I think I pretty much have insomnia. I don’t think I’m the only college student that suffers from it either. I crawl into that bed 6 feet off the ground at 1:00 in the morning, after a long day of classes, studying, volleyball practice, socializing, and working, and all I want to do is sleep. But no. It takes me anywhere from one to two and a half hours to fall asleep every night. I *try* to minimize caffeine and not take naps during the evening (after 4:00 PM) hours, but nothing seems to work.
The college environment just isn’t conducive to getting any sleep. So many things contribute to this...
Loud and/or drunk people.
They run down the halls, running into the walls, at 4:00 AM....once you’ve just finally gotten to sleep. It doesn’t matter to them what night of the week it is, or what time of the semester it is (cough cough finals cough cough).
Annoying roommates.
I lucked out in this situation. My roommate is great. She goes to bed a little earlier than I do, but I keep down the noise, and minimize the lighting in the room. When she wakes up (considerably earlier than I do), she gets ready quietly, keeps the t.v. volume low, and closes and locks the door quietly upon leaving. I do know this one person, however, whose roommate is a real bitch. She probably, from what I have heard, insists on falling asleep to twangy country music at a level of 120 dB (the dB level produced by a jet engine). And then, when she wakes up at 0500 hours, she most likely cranks it up a little more while she gets ready. When she leaves, she’ll slam the door. Somehow, something must be your fault, and she’s gonna prove that by slamming that door as hard as she possibly can.
Sucky beds and sub-par window treatments.
So the mattress is like a small valley, and with the ceiling 1.5 feet above me, I feel as if I am in a coffin. The window treatments, also known as curtains, are more or less see-through. Every ray of beautiful sunlight shows through those damn things pretty early in the morning. It’s nearly blinding.
Late/Early stuff.
My club volleyball team practices from 9-11 PM. I love playing, but it’s impossible to get the adrenaline to stop running for at least two hours after physical activity. Kinda sucks, but you put up with it if it’s what you want to be doing. Some classes start at 7:50 AM. Not so cool. I just got a new job at a coffee place on the BSU campus. Not too excited about the shift twice a week that starts at 6:15 AM. Although, money is money....money is money....
I’m sure you all can think of so many other things that prevent you from sleeping. Why don’t you go ahead and post them below?
What to do?
Next to Adderall and birth control, sleeping pills are the easiest prescriptions to get a hold of, especially from a free college health clinic. I walk into the BSU health clinic with a sore throat and an inability to sleep at night, and I walk out with a prescription for Ambien, one of the stronger prescription sleeping pills available. It should be known, however, that no more than 7 to 10 doses are prescribed to a single patient. You can become addicted or dependent, and not be able to sleep without them. These prescriptions are also a little pricey. My prescription for 10 doses of Ambien equaled $48.30. [NOW I know how the clinic can afford to stay upon without charging its patients.] Most insurance will cover this.
Pretty much, there’s nothing else to do except stay up late and watch Boy Meets World. I mean....post on Nubblies.
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