My relationship with sleep has evolved immensely in the past few years through high school and transitioning to college. I am at the point where I get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every night, and I am usually in bed by 10pm. I value sleep now, and I have seen the changes that a consistent sleep routine brings.
This wasn't always the case for me. At the end of high school, I stayed up until 3 or 4 am every night, and was managing to only get about 4 hours of sleep. I ate poorly, and didn't treat my body well. This affected my mental health tremendously, and caused my headaches to worsen. I did not have a handle on my anxiety, and I would worry for hours at night. Still, I was stuck in this cycle of getting very little sleep. When I got to college, I was sucked into the stereotypical "college life". There were many nights of junk food binges, parties, Netflix, and overthinking. This was the story of my first semester, and I knew that I didn't want it to continue. I wasn't happy, and I wasn't an enjoyable person to be around. I wasn't living my life in ways that benefitted me.
I found my love for fitness gradually, fitting workouts into my busy schedule. I started off going running, and then started going to the gym to lift weights. As I worked out more, I started to sleep better at night. I would go to bed early so that I would be well rested to run in the morning before class. With this came a change in my diet. I didn't want to "diet", so I started to make changes slowly. I ate less processed food and instead, ate foods that gave me real energy. The pivotal point was when I decided to train for a marathon. I was running every day, and I absolutely had to get adequate sleep at night. Being active regulated my sleep.
I became healthier in all aspects of my life and it completely changed my sleep routine as a whole. I have more energy during the day, and I sleep better at night. It took me about three years, but I have made a permanent lifestyle change. Many of my peers don't get enough sleep at night, and I see how it affects them. Lack of sleep is a big factor in the increasing rates of mental health disorders in college students. It is difficult to maintain a consistent sleep schedule in college, but it's worth it.
Now, I deal with the stressors of college by leading a healthy lifestyle while still knowing that it's okay to treat myself. I have branched out from running and started doing yoga, Pilates, boxing, and learning different lifting techniques. I look forward to sleeping every night and have become a morning person. It is hardest to get enough sleep at night in college, but it is also the most vital.
This post is part of our series on sleep culture on college campuses. To join the conversation and share your own story, please email our Director of College Outreach Abby Williams directly at abigail.williams@huffingtonpost.com. And you can find out here if the #SleepRevolution College Tour will be visiting your campus, and learn how you can get involved. If your college is not one of the colleges already on our tour and you want it to be, please get in touch with Abby.