Health Tips for College Dorms

In my experience as a college student, and now as a high school teacher who sees his former students return to visit, I can honestly state, with all certainty, that the first year in college will change a person almost beyond recognition. Some people return more mature and gathered, yet others seem to have suffered at the hands of some pitiless monster that forced them into an unhealthy place and refused to let them out.

I watched as my friends made endless trips to the open ice cream bar each night, never realizing that, as the semester progressed, they began to resemble an overstuffed pillow case in a cheap roadside motel. Faces, once slight and petite, now walk back into the halls of my school shaped like moons, with acne-trimmed noses screaming out for a strong swabbing of Proactive, or at least a visit from Jessica Simpson.

Students, including myself, contracted mononucleosis, yet still found it advisable to make an average bedtime after one o'clock in the morning. Others come back to share tales of extreme illnesses, wicked cool parties, wild roommates, and any other thing that would send any person over the age of thirty to an all-night walk-in clinic.

But, the good news is that all of this is avoidable, if you think a little bit. Students do not need to gain the infamous freshmen fifteen, nor do they need to tack on a beer chin. They needn't contract some chronic sleep deprived set of illnesses, nor do they have to walk around with a terrible case of athlete's foot.

Check out some of the suggestions below to see how best to manage the tremendous lifestyle changes that inevitably happen. None of this means fun won't occur; instead, it just means life can be healthy.

Sleep

When a high school kid leaves the nest and arrives on campus, all the rules change. No more parents to enforce a bedtime or curfew. No more teachers taking strict attendance. No more regulations that used to "keep them down". Replacing the structure that actually got them to where there are is pure, unadulterated freedom, and the first thing that suffers is sleep. Newbies pin their eyes open long into the night just because they can, never stopping to consider the impact it will have on their bodies. If students make a commitment to get sleep on most nights in a regular, sustainable pattern, they will avoid countless colds and sicknesses. The fatigue will otherwise wear them down, stifling their immune system and making them ultimately susceptible to an endless stream of nasty things.

Study Habits

For some reason, many high schoolers complain about structure and that all they want is freedom. So, what happens when that wish is granted? They have too much time, so much that they don't accomplish a thing. Structure forces discipline, but excessive freedom produces procrastination. College freshmen often find themselves hundreds of pages behind in reading with three papers due the next day. As a result, they get stressed and anxious, they skip out on sleep to pull the well-known all-nighter, and the cycle of unhealthy living starts again. Set aside specific times in the day to study. Do not return to the dorm room between classes-this will only make you not want to leave. Instead, go to the library and review. Make your day strictly academic; therefore, your nights can be more relaxing and social.

Diet

Buffet dinners will make a student head to the mall to buy larger pants and longer belts. Rather than sitting down to table dinners with family, where portions are controlled, college students pile their plates with everything. Pasta, meatloaf, eggs, chicken, pudding...the list is endless. Without a dietary discipline a student may very well roll himself home from the dining hall by December. If a student can eat in a healthy way with normal portions, he can stay balanced. Increased weight not only stresses the body, but it also slightly depresses a person, directly influencing attitudes and decision making.

Exercise

This is an absolute must. Activity each day will save a student from so much fatigue and illness. Healthy, active bodies become strong enough to fight off problems, and people who exercise daily feel better about themselves and about life in general. Much like studying, plan exercise each day. Find friends and meet to workout, as having partners keeps discipline and makes it fun. Electing not to exercise will seriously hinder life on so many levels. There really is no excuse here, as all colleges normally have considerably good intramural programs and fitness centers.

Hygiene and Cleanliness

Dorms can be nasty places, especially the common bathrooms and showers. First, try always wearing shower shoes or flip-flops whenever entering the bathroom. With thirty or more people sharing five toilets and three showers, germs will fly about with a quickness. Protect your feet all the time. Also, make it a habit to wash your hands and clean any cuts, covering them afterwards with a clean band-aid. Sounds simple but college kids tend to forget the basics sometimes. Buy a shower caddy and keep all your own toiletries in there, sharing none with any person. Change your towel often. Do laundry on a weekly basis; I know many friends who would simply turn their underwear inside out when they had reached their last pair...that is plain disgusting. Clean the room weekly to disallow the funk and clutter from multiplying. Open the windows and door to get in fresh air; ventilation in small dorm rooms is normally poor, so flush out that old stale air and replace it with some good stuff from the outside. If sexually active, get the required protection. STDs run wild on college campuses, so do not think it just happens to other people.

Overall, staying healthy really is not that hard. Be normal and human. Understand that abusing anything will have consequences. College is a wonderful time that should contain plenty of non-academic enjoyment; however, don't allow that "enjoyment" to alter your life. Make good decisions and life should work out just fine.