General Health Topics:

Sleep
Stress
Internet Addiction

Sleep

You may find that you are having trouble sleeping since you have left home. If you find that you cannot fall asleep when you go to bed or have difficulty staying asleep, try some of these tips.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and night, including weekends. Your body may need to get into a natural sleep cycle. If you sleep late on some days and wake up early on others, your body may have trouble knowing when to let you finally relax.
• Limit your caffeine after noon. Caffeine is a stimulant which might keep you up. Remember that caffeine is not just in coffee but also in chocolate, tea and other drinks. Be aware of other ways in which your body might be taking in stimulants such as in diet pills or herbal supplements. If you are taking supplements to help you stay awake to study, you may not be able to wind down fast enough.
• Practice relaxation techniques to calm down before you try to go to sleep. Listen to quiet music or meditate. Avoid watching exciting movies or playing exciting video games right before bed because your adrenaline might still be flowing.
• Avoid doing homework while in bed. Get your body to recognize your bed as a place to rest.
• If you are worrying about all that you have to do, write a list so your to do items are on paper and not just in your head. If you have gotten behind schedule, acknowledge the problem and then take the necessary steps to solve it. Consider going to LARC and attending a seminar on time management.
• Eating certain "comfort foods" before bed can stimulate your brain chemistry into making you sleepy. Try macaroni and cheese or warm milk. Avoid a heavy meal, however, right before bed.
• Talk with noisy roommates or neighbors who might be disturbing your sleep. Agree on a reasonable time to call it a night. If you are reading this, you may already be having a problem. If not, agree on this time early in your relationship.
• Declutter your bedroom. If you live in a residence hall, this may be hard because you don't have a lot of space. However, sometimes a cluttered room can cause a cluttered mind which may cause sleep problems.
• Avoid drinking alcohol to help you sleep. While alcohol might relax you, your blood sugar might cause you to wake up during the night and not allow you to go back to sleep.
• If you have ongoing sleep problems, get a professional consultation. Sleep disturbance can be a symptom of other problems such as depression or sleep apnea. People on campus are here to help you to feel better.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/

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Stress

According to a recent study* cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education, anxiety in college students has reached record levels. What would have been rated as a very high level of stress for students in the 1950s is average for today's student. The consensus among college health professionals is that college life today presents many more competing demands for students' time, energy and attention, leading current students to find it much harder to balance academic, financial and social requirements and opportunities.

How can anxiety (or stress, a more general term) affect students? Under conditions of high stress/anxiety you are more likely to

• suffer from panic disorders and depression
• abuse alcohol and other drugs to try to cope
• skip classes and engage in self-defeating procrastination
• become chronically sleep-deprived
• withdraw from others and/or have relationship problems when you are most in need of support

Check the following links for information about how to manage stress successfully and where to find help and resources on campus and the internet. Or, visit us at the Health Education Center for educational materials, and we will help you figure out where to find the best resources for you.

Related Sites:

• UCI Student Counseling Center
• UCI Student Health Services Mental Health and Counseling
• UCI Help with academic stress (LARC)
• UCIMC Community Education Classes
  • Stress Management
  • Meditation
  • Mind over Mood
• Help for academic - related stress
• Overview of stress, commercial resources available

* (College Students and the Web of Anxiety
by Jean M. Twenge, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, December, 2000)

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Internet Addiction

Do you find that you spend more time on line than you really intend? Do you feel restless or moody when you can't go on line? You may be part of a growing number of students who are finding that they are addicted to the Net.

According to Dr. Kimberly B. Young, there are five types of internet addiction:

1. Cyber sexual addiction (addicted to cyber porn or adult chat rooms)
2. Cyber relationship addiction (cyber affairs or using online relationships to replace real life friends and family)
3. Net compulsions (obsessive online gambling or shopping)
4. Information overload (compulsive database searches)
5. Computer addiction (obsessive game playing)

Unfortunately, college students can easily become addicted to the internet because of free access and lots of unstructured time. The internet allows students to easily find the most up to date resources as well as offer a great way to take a break from studies or keep in touch with friends and family. Most people who use the internet do not fall into any of the five groups mentioned above. Dr. Young suggests some strategies for people who might be addicted to the web:

• Recognize what you are missing (time with others, sleep, exercise, hobbies, falling behind in responsibilities.
• Keep a log of how much time you are spending on the internet in each of these categories
  • Chat rooms
  • Interactive games
  • Email
  • Newsgroups
  • World Wide Web
  • Other
• Find support in person, not just on the web.
• Take a look at your feelings before you go online. Are you bored? Lonely? Anxious?
• Manage your time on the web
• Confront your loneliness
• Pay attention to warning signs such as
  • Excessive fatigue
  • Losing interest in activities that previously brought you joy
  • Withdrawal from friends
  • Academic problems
  • Ignoring chores
  • An increasing need for privacy

If you have concerns about your internet use, click http://www.stresscure.com/hrn/addiction.html to assess your risk for addiction. If you would like to discuss concerns about your use of the internet, speak with a therapist in Student Health Services 824-5201 or The Counseling Center 824-6457