Many college students are not getting enough sleep. The Huffington Post has been touring the country with a message that focuses on why sleep is so important to our health. The #SleepRevolution College Tour is making a difference!
In my capacity as a Campus Editor-at-Large for The Huffington Post, and in collaboration with the University of Oregon Student Mental Health Advocates and Social Media Club, I held Sleep Revolution meetings on campus during the first week of spring term.
We had a great discussion with members of both groups on the power of sleep. We unanimously agreed that college students are terribly sleep-deprived, and that aspect of the college experience should change.
I started the event by sharing my experience with sleep. I used to be a proud member of #TeamNoSleep. I have since learned the hard way, that I can't just "sleep when I'm dead."
As a part of the Sleep Revolution challenge, I asked members to share a time when they felt last recharged. One graduating senior said that had not happened since his first day of college...four years ago! Yes, you read that right.
The next part of the challenge required sharing what we do first thing in the morning to wake up, and the last thing we do before we sleep. To get a better night's sleep, Madison, a student member of University of Oregon's Social Media Club, reads right before she retires to bed. This helps her calm her mind. Kevin, the president of UO SMC says that his bed is a device-free zone. On average he sleeps for seven hours each night.
Attendees of the Sleep Revolution event received sleep kits courtesy of the The Huffington Post, and their incredible sponsors. Fifteen lucky participants walked away with a kit full of giveaways: Soxxy socks, KIND bars, Sleep Number eye masks, Victoria's Secret essential oils, Lands' End pajama set, Marpac's Rohm portable sound machine, Marriott portable speakers, Arianna's book with a corresponding Kikki K sleep journal, and more.
The Sleep Revolution has sparked an important conversation on University of Oregon's campus.
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.