Limit caffeine intake: Although you don’t drink coffee, be mindful of other products with caffeine and limit the intake of caffeine after 2 p.m., or within eight hours of bedtime.Maintain a sleep schedule: Aim for at least seven hours of sleep and try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.Exercising before class will also naturally increase your energy and alertness. Take a break and move your body: This may be more difficult depending on the class, but being able to move your muscles can keep you alert.Engage in the class: Ask questions and sit closer to the front.Drink cold water: Water can keep you alert, and the cold temperature might “shock” your senses into waking up.While it may be hard to pinpoint whether your class time naps are due to insufficient sleep, food, medication, or the classroom itself, you may choose to experiment with some of these strategies to combat your drowsiness: Combinations of medications can also interact in the body to make you sleepy. These might include antihistamines, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, or pain medicines, to name a few. There are also several medications that have sedative effects. High levels of melatonin or tryptophan can also trigger sleepiness. Eating a big meal or food high in fat, carbohydrates, or caloric content might lead to drowsiness. Though you aren’t a coffee drinker, are you eating or drinking other things before class? The timing or composition of meals can also affect your level of fatigue. What you eat or drink before sleep can also impact your sleep. Research studies show that screen time before bed can disrupt your quality of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation also recommends limited use of electronic devices before sleep. A quiet, dark room, for example, will likely contribute to a more restful slumber, compared to a noisy, bright room. Your sleeping environment may be particularly impactful on your sleep quality. The quality of sleep matters as well, and it can impact your alertness during the day. Similarly, those with disrupted circadian rhythms might find themselves struggling to regulate the body’s natural process of maintaining the sleep-wake pattern. Other reasons for compromised sleep can include an impairment to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is a structure in the brain that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. The former isn’t a disorder however, the latter is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep. Note that natural, short sleeping is different from insomnia. For example, people who are naturally short sleepers tend to sleep for less than six hours per night and continue to function well. Of course, this amount may vary from person to person, depending on factors such as brain function, physical activity levels, circadian rhythms, diet, and genetics. On average, adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old need around seven to nine hours of sleep. Regular, consistent sleep is great, but you might not be getting enough sleep overall. You mentioned that you sleep at least six hours every night. That said, let’s review other reasons you may be falling asleep in the classroom. This can cause boredom, which can contribute to drowsiness. As you noted, however, you’re minimally engaged during your lecture which may lend itself to a more relaxed environment with low engagement or limited motivating stimuli. People don’t usually feel tired when they’re active, or in your case, when they’re engaged in a discussion-based seminar with fewer opportunities to doze off. Even if your professor has the charisma of a potted plant, your regularly scheduled naps might mean that you aren’t getting enough zzz's in general, or that you’ve consumed something that makes you sleepy such as a particular food or medication.
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