Morning classes are one of the worst things about uni. The temptation to hit snooze and sleep in is huge.

Despite having the advantage of choosing our own timetable, sometimes we’re just unlucky and get hit with those 9am lectures and tutes. Here are a few tips on how to survive those dreaded morning classes.

Set A Routine

The hardest part about morning classes is that early morning wakeup call. Especially if you’re not a morning person.

The answer to this is simple. Set a sleep routine that will help adjust your body clock. Even on your days off, set an alarm that goes off at the same time each day. This will make waking up earlier easier. If you’re really tired from the early start, you could always nap later in the day.

Go To Sleep Earlier

As a night owl, I get told to go to sleep early a lot. But sleeping early can be difficult, particularly when you’re only at uni a few times a week and spend your days off sleeping in.

Research shows that going to sleep earlier has many benefits, including improved memory, higher levels of creativity and sharper attention span; which of course means better grades. An earlier bedtime also makes it easier to achieve a required eight to 10 hours of sleep.

Sleep deprivation is also a serious issue amongst adolescents. As research has found, the average reported time of sleep is seven hours per night. Sleep deprivation leads to fatigue, memory and cognitive issues which will affect productivity. Best to avoid this.

Make Sure You Eat Brekky

Most uni students rely on coffee so that they feel alert and awake during class. However, coffee alone isn’t enough to cut it. For effective performance at uni, breakfast is a necessity.

A Red Cross study on the importance of breakfast has found that breakfast is beneficial to students for a number of reasons, including improved concentration and attention span. According to the study, brekky provides “essential nutrients, including iron, calcium, and vitamins B and C, which necessitate growth, development, and good health.” Just try to skip the sugary cereals.

If you miss breakfast in the morning then don’t worry, some unis do provide free breakfast on campus. They’ve got you covered.

Grab A Mate

I don’t know about you, but seeing my friends before or during class makes me look forward to my morning tute.

Find a friend. Not only will having a friend or two in your morning tute make it more bearable but also, you can help each other learn. This will greatly benefit you later when you have assignments, or when you might accidentally sleep in, miss class and need someone to borrow notes off.

Friends who study together stay together and come exam time, you’ll absolutely smash it.

Exercise Regularly

Between studying, working, sleeping, and binge-watching Netflix, exercise might be hard to fit into your daily routine. After all, isn’t the walk from the train station or bus stop enough exercise for one day?

The thing is, exercise helps the body and brain function to their full capacity. A study found that 150 minutes of physical activity per week provided a 65 percent improvement in sleep quality. Meaning you feel more alert. Meaning you can get more work done. Meaning you nail your course.

Think Positively

At first glance, there aren’t many upsides to morning classes. But if you start thinking positively, you can see them as a good thing.

Morning classes could mean finishing uni earlier, or getting a much-needed productivity boost for the day ahead.

You can look forward to a well-deserved afternoon nap or treating yo’self to a nice lunch after a long day.

Kowther is a Communications student who is in her final semester of study at Western Sydney University. In her spare time, she loves to rant about global politics, read books, and indulge in TV shows.

(Lead image: Keeping Up With The Kardashians/E!)