Sleep is important, we love it (especially here at Nerdify), we spend a third of lives doing it and yet lots of people have a problem waking up every morning.

Lack of sleep is a real problem and has been linked to short-memory loss, difficulty concentrating and depression. According to a recent study, from the Rand Corporation, United States economy loses staggering $411 billion a year due to lack sleep among the working population.

An average person needs roughly 7-8 hours of bedtime to be in tip-top shape. But simply lying in bed won’t cut it. The quality of sleep is equally important.

We’ll share some tips with you, on how to get the best sleep possible every single night:

1. Keep a constant sleep cycle

Our bodies have a natural biological clock, called “circadian rhythms” that basically say when you should be awake and when you should be sleeping. Messing with it will make you tired all day long. Try focusing on going to bed (and waking up) at roughly the same time. That way, your body will adjust its melatonin production ( the hormone responsible for making you feel sleepy) to your sleep cycle.

2. Switch off your laptop/mobile phone

Our screens emit “blue spectrum light” which makes our bodies think it’s “daylight” suppressing the melatonin production, hence you stay awake past midnight checking your FB or watching YouTube. This is EXACTLY the reason why staring at your mobile phone or laptop when going to bed, is a terrible idea. Thus, 1 hour before bedtime – put your mobile phone away and switch off your laptop!

3. Take a shower and cool your room

Various studies have shown, that the best sleep comes at around 68 degrees °F (approx. 20 °C) room temperature. So try cooling your room before bedtime. Another thing you can do is taking a quick hot shower. This will help you relax and let your eyes rest before going to bed.

4. Read a book or meditate

The last 30 minutes before bed should really be all about relaxing and preparing your mind for sleep. Clearing your mind with meditation or yoga, reading a book will quickly take a toll on you and you’ll be falling asleep shortly. You can also sniff some lavender essential oils! Many studies have indicated that breathing in lavender help people relax and get better quality sleep.

5. Once you wake up – get some sunlight

As discussed previously – melatonin is the hormone that makes you sleepy. Our body starts producing it when the sun goes down. To STOP melatonin production – get some sunlight right after you jump out of bed, production of the melatonin will stop and your body will know that it’s time to wake up!

Here at Nerdify, we help you succeed during your academic years. We think it’s incredibly important students achieve their goals because education is one of the biggest investments one makes in his life. If you feel like the pressure is mounting up and you need a helping hand – get in touch and we’ll make sure you have enough sleep today 😉

In this digital age of ours, more of us are starting to avoid conventional colleges in favor of studying online. But with hundreds of platforms available to complete a full course or supplement your studies it can be difficult to know where to spend your dollars and pursue that vital education.

At Nerdify we are passionate about making education available and obtainable to everybody, which is why we asked our Personal Nerds to extensively review different platforms, apps and websites that are available and tell us which they think are the best.

Taking into account student feedback, personal experience and customer reviews, Nerdify are happy to present (in no particular order) some of our favorite destinations for online learning!

Coursera

The Personal Nerds at Nerdify speak very highly of Coursera, and the educational platform comes with great reviews and feedback from students too. Faculties from elite universities all over the world have courses on Coursera and they’re often very affordable too, with funding sometimes offered to the right students.

Coursera offers both short courses and even whole degrees can be completed there. Our Personal Nerds are especially impressed by the fact that elite universities like Stanford collaborate with the platform. In short, a great platform with loads of variety and options and its affordability means Coursera is bringing education to basically everyone.

Udemy

Based on reviews from students and educators using the platform, Coursera’s closest competitor Udemy is considered to be a cheaper and less impressive option, albeit similar. Udemy does impress students however with a slightly larger selection of short, cheap (or even free) courses, which can be very attractive for people wanting to get some extra, quick training on WordPress of Microsoft Excel, for example. Keep in mind that Udemy doesn’t usually offer certificates or diplomas upon completion of a course, while Coursera often does.

Duolingo

Smartphones and tablets have made obtaining certain types of information easier and getting a good education more obtainable. There has also been an explosion of language-learning apps too, which has seen the sales of language-related books take a sharp dive.

In a competitive field however, Duoligno still reigns supreme with over 150 million users around the world. As of November 2016, the language-learning app offers 68 different language courses across 23 languages, with 22 additional courses in development. The app is available on iOS, Android and Windows 8 and 10 operating systems. Our Nerds love this app and it comes highly recommended from us all at Nerdify!

Memrise

Memrise operates in the same sphere as Duolingo but with a slightly different approach, using memory techniques and entertaining content to make learning the language a bit more fun. Duolingo, in comparison, has been called more academic a little less immersive and fun. But Memrise can also boast of a much bigger selection of modules with 150 courses across 25 different languages. There’s a bunch of other stuff you can study with the app also, though. Memrise doesn’t only limit itself to languages and you can do crash courses in everything from different breeds of cats to international relations and history!

EdX

EdX is a very specific platform where you can expect to get some good education and acquire some very useful knowledge, which isn’t surprising considering it was founded in 2012 by guys from MIT and Harvard and the platform now works with the likes of Berkeley and Columbia too.

Featuring a broad range of courses that mostly fall into science and technical categories, students will welcome the self-paced timing of the classes and the freedom to pick when you engage with the educational content. Videos and game labs form a vital part of the courses which usually end in obtaining a certificate (for an extra small fee.)

Udacity

According to our IT Nerds and reviews from customers and students, Udacity is the place for you if you’re interested in computer science and programming. Hardly surprising considering this platform has corporate partners like Google, AT&T and Facebook. Other than IT and programming however, the variety on offer is pretty limited but computer nerds should definitely apply!

And there we have it, some of the best options currently available for learners who are looking to take their studies online, as selected by Nerdify’s Personal Nerds. Good luck with your studies!

Nerdify is hearing bells ringing around the country again as students go back to schools and colleges.

This can be an exciting time of year, but sometimes a stressful and overwhelming one too. That’s why our Personal Nerds have compiled some awesome tips for heading back to your studies stress-free!

And don’t forget, if you need extra support, Nerdify is always standing by and only a message away!

1. Have your timetable and agenda ready!

Nothing will put a downer on your first day back at a college like turning up and having no idea where you’re supposed to go and at what time a certain class starts. Homework, lessons, extra activities and different events can be quite overwhelming so make sure you have a timetable that’s regularly updated and properly plans your activities. Managing your time is critical to your happiness and academic success! By the way, you can ask Nerdify folks to remind you about important stuff like homework, exams, workshops.

2. Be prepared with the right supplies and books.

If your school or college doesn’t supply enough of the right materials (let’s face it, do they ever?) then make sure you’re well-equipped for your first day back. Having the right supplies can not only help you to be more prepared and organized but stationary is also fun! Well, we think so at least. Also, nobody likes the person in their class who is always asking to borrow a pen!

3. Focus on the academic tasks first!

Everyone can slip into procrastination mode and sometimes prioritize their social activities and hobbies over their studies. But this can have stressful repercussions if we allow it to happen too often, especially in the first few weeks of term when getting ahead and staying ahead is important. Remember, if you need extra help so you can spend more time on fun activities then Nerdify is standing by to help you out with any of your tasks and assignments!

4. Write down your academic goals for the term or year.

As with everything in life, it’s so important to set yourself tangible goals and milestones. We all need something to strive towards, otherwise, it can often feel like our endless work has no real destination or result. Writing down your goals will allow you to properly manage your time and plan your strategy for reaching them. To do lists have been proven to be a powerful driving, motivating force!

5. Learn what type of learner you are!

If you have high expectations for yourself during this academic term (and why shouldn’t you!) it could be really important for you to work out what kind of learner you are. And we don’t mean whether you’re a slow learner or a fast one, or anything like that. But how do you better learn? What’s your process? Maybe you’re more auditory and need music and speeches. Perhaps you’re more of a visual learner that needs pictures and writing or maybe you’re vocal and need to talk about subjects and write notes to better retain the information.

And there we have it: 5 top tips from our Personal Nerds on how to get the most out of your first days and weeks back at school. Don’t forget to drop us a message if you need extra advice or support!