ZZZZZZZZZ: Sleep in College

Sleep in college is....weird.
That honestly is the best description for sleeping in college. You are either getting too much of it or too little of it. Also, you sleep at the most random times. Here I will break down the different sleeping styles found in college, and tips or tricks to balance it all out.

Going to bed past 11 is a common occurrence in college. You have tons of homework and a social life. On weekdays/Sundays, you will find people up past 12, 1, maybe as late as 3 or 4 trying to finish homework assignments or to study for a test. On Fridays and Saturdays, parties or get togethers can keep you out until the break of dawn (literally).
There are two reasons why a student might be up late doing HW:
1) They have a ton of homework, or a huge test
2) They started their homework around 9

The solution to both of them is time management. While it might suck to do work (Uni kids, you understand), sometimes you have to put it first. In fact, by putting work first, you are actually going to have more time and more fun when you get to hang out. Another thing is that when you go to college, your classes (most of the time) won't meet every day. So, often, you will have TWO days to finish an assignment. Don't get comfortable though. Divide up the work over those two days. For example, I will come home on a Monday afternoon from school. I will check to see if I have any Spanish homework, because that meets every day. Then I will either do my Biology or my FP homework, and whichever I don't do, I do on Tuesday. When I spread it out, college is easier than Uni in a lot of ways.

As for the weekend and partying, live and let live. Generally though, you might have to make a compromise so you can get homework done and get some sleep. You could go out on Friday and do some homework Saturday, or vice versa. You could do homework during the day and party all night. However, think about Uni and weekends. Doesn't it suck when Sunday night rolls around and you have all your homework? Don't let that behavior transfer to college. Spread the homework out! Doing a little everyday is SO much easier than doing it all in one night. Several of my suite mates have had to pull all-nighters Sunday because they didn't get their homework done, and that messed them up sleep wise for the entire week.

Naps
Remember in preschool when you didn't want to take a nap? Do you regret that so much? I do too. Here in college though, naps are incredibly common. At least half of my suite (myself included) have just taken a nap in the middle of the day or evening. Sometimes it's because a class gets canceled. Sometimes it's because you don't have homework. Sometimes (like me) it's because you're bored. Sometimes, it's because you're skipping classes (I'M NOT ENDORSING THAT BEHAVIOR).
Whatever the reason, here are some basic things to keep in mind:
1) Don't oversleep, especially on a weekday. By taking too long of a nap, you will actually mess up your sleep schedule by not going to bed later that night.
2) Don't take naps when you have a TON of homework. You will wake up, and the work will still be there. If you are tired and feel like you're falling asleep on the book, go take a five minute walk, drink some water, dance to some music, do yoga, lift some weights, anything but actually SLEEPING

Quiet Hour, Noise, and Standing Up to People:
Quiet hour on weekdays in my suite is 11 PM. That means if you are in the suite area, SHHH. If you are in your room, you generally want to keep quiet. This has been a sore point for me the past few weeks. See, I love sleep. And I don't know about other people, but I have to get up at either 8 or 7:30 everyday, depending on if I have Biology or work. I know, you're thinking, PSH Celinda, I get up at like 5 everyday, understand I hate mornings and I have to get up and get going by myself. So, I want to go to sleep around midnight, maybe a little earlier. Well, some people have giant, enviable social lives. They have people over, music blaring, screaming and laughing so that it just rings throughout the entire suite. And, that will last past the quiet hour. We had to have a suite meeting about it. When you go to college, you will have to become aware of the awful truth: you're living with a bunch of teenagers. To deal with this, there are several actions you can take:
1) Bring earplugs. If you can fall asleep to music, get sound proof headphones and fall asleep to your iPod.
2) If the noise is getting too intense, muster up some courage and knock on the door. Let them know you are trying to sleep or work (so you can sleep). The walls are notoriously thin in college though, so be prepared for their quiet to be still fairly audible.
3) If you don't want a confrontation (understandable) talk to your RA or the Campus Life Office about it. It can be completely anonymous and they're truly adults. Unlike college students, which are just overgrown teenagers.

You're Uni students, so you understand sleep deprivation. Sometimes, I get enough sleep and it's amazing and wonderful and joyful. Sometimes I get too little (like last night) and I am almost falling asleep in Biology. If that happens, coffee can be your friend (keep caffeine before 3, unless you're Rohit, in which case you can drink coffee at any time and have no consequences :] ). Generally though, I am getting more sleep in college than I did when I went to Uni. Which, is crazy. That might just be my college, or it might be me, or it might just be sheer luck. Keep these pointers in mind though, and you will get more sleep in college.

Much Love,
Celinda :]