accounting.
Marino wakes up routinely in the middle of the night and came to the workshop for tips on getting a full night’s rest.
“I’m going to put my phone away, not look at it as much and try to go to bed earlier since I go to bed pretty late from studying and stop snacking late at night,” Marino said.
After the workshop, Marino said she would recommend the series to her friends if the topic applies to their life.
Batka started the workshop talking about a series of common issues that arise during someone’s sleep ?pattern.
Those issues include not being able to fall asleep, waking up too early, waking up in the middle of the night and feeling sleepy throughout the day.
“Your body will crave sleep the longer the time is since it’s had sleep,” Batka said. “The measure that it uses to need sleep is the delta sleep. As soon as you get a big chunk of that, your body is feeling pretty good.”
The body engages in delta sleep about an hour and a half after a person falls asleep, during stage three, Batka said. Delta sleep is the body’s most restorative sleep, Batka said.
This is a huge reason why many people say they’re hooked on a two-hour nap in the afternoon, Batka said.
Batka offered a series of tips for those struggling with their sleeping patterns.
“Driving into work I rarely use my sunglasses because I’m trying to wake up and get as much light exposure because that can be helpful,” Batka said.
Light exposure can help get your body on track to be awake when the sun is out and be sleepy when the night falls, Batka said.
For those struggling to fall asleep, Batka said she recommends going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, avoid looking at the clock or your phone, and do a boring ?activity instead, Batka said.
Caffeine intake could also be a factor when it comes to trouble with ?sleeping.
She said she recommends cutting off caffeine four to seven hours before heading to bed.
“Meditation can be very helpful,” Batka said. “There are tons of apps out there and different meditation guides you can use, especially ones that focus on your body as well to help ?relax your muscles.”
IU is hosting Monday Motivators for the rest of the semester. The themed workshops will help students think happily, conquer procrastination, use alcohol more safely and help with ?motivation for finals.
The workshops are held from 4-5 p.m. every Monday for the next five weeks in the IMU Room M005. The workshops are sponsored by ?IU CAPS.
