How to Sleep in College? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

sailor · 08-21-2004, 01:03 AM

Folks, Im having a bit of a problem here. I decided to move into my fraternity house for this year--I figured it would be nice to be near my friends, it would be a good time, its closer to campus than the dorms, and actually cheaper as well. But there's a bit of a problem--sleep.

Yeah, yeah, I can see it coming--duh! But seriously, its getting bad. I havent slept for more than 5 hours a night for the past three nights, and its starting to wear me down. The whole drunk-brothers-running-around-at-4AM thing (which is why I am posting this at 5AM when I have to be up at 9) is starting to wear on me.

I bought some earplugs and sleeping pills to try to help. Not working so much. The sleeping pills are nice, but I dont want to be taking them every night because Im afraid I then wont be able to get to sleep normally.

Ive decided that Monday Im going to go by the Dean of Students and the Housing Department and see if there is any possibility of getting on-campus housing this late. Classes start Tuesday, so I doubt it, but Im going to ask anyways. Im not sure yet that I definitely want to move out after being here for less than a week, but Im really concerned that my utter lack of sleep and the completely foul moods that puts me in will make me hate this place, which is something I definitely want to avoid. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Besides that, Id like to know my options.

Any suggestions on how to sleep? Should I just give up on it and try to find housing elsewhere? Start popping sleeping pills like candy (not good)? I suppose a big part of this post is just me venting at 5AM because Im grumpy and cant sleep, but Id really like to solve this problem.

Latch · 08-21-2004, 02:32 AM

It's still early.. everyone's settling in.. will it settle down a few weeks after classes start?

Otherwise, I'm not sure.. I had to just become a (very) heavy sleeper....

Chingal0 · 08-21-2004, 02:33 AM

Just get real drunk everynight, you'll pass out in no time! Or just toke up like 30 min's before bed, that does it for me! Or maybe just sleep earlier in the day, and hopefully you'll sleep thru their antics. I duno!

maleficent · 08-21-2004, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chingal0

Just get real drunk everynight, you'll pass out in no time! Or just toke up like 30 min's before bed, that does it for me! Or maybe just sleep earlier in the day, and hopefully you'll sleep thru their antics. I duno!

Truth be told, getting drunk and passing out, doesnt get you rested, it doesn't put you into a sleep cycle where your body recoverers what it needs to recover. Can't speak for the toking thing...

Talk to someone who lived in the house last year, and find out if your brothers actually do settle down. If it's always an animal house, then move back to campus housing if you can.

This may make me seem like aparty pooper, however, talk to the president of the house, or if you have regular meetings, bring it up then, about getting some quiet hours enforced. You surely can't be the only person who's being kept up all night.

If all that fails, maybe a white noise machine, or one of those machines that has the sound of waves, or a forest, to drown out the background noise.

eribrav · 08-21-2004, 05:22 AM

I lived in a pretty rowdy house myself back in college. The week before school started was always totally insane. It definitely quieted down after that. Things will probably improve over the next few weeks.

I would NOT go the sleeping pill route. Soon you'll be a guy who still can't sleep but also has a sleeping pill addiction to worry about.

Rlyss · 08-21-2004, 05:31 AM

My friend lived in a college for a few years, and I remember his ups and downs. At first he was thrilled at the awesome college life - constant parties, drugs, girls, everything - and then he became worried about his university work, and the lack of sleep and study time he was getting. He didn't have much choice about where he lived so he had to stick it out. And like some here have said, soon enough most people settled down and the partying was kept to a minimum. They all realized that they've got their own study to do, and after a week or two everyone was fairly content with how things went.

There were scheduled parties and impromptu parties, but mostly people settled down into a routine that was good for everyone. You're not the only one who needs sleep and study time, it's just that you seem to be the first to realize it.

sailor · 08-21-2004, 06:06 AM

Yeah, Im sure it'll calm down some, and Ive been told as much. Im just pretty grumpy from intense lack of sleep. Going on 30 hours here without so much as a wink...

TM875 · 08-21-2004, 06:25 AM

When I was in highschool, I worked overnight shifts. Sometimes I'd do 5pm-1:30am, go home and sleep until 6, get up and go to school. That summer (after I graduated), they gave me full-overnight, which was 10pm to 6:30am. Not only were the hours like this, but the work was pretty physical (I'm a baker, was making doughnuts...it doesn't sound tough, but trust me, you have to push yourself every second to go as fast as you can). Anyways, by the time that I got to school, I was very accustomed to sleeping for 5 or 6 hours a night. Actually, 6 hours of sleep was a luxury. That, combined with the real lack of physical exertion that comes from sitting in a classroom all day, left it feeling like I was visiting a Club Med resort.

I guess what I'm saying is in agreement with everyone else - give yourself time. Train yourself to live on 5 hours' sleep. Better yet, do what I did - stay up for 36 hours and then crash for 12. And people wondered how I got so much done in college...I just never slept.

canuckguy · 08-21-2004, 06:28 AM

I used a fan set to high, to drown out the background noise when I lived in the dorms. even if you don't want the fan pointed on you, you can turn it to face the wall..etc. Position it near your mellon so you get a constant almost white noise effect. Only down side is that it worked so well for me is that I now need a fan even after I left school! I know alot of people who sleep with them on.

Gabbyness · 08-21-2004, 06:38 AM

You will develop the ability to sleep anywhere, anytime. Trust me. Headphones, a fan, something to have "white noise" will help too. Exactly what Brian is talking about.

Gortexfogg · 08-21-2004, 07:01 AM

Last year my roommate would stay up almost three hours later than me. His light and all the little sounds kept me awake and he actually went to sleep faster than I could. However, ear plugs and a blindfold pretty much solved that problem. Of course, a years use of ear plugs every night does do a number on your ears... I hope you figure something out that works for you before classes start.

punx1325 · 08-21-2004, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian1975

I used a fan set to high, to drown out the background noise when I lived in the dorms. even if you don't want the fan pointed on you, you can turn it to face the wall..etc. Position it near your mellon so you get a constant almost white noise effect. Only down side is that it worked so well for me is that I now need a fan even after I left school! I know alot of people who sleep with them on.

Brian nailed it! The noise was the main reason why I didn't move into my fraternity house. But I have a big ass fan from the 70's, it sounds similar to an airplane engine, but filters out all the loud noise and gets me to sleep faster. That is how I survived in the dorms. I recommend going to Lowes or Home Depot, ask for a paint drying fan or something really loud, they will have what you are looking for.

World's King · 08-21-2004, 09:17 AM

Don't be a frat boy.

That's just my opinion.

Gustoferson · 08-21-2004, 10:05 AM

I've lived in a fraternity house for the past year as well, though I did live on the first floor, which contrary to initial imressions is the quiet floor since most live upstairs. My suggestion: music. Don't even bother with headphones if you don't have to, I personally can't sleep with those on. Just put a playlist up with a half-hour's worth of good background music and it should both drown out the other noise and help your mind drift to sleep as well. And you can crank it to whatever volume you need, after all, its not like you'll be disturbing the partiers by trying to sleep.

And yes, wait till things settle down some, you'll be fine.

jfranco13 · 08-21-2004, 04:36 PM

Definitely get yourself a white noise maker, and a lock for the door.

MSD · 08-21-2004, 06:02 PM

Power nap at lunch.

edit: and dinner

Dawson70 · 08-21-2004, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Original King

Don't be a frat boy.

That's just my opinion.

I agree.........Once l hit the real world, the fraternity didn't help me at all. It's nice to remember the good ol days looking back, but for everything else, was pretty much a waste of my time. Go back to the dorms and get a good education. Thats what will pull you through 30 years from now.

tman17m · 08-22-2004, 09:59 AM

i live right off campus at ohio state...
i have a big noisy box fan that i blast on high every night, and in the summer i turn my air conditioner on high
between those two things i now sleep through the night

try those...or try playing some relaxing music
any type of noise thats constant in volume will help, like a white noise machine

Glava · 08-22-2004, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSelfDestruct

Power nap at lunch.

edit: and dinner

Naps don't work, at least for me. Succumbing to sleep and then having to wake up half an hour later makes me even more sleepy than before.

rukkyg · 08-22-2004, 04:45 PM

My roommate freshman year sucked and he was always up all night playinst stupid computer games (they were actually stupid, not normal) or waiting till 3 am to do his homework.
Anyway, I got this program that made white noise (I forget what it was now) and kinda put my laptop near my head and tried to use headphones. It was rough. These days I just use loud fans. I always need a fan to sleep, always have. I didn't have one freshman year, so that sucked until I bought one (didn't until like March).

Oh, and since then I've been in a single or my girlfriend's single. This year I'll even have my own private bathroom with toilet and sink right off of my room (like a master bedroom) and my own shower upstairs. Also, my room is in a 4-way tie for the biggest room on campus that's still a single. It has more square footage than most freshman doubles.

MSD · 08-22-2004, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glava

Naps don't work, at least for me. Succumbing to sleep and then having to wake up half an hour later makes me even more sleepy than before.

obvious answer: sleep for only 15 minutes

Aletheia · 08-22-2004, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian1975

I used a fan set to high, to drown out the background noise when I lived in the dorms. even if you don't want the fan pointed on you, you can turn it to face the wall..etc. Position it near your mellon so you get a constant almost white noise effect. Only down side is that it worked so well for me is that I now need a fan even after I left school! I know alot of people who sleep with them on.

Same here. Just get a cheap 10 dollar box fan and set it to the highest setting.

DelayedReaction · 08-23-2004, 07:12 AM

I'd recommend going with the music route. When I can't sleep I usually turn on the classical channel at DI (http://www.digitally-imported.com), and that helps a lot. Fans and other background noises also help (my computer is pretty loud, so that works).

You could probably be put on a waiting list for housing; at least at UMD the list is pretty popular, but you might still have a chance. Off-campus apartments are also a possibility if you keep your eyes open.

Have you tried excercising? Finding time in your schedule to exert yourself through running or aerobics for an hour or so is not only physically beneficial, but also puts you to sleep better.

roachboy · 08-23-2004, 08:08 AM

sailor:
when i was an undergrad, i had a full load of classes and a fulltime job every semester--the only thing i took with me as a result of the ordeal was that i could fight everything except the cumulative effects of not getting enough sleep--so i had to become kind rigid about it.
given that the decision to live in a frathouse is already taken, then i would second what brian and delayed reaction said. drinking is not a good idea.

i dont know exactly where you are in the house, obviously, but can you get away with any minimal soundproofing? maybe hanging tapestry-type things on your walls? there must be other ways to do this--others mignt well know more about it than i do.

but if you find that after a semester nothing is working, i would move.

i would take this kinda seriously, because i also found that there came a point when despite my attempts to be sure to get enough sleep, i hit a wall of exhaustion anyway, and it took a couple months to recover from it. that duration may be particular to me, i dont know--but you do not want to find out for yourself if you can avoid it.

good luck....

Charlatan · 08-23-2004, 08:19 AM

Sleep in class.

quadro2000 · 08-23-2004, 09:32 AM

Did everybody just move in? You may want to talk to a friend who's lived there in previous years and find out if it calms down once everybody gets used to where they're situated.

I would recommend against trying to get the whole house to conform to quieting down; you're likely to get your ass kicked or, at the very least, people will be pissed at you. Never a good thing in a fraternity.

Good luck!

Xell101 · 08-23-2004, 09:45 AM

People say I sleep like a corpse, I just partially wake up and automatically determine whether I should regain conciousness, remain 1/5 awake, or sleep. I trained myself to do that to deal with traffic. Possible for you to command your sleep cycle whilst sleeping?

nothingx · 08-25-2004, 01:50 PM

Honestly, I would get out of there as soon as possible. I mean, sure things might quiet down, but I can guarantee it's going to be an issue for you as long as you're there. The worst thing to do, is nothing. Everytime it bothers you, you'll find yourself getting a little more angry, and that anger will keep you awake longer until you can't stand it any more. Also, I say leave now because when you're exams start, its going to be many times more annoying then is now. You simply cannot perform well when your body and mind are tired.

If you care about your grades and how you feel, I really suggest leaving.

08-21-2004, 01:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	How to Sleep in College? Folks, Im having a bit of a problem here. I decided to move into my fraternity house for this year--I figured it would be nice to be near my friends, it would be a good time, its closer to campus than the dorms, and actually cheaper as well. But there's a bit of a problem--sleep. Yeah, yeah, I can see it coming--duh! But seriously, its getting bad. I havent slept for more than 5 hours a night for the past three nights, and its starting to wear me down. The whole drunk-brothers-running-around-at-4AM thing (which is why I am posting this at 5AM when I have to be up at 9) is starting to wear on me. I bought some earplugs and sleeping pills to try to help. Not working so much. The sleeping pills are nice, but I dont want to be taking them every night because Im afraid I then wont be able to get to sleep normally. Ive decided that Monday Im going to go by the Dean of Students and the Housing Department and see if there is any possibility of getting on-campus housing this late. Classes start Tuesday, so I doubt it, but Im going to ask anyways. Im not sure yet that I definitely want to move out after being here for less than a week, but Im really concerned that my utter lack of sleep and the completely foul moods that puts me in will make me hate this place, which is something I definitely want to avoid. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Besides that, Id like to know my options. Any suggestions on how to sleep? Should I just give up on it and try to find housing elsewhere? Start popping sleeping pills like candy (not good)? I suppose a big part of this post is just me venting at 5AM because Im grumpy and cant sleep, but Id really like to solve this problem. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

08-21-2004, 02:33 AM	#3 (permalink)
Chingal0 Something like that.. Location: Oreygun.	Just get real drunk everynight, you'll pass out in no time! Or just toke up like 30 min's before bed, that does it for me! Or maybe just sleep earlier in the day, and hopefully you'll sleep thru their antics. I duno! __________________ "Eventually I became too sexy for my gym membership fee."

08-21-2004, 06:06 AM	#7 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Yeah, Im sure it'll calm down some, and Ive been told as much. Im just pretty grumpy from intense lack of sleep. Going on 30 hours here without so much as a wink... __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

08-21-2004, 06:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
TM875 Addict Location: Amish-land, PA	When I was in highschool, I worked overnight shifts. Sometimes I'd do 5pm-1:30am, go home and sleep until 6, get up and go to school. That summer (after I graduated), they gave me full-overnight, which was 10pm to 6:30am. Not only were the hours like this, but the work was pretty physical (I'm a baker, was making doughnuts...it doesn't sound tough, but trust me, you have to push yourself every second to go as fast as you can). Anyways, by the time that I got to school, I was very accustomed to sleeping for 5 or 6 hours a night. Actually, 6 hours of sleep was a luxury. That, combined with the real lack of physical exertion that comes from sitting in a classroom all day, left it feeling like I was visiting a Club Med resort. I guess what I'm saying is in agreement with everyone else - give yourself time. Train yourself to live on 5 hours' sleep. Better yet, do what I did - stay up for 36 hours and then crash for 12. And people wondered how I got so much done in college...I just never slept. __________________ "I've made only one mistake in my life. But I made it over and over and over. That was saying 'yes' when I meant 'no'. Forgive me."

08-21-2004, 09:17 AM	#13 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	Don't be a frat boy. That's just my opinion. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

08-21-2004, 02:32 AM	#2 (permalink)
Latch In Your Dreams Location: City of Lights	It's still early.. everyone's settling in.. will it settle down a few weeks after classes start? Otherwise, I'm not sure.. I had to just become a (very) heavy sleeper....

08-21-2004, 05:22 AM	#5 (permalink)
eribrav Junkie Location: upstate NY	I lived in a pretty rowdy house myself back in college. The week before school started was always totally insane. It definitely quieted down after that. Things will probably improve over the next few weeks. I would NOT go the sleeping pill route. Soon you'll be a guy who still can't sleep but also has a sleeping pill addiction to worry about.

08-21-2004, 05:31 AM	#6 (permalink)
Rlyss The Pusher Location: Edinburgh	My friend lived in a college for a few years, and I remember his ups and downs. At first he was thrilled at the awesome college life - constant parties, drugs, girls, everything - and then he became worried about his university work, and the lack of sleep and study time he was getting. He didn't have much choice about where he lived so he had to stick it out. And like some here have said, soon enough most people settled down and the partying was kept to a minimum. They all realized that they've got their own study to do, and after a week or two everyone was fairly content with how things went. There were scheduled parties and impromptu parties, but mostly people settled down into a routine that was good for everyone. You're not the only one who needs sleep and study time, it's just that you seem to be the first to realize it.

08-21-2004, 06:28 AM	#9 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	I used a fan set to high, to drown out the background noise when I lived in the dorms. even if you don't want the fan pointed on you, you can turn it to face the wall..etc. Position it near your mellon so you get a constant almost white noise effect. Only down side is that it worked so well for me is that I now need a fan even after I left school! I know alot of people who sleep with them on.

08-21-2004, 06:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
Gabbyness Chicken scratch. Location: Japan!!!	You will develop the ability to sleep anywhere, anytime. Trust me. Headphones, a fan, something to have "white noise" will help too. Exactly what Brian is talking about.

08-21-2004, 07:01 AM	#11 (permalink)
Gortexfogg I and I Location: Stillwater, OK	Last year my roommate would stay up almost three hours later than me. His light and all the little sounds kept me awake and he actually went to sleep faster than I could. However, ear plugs and a blindfold pretty much solved that problem. Of course, a years use of ear plugs every night does do a number on your ears... I hope you figure something out that works for you before classes start.

08-21-2004, 10:05 AM	#14 (permalink)
Gustoferson Crazy Location: Chapel Hill, NC	I've lived in a fraternity house for the past year as well, though I did live on the first floor, which contrary to initial imressions is the quiet floor since most live upstairs. My suggestion: music. Don't even bother with headphones if you don't have to, I personally can't sleep with those on. Just put a playlist up with a half-hour's worth of good background music and it should both drown out the other noise and help your mind drift to sleep as well. And you can crank it to whatever volume you need, after all, its not like you'll be disturbing the partiers by trying to sleep. And yes, wait till things settle down some, you'll be fine. __________________ ...And then I found $5!

08-21-2004, 04:36 PM	#15 (permalink)
jfranco13 Crazy Location: Pittsburgh, PA	Definitely get yourself a white noise maker, and a lock for the door. __________________ We may lose, and we may win, but we will never be here again.

08-21-2004, 06:02 PM	#16 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	Power nap at lunch. edit: and dinner

08-22-2004, 09:59 AM	#18 (permalink)
tman17m Psycho Location: my cubicle	i live right off campus at ohio state... i have a big noisy box fan that i blast on high every night, and in the summer i turn my air conditioner on high between those two things i now sleep through the night try those...or try playing some relaxing music any type of noise thats constant in volume will help, like a white noise machine

08-22-2004, 04:45 PM	#20 (permalink)
rukkyg Loser Location: RPI, Troy, NY	My roommate freshman year sucked and he was always up all night playinst stupid computer games (they were actually stupid, not normal) or waiting till 3 am to do his homework. Anyway, I got this program that made white noise (I forget what it was now) and kinda put my laptop near my head and tried to use headphones. It was rough. These days I just use loud fans. I always need a fan to sleep, always have. I didn't have one freshman year, so that sucked until I bought one (didn't until like March). Oh, and since then I've been in a single or my girlfriend's single. This year I'll even have my own private bathroom with toilet and sink right off of my room (like a master bedroom) and my own shower upstairs. Also, my room is in a 4-way tie for the biggest room on campus that's still a single. It has more square footage than most freshman doubles.

08-23-2004, 07:12 AM	#23 (permalink)
DelayedReaction BFG Builder Location: University of Maryland	I'd recommend going with the music route. When I can't sleep I usually turn on the classical channel at DI (http://www.digitally-imported.com), and that helps a lot. Fans and other background noises also help (my computer is pretty loud, so that works). You could probably be put on a waiting list for housing; at least at UMD the list is pretty popular, but you might still have a chance. Off-campus apartments are also a possibility if you keep your eyes open. Have you tried excercising? Finding time in your schedule to exert yourself through running or aerobics for an hour or so is not only physically beneficial, but also puts you to sleep better. __________________ If ignorance is bliss, you must be having an orgasm.

08-23-2004, 08:08 AM	#24 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	sailor: when i was an undergrad, i had a full load of classes and a fulltime job every semester--the only thing i took with me as a result of the ordeal was that i could fight everything except the cumulative effects of not getting enough sleep--so i had to become kind rigid about it. given that the decision to live in a frathouse is already taken, then i would second what brian and delayed reaction said. drinking is not a good idea. i dont know exactly where you are in the house, obviously, but can you get away with any minimal soundproofing? maybe hanging tapestry-type things on your walls? there must be other ways to do this--others mignt well know more about it than i do. but if you find that after a semester nothing is working, i would move. i would take this kinda seriously, because i also found that there came a point when despite my attempts to be sure to get enough sleep, i hit a wall of exhaustion anyway, and it took a couple months to recover from it. that duration may be particular to me, i dont know--but you do not want to find out for yourself if you can avoid it. good luck.... __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite

08-23-2004, 08:19 AM	#25 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	Sleep in class. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

08-23-2004, 09:32 AM	#26 (permalink)
quadro2000 All Possibility, Made Of Custard Location: New York, NY	Did everybody just move in? You may want to talk to a friend who's lived there in previous years and find out if it calms down once everybody gets used to where they're situated. I would recommend against trying to get the whole house to conform to quieting down; you're likely to get your ass kicked or, at the very least, people will be pissed at you. Never a good thing in a fraternity. Good luck! __________________ You have to laugh at yourself...because you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't. - Emily Saliers

08-23-2004, 09:45 AM	#27 (permalink)
Xell101 Junkie	People say I sleep like a corpse, I just partially wake up and automatically determine whether I should regain conciousness, remain 1/5 awake, or sleep. I trained myself to do that to deal with traffic. Possible for you to command your sleep cycle whilst sleeping?

08-25-2004, 01:50 PM	#28 (permalink)
nothingx undead Location: nihilistic freedom	Honestly, I would get out of there as soon as possible. I mean, sure things might quiet down, but I can guarantee it's going to be an issue for you as long as you're there. The worst thing to do, is nothing. Everytime it bothers you, you'll find yourself getting a little more angry, and that anger will keep you awake longer until you can't stand it any more. Also, I say leave now because when you're exams start, its going to be many times more annoying then is now. You simply cannot perform well when your body and mind are tired. If you care about your grades and how you feel, I really suggest leaving.