Health and wellness are essential for everyone—college students especially. Not only will you perform better academically when your health is good, but you will be happier as a person. The habits you develop now will likely persist for years to come, which means that you must establish healthy habits and stick to them. That means that what you are doing now in terms of personal health will have a huge influence on your health throughout life and can help you avoid many serious diseases.

Considerable research has demonstrated that the basic elements of holistic health—nutrition, exercise, getting plenty of sleep, not abusing substances, and stress reduction—are important for preventing disease. Of all the basic elements of holistic health, sleep is one of, if not the most, important pieces to the puzzle. According to Dr. Merrill Mitler, a sleep expert and neuroscientist at the National Institute of Health (NIH), “Sleep services all aspects of our body in one way or another: molecular, energy balance, as well as intellectual function, alertness, and mood.” When you are tired, you cannot function at your best. Sleep helps you think more clearly, have quicker reflexes, and focus better. “The fact is, when we look at well-rested people, they are operating at a different level than people trying to get by on one or two hours less nightly sleep,” says Mitler. We will continue the discussion of sleep later in this chapter.

You increase your chances of living longer and happier than someone without healthy habits. Here are a few of the health problems whose risks can be lowered by healthful habits:

• Cardiovascular issues such as heart attacks and strokes (the number one and three causes of death)
• Some cancers
• Diabetes (currently reaching epidemic proportions)
• Lung diseases related to smoking
• Injuries related to substance abuse

Wellness is more than just avoiding disease. Holistic wellness involves feeling good in every respect, in mind and spirit as well as in body. Good health habits also offer these benefits for your college career:

• More energy
• Better ability to focus on your studies
• Less stress, feeling more resilient, and able to handle day-to-day stress
• Less time lost to colds, flu, infections, and other illnesses
• More restful sleep

This chapter reviews a wide range of topics, from nutrition, exercise, and sleep to substance abuse and risks related to sexual activity. All of these involve personal attitudes and behaviors, and they are all linked together to one of the biggest problems students face: stress. We will discuss stress in greater detail in this chapter. At the end of this chapter, you will find the phone numbers and links to websites for the various resources that AUM has that can help you address wellness.

Everyone knows about stress, but not everyone knows how to control it. Stress can be one of the great enemies of college success. Once you have learned how to reduce it where you can and cope with unavoidable stress, you will be well on the road to becoming the best student you can be.

One of the best ways to help work through a stressful situation is to pause and go do something physically active, and we have just the place for that here at AUM. Have you checked out our amazing Wellness Center yet (Click here.)? All students have access to the Wellness Center as a part of their tuition and fees. Simply fill out the waiver form, swipe your Warhawk ID Card at the front desk, and start exploring. You can swim in the indoor pool, climb the rock wall, attend group fitness classes, or play badminton, among many options.

Sleep

Like good nutrition and exercise, adequate sleep is crucial for wellness and success. Sleep is particularly important for you because you’re facing many pressures: taking classes, studying, maintaining a social life, working, and perhaps even caring for or raising family members. Most college students have difficulty getting enough sleep. Yet it is critical for concentrating well.

On the positive side, a healthy amount of sleep has the following benefits:

• Improves your mood during the day
• Improves your memory and learning abilities
• Gives you more energy
• Strengthens your immune system
• Promotes wellness of body, mind, and spirit

In contrast, not getting enough sleep over time can lead to a wide range of health issues and student problems. Sleep deprivation can have the following consequences:

• Affects mental health and contributes to stress and feelings of anxiety, depression, and general unhappiness
• Causes sleepiness, difficulty paying attention in class, and ineffective studying
• Weakens the immune system, making it more likely to catch colds and other infections
• Increases the risk of accidents (such as while driving)
• Contributes to weight gain

How Much Sleep Is Enough?

College students are the most sleep-deprived population group in the country. With so much to do, who has time for sleep? Most people need seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and the average is around eight. Some say they need much less than that, but often their behavior during the day suggests that they are sleep-deprived. Some genuinely need only about six hours a night. New research indicates there may be a “sleep gene” that determines how much sleep a person needs. So how much sleep do you need?

There is no simple answer, in part because the quality of sleep is just as important as the quantity of sleep a person gets each night. Do you usually feel rested and alert all day long? Do you rise from bed easily in the morning without struggling with the alarm clock? Are you able to remain engaged and attentive during your classes? Are you able to make it through the day without the constant need to drink more coffee or caffeine-heavy “power drinks?” Are you able to get through work without feeling exhausted? If you answered yes to all of these, you likely are in that ten percent to fifteen percent of college students who consistently get enough sleep.

If you frequently cannot get to sleep or are often awake for a long time during the night, you may be suffering from insomnia, a medical condition. Resist the temptation to try over-the-counter sleep aids. If you have tried the tips listed here and still cannot sleep, talk with your healthcare provider or visit Warhawk Health Services in Moore Hall. Many remedies are available for those with a true sleep problem.

Nutrition

A diet is anything that you consume regularly. If you drink Diet Coke for breakfast every day, that’s part of your diet. When people talk about “going on a diet,” they usually mean changing their existing dietary habits to lose weight or change their body shape. All people are on a diet because everyone eats. Having a healthy diet means making food choices that contribute to short- and long-term health. It means ensuring that you are eating foods that are rich in vital nutrients, rather than defaulting to junk foods so that your whole body can operate at peak efficiency. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future.

Developing healthy eating habits does not require signing up for a gimmicky health-food diet or lifestyle. The simplest way to create a healthy eating style is by learning to make wise food choices that you can enjoy and be consistent with, one step at a time. Click here for more information about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ChooseMyPlate guidelines.

Healthy Eating in College

College offers many temptations for students trying to create or maintain healthy eating habits. You may be on your own for the first time, and you’re free to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. Cafeterias, all-you-can-eat dining facilities, vending machines, and easy access to food twenty-four hours a day make it tempting to overeat or choose foods loaded with calories, saturated fat, sugar, and salt. You may not be in the habit of shopping or cooking for yourself yet; so when you find yourself short on time or money, it may seem easier to fuel yourself on sugary, caffeinated drinks and meals at the nearest fast-food place. Maybe you played basketball or volleyball in high school and are used to burning a large number of calories daily, but now you do not seem to be getting much exercise. It is common for people to overeat (or not eat enough) when they feel anxious, lonely, sad, stressed, or bored, and college students are no exception. It is essential, though, to develop healthy ways of coping and relaxing that do not involve reaching for food, drink, or other substances. Finally, healthy eating habits are crucial to maintain appropriate energy levels for your daily activities. Just like your car needs gasoline to get you from point A to point B, your brain and body need fuel (i.e., energy from food) to perform the tasks that you will encounter throughout your day.

Stress

We all live with occasional stress. Since college students often feel even more stress than most people, it is important to understand it and learn ways to deal with it so that it does not disrupt your life.

Stress is a natural response of the body and mind to a challenge. The thing that causes stress, called a stressor, captures our attention and causes a physical and emotional reaction. For example, stressors include physical threats, such as a car we suddenly see coming at us too fast, and the stress reaction likely includes jumping out of the way—with our heart beating fast and other physical changes. Most of our stressors are not physical threats but situations or events like an upcoming test or an emotional breakup. Stressors also include long-lasting emotional and mental concerns such as worries about money, finding a job, or family-related issues.

What Causes Stress?

Not all stressors are bad things. Exciting, positive things also cause a type of stress, called eustress. Falling in love, getting an unexpected sum of money, acing an exam you had worried about—all of these are positive things that affect the body and mind in ways similar to negative stress: you cannot help thinking about it, you may lose your appetite and lie awake at night, and your routine life may be momentarily disrupted.

The kind of stress that causes the most troubling results from negative stressors (i.e., distress). Life events that usually cause significant stress include the following:

• Serious illness or injury
• Serious illness, injury, or death of a family member or loved one
• Losing a job or a sudden financial catastrophe
• Unexpected pregnancy
• Divorce or the ending of a long-term relationship (including parents’ divorce)
• Being arrested or convicted of a crime
• Being put on academic probation or suspended

Life events like these usually cause a lot of stress that may begin suddenly and disrupt one’s life in many ways. Fortunately, these stressors do not occur every day and eventually end—though they can be very severe and disruptive when experienced. Some major life stresses, such as having a parent or family member with a serious illness, can last a long time and may require professional help to cope with them.

How many stressors can you identify? There is no magic number of stressors that an “average” or “normal” college student experiences—because everyone is unique. In addition, stressors come and go: the stress caused by a midterm exam tomorrow morning may be gone by noon, replaced by feeling good about how you did.

Seek Out Available Resources

If stress is seriously affecting your studies or your daily life regardless of how you try to reduce it, you may need to seek out some guidance. For example, when we have plumbing issues in our home, we call a plumber. When a piano is out of tune, we call someone who is specially trained so they can help restore the instrument’s ability to create beautiful melodies. When we encounter stress or other feelings and emotions that we are not fully able to address, we call on counselors and healthcare professionals, who are specially trained to walk alongside us through whatever we are facing. AUM students have access to free support from wonderful counselors through AUM’s Counseling & Health Promotion Services (Click here.)

Emotional Health & Well-Being

Your emotional health is just as important as your physical health – and maybe more so. It can have as significant of an impact on your success and holistic health as any other number of factors. If your emotional health is not strong, you will feel more stress, and your holistic health will suffer.

Truthfully, we will experience both happiness and unhappiness throughout our lifetime. Life is constantly changing, and our emotions change with it. Sometimes we experience more negative emotions than might be “normal” for us, and our emotional health may suffer.

Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common emotions that college students experience, often as a result of the demands of college, work, and family and friends. It is difficult to juggle everything, and you may end up feeling as though you are not in control and possibly even stressed or anxious.

Anxiety typically results from stress. Some anxiety is often a good thing if it leads to studying for a test, focusing on a problem that needs to be resolved, better management of your time or money, and so on. If anxiety begins to disrupt your focus and makes you freeze up rather than take action, then it may become problematic. Anxiety is easier to deal with when you know its cause. That will allow you to take steps to gain control over the part of your life causing the anxiety. Using stress-reduction techniques often helps reduce anxiety to a manageable level.

If you feel your anxiety is affecting your day-to-day life, visit AUM’s Counseling & Health Promotion Services office in the Taylor Center. CHPS is fully prepared and trained to handle a wide array of mental health challenges, including anxiety.

Loneliness

Loneliness is a normal feeling that results from people not feeling connected with others. College students away from home for the first time are likely to feel lonely at first. Older students may also feel lonely if they no longer see their friends or are no longer around other individuals with whom they have shared life experiences. One person may only need one friend to not feel lonely; others need to feel more connected with a group. There is no pattern for feeling lonely.

If you are continuing to feel lonely, there are many things you can do to meet others and feel connected. While putting yourself out there socially can cause some social anxiety, you will start making new friends through multiple venues, such as going to classes, working, studying, and living in the community.

Here are some active steps to becoming more connected:

• Realize that you do not have to be in the same physical space with friends to stay connected. Many students use social media sites/apps to stay connected with friends at other colleges or in other locations. Phone calls, text messages, and email work for many.
• Understand that you are not the only one who feels lonely from time to time. Many others like you are just waiting for the opportunity to connect, and you will meet them and form new friendships once you start reaching out.
• Become involved in campus organizations. AUM has a wide variety of clubs and organizations for students with different interests. If you are not interested in joining a club or organization, you can connect with students in your classes and form study groups or work on group projects together.
• Remember, loneliness is a temporary feeling; it is only a matter of time until you make new friends and develop a new sense of belonging in a new place.
• Reach out to your classmates and instructors outside of class. Form study groups to help reinforce the information you are learning in class. Visit with your instructor during their office hours so they can help you develop a deeper understanding of the class content. Work with a tutor in the Learning Center or Instructional Support Lab or visit with your peer mentor.

If your loneliness persists and you seem unable to make new friends, always remember that you can visit AUM’s Counseling & Health Promotion Services in Taylor Center. They are there to help you. Your UNIV instructor can help connect you with organizations, offices, departments, or other resources at AUM that will help you develop the sense of belonging that is so important to your success. We want you to make connections here at AUM so that you will truly enjoy your time in Warhawk Nation.

Depression

Depression, like anxiety and loneliness, is commonly experienced by college students. It may be a mild sadness resulting from specific circumstances or could be intense feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Many people feel depressed at times because of common situations:

• Feeling overwhelmed by pressures to study, work, and meet other obligations.
• Not having enough time or money to do the things you want to do.
• Experiencing problems in a relationship, friendship, or work situation.
• Feeling that your new life as a student lacks some of the positive dimensions of your life back home.
• Not having enough excitement in your life.

Depression, like stress, can lead to unhealthy consequences such as poor sleep, overeating or loss of appetite, substance abuse, relationship problems, or withdrawal from activities that formerly brought you joy. For most people, depression is a temporary state. Severe depression, however, can have crippling effects. Remember that there are many offices, departments, and people here at AUM who you can reach out to when you experience it.

Optional Activity #1

Whether you are incredibly introverted, extremely extroverted, or somewhere in between, we are all meant to live and work in a community. Consider signing up for Mentor Collective as a way to connect with an upperclassman who wants to help you be successful in Warhawk Nation. Click this link to learn more: Click Here.

Sexual Health

Sexuality is a normal, natural human drive. As an adult, your sexuality is your own business. Like many dimensions of health, however, your sexual health depends on understanding many factors involving sexuality and your values. Your choices and behavior may have consequences. Learning about sexuality and thinking through your actions will help you make responsible decisions.

Sexual Values & Decisions

It is often difficult to talk about sexuality and sex. Not only is it a very private matter for most people, but the words themselves are often used loosely, resulting in misunderstandings. Surveys have shown, for example, that about three-fourths of college students say they are “sexually active” – but survey questions rarely specify exactly what that phrase means. To begin the conversation, we should define some terms.

Human sexuality is a general term for how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. Since all people are sexual beings, everyone has a dimension of human sexuality regardless of their behavior, including individuals who practice complete abstinence from sexual behavior or identify as asexual. Sexuality involves gender identity, or how we see ourselves in terms of maleness or femaleness, as well as sexual orientation, which refers to the gender qualities of those to whom we are attracted. With the focus in this chapter on personal health, sexual activity refers to any behavior that carries a risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

College students must know the importance of protection against STIs and unexpected pregnancy. So why then do these problems occur so often? Part of the answer is that we do not always do the right thing even when we know what that right thing is – especially in the heat of the moment, or when alcohol or other substances are involved. Thousands of college students a year engage in unprotected sexual activity after drinking, and more than 100,000 report having been too intoxicated to know if they had consented to the sexual activity. To be clear, definitions outlined in Alabama Consent Laws (Click here.) state that a person who is “mentally incapacitated” as a result of the influence of a controlled or intoxicating substance constitutes a legal lack of consent . . . that is, an individual who is drunk or high cannot give consent (Click here to learn more).

Sexual Assault & Date Rape

Sexual assault is any form of sexual contact without voluntary consent. The U.S. Department of Justice defines rape as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” Sexual assault is a serious problem in America generally and among college students in particular:

• About a third of all dating relationships involve some physical violence.
• One in six women and one in ten men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes.
• About a fourth of sexual assault victims are in the typical age range of eighteen to twenty-four years old.
• As many as one in four women are victims of rape while attending college.
• In more than three-fourths of rape cases, the victim knows the perpetrator.

Sexual assault is so common in our society in part because many people believe in myths about certain kinds of male-female interaction. Common myths include “it is not really rape if they were flirting first,” “it’s not rape if the individual doesn’t fight back,” “it is not rape unless the person is seriously injured,” or “it’s not rape if they don’t say no.” None of these statements are legally correct. Another myth or source of confusion is the idea that “saying no is just playing hard to get, not really no.” While some perpetrators may be unaware that their actions are legally defined as rape, other perpetrators commit these acts intentionally, sometimes using alcohol or drugs like the “date rape drug” to gain control of a victim.”

College and university administrators are constantly working to promote better awareness of sexual assault and to help students learn how to protect themselves, but they cannot prevent things that happen at parties and behind closed doors. Students must understand how to protect themselves.

If you have been sexually assaulted or raped, the first and most crucial thing to know is that it is NOT your fault. It is always important to talk to someone. Call a rape crisis center, Warhawk Health Services, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) for a confidential conversation. You can also call the AUM Police Department at 334-244-3424 at any time. Even if you do not report the assault to law enforcement, it is important to talk through your feelings and seek help if needed to prevent an emotional crisis.

Substance Use & Abuse

When people talk about substances, they often mean drugs but alcohol and nicotine are also drugs and are considered substances.

Substances – any kind of drug – have effects on the body and mind. People use these substances for their effects, but many have negative effects including being physically and/or psychologically addictive. What is important with any substance is to be aware of its effects on your health and on your life as a student, and to make smart choices. The use of any substance to the extent that it has negative effects is generally considered abuse.

Smoking

Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to one’s health. Smoking causes cancer and lung and heart disease. Most adult smokers continue smoking not because they believe it will not harm them, but because it is very difficult to stop. If you or anyone you know is struggling with an addiction to smoking, click on this link for a valuable resource: http://www.smokefree.gov/. AUM is a smoke-free campus.

Alcohol

Of all the issues that can affect a student’s health and success in college, drinking causes more problems than anything else. Everyone knows what happens when you drink too much. Your judgment is impaired, and you may behave in risky ways. Your health may be affected. Your college studies are likely to be affected. Most college students report drinking at least some alcohol at some time – and even those who do not drink are often affected by others who do. Here are a few facts about alcohol use among college students from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:

• Death: Each year, 1,700 college students between the ages of 18-24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, and 599,000 students are injured.
• Assault: More than 696,000 students (both male and female) between the ages of 18-24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
• Sexual abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18-24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
• Academic problems: About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking, including but not limited to missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.
• Health problems: More than 150,000 students develop alcohol-related health problems.
• Alcohol abuse and dependence: In the past 12 months, 31% of college students met the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6% for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.

There are several myths about alcohol that students should be aware of:

• Myth #1 – “I can drink and still be in control.”
• Fact – Drinking impairs your judgment, including your ability to assess whether you are in control and so increases the likelihood that you will do something that you will later regret. 
• Myth #2 – “Drinking is not all that dangerous.”
• Fact – One in three 18-24-year-olds admitted to emergency rooms for serious injuries is intoxicated. Alcohol is also associated with homicides, suicides, and drownings. 
• Myth #3 – “I can sober up quickly if I have to.”
• Fact – It takes about three hours to eliminate the alcohol content of two drinks, depending on your weight. Nothing can speed up this process – not even coffee or cold showers. 
• Myth #4 – “I can manage to drive well enough after a few drinks.”
• Fact – About one-half of all fatal traffic accidents among 18-24-year-olds involve alcohol. If you are under 21, driving after drinking is illegal and you could lose your license. Remember that alcohol impairs your judgment about your ability to drive. 
• Myth #5 – “Beer does not have as much alcohol as hard liquor.
• Fact – One 12-ounce bottle of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a standard shot of 80-proof liquor (either straight or in a mixed drink) or five ounces of wine.

Warhawk Wisdom:

One of the realities in our lives is that we live with stress and challenges. As we realize our autonomy to become the person we are meant to become, we must face each challenge and stressful situation as a chance to grow and persevere.

Conclusion

Your holistic wellness is one of the most precious resources you have been charged with caring for, and here at AUM, you do not have to manage those resources alone. AUM is committed to providing services for its students, faculty, and staff that will help them live healthy, successful, and more fulfilling lives. If you have any questions about the various resources that are available to you, check out Chapter 15: AUM Resources. Do you want to develop an exercise and workout routine that you will both enjoy and benefit from? AUM’s Wellness Center can help with that! Do you want to find an on-campus job to help bring in some income so you will not have to stress as much about money? AUM’s Career Development Center can help with that! Do you want to make sure that your body is in peak physical shape? AUM’s Warhawk Health Services can help with that! Do you want to make sure your mind is as sound as your body is? AUM’s Counseling & Health Promotion Services office can help with that! At AUM, we are here to help you be successful, and that includes your health and wellness.

Journal:

1. Who am I?
   • How do I currently practice self-care?
   • What am I doing now to promote my physical health and wellness?
   • What and I doing now to promote my mental and emotional health and wellness?
2. Who do I want to be?
   • What SMART goal(s) can I develop to live a healthy life?
   • What resources (campus and community) can help me achieve my SMART goal(s)?
3. Who am I becoming?
   • As I think about my future career and life goals, what specific aspects of health and wellness do I need to focus on?