COLUMN: I sleep when I can
As a college student, sleep is hard to come by.
What used to be a routine activity in my daily life has now become a luxury.
Having endless assignments, papers, deadlines and events on my calendar, it becomes hard to pencil in a little R&R.
After drinking a pot of coffee to push through my final homework assignments, I usually crawl into bed around 3 a.m., just in time to enjoy the latest infomercial scams as my eyes glaze over.
Going to bed this late and waking up after a brief moment of slumber is starting to make me feel a lot older than someone who is approaching her 20s.
Growing up, I always thought how weird it was that my dad could fall asleep seconds after laying down in his La-Z-Boy chair after work. But now I mimic that exact routine whenever I lay down on anything, especially a La-Z-Boy.
Since I hardly have time to sleep when it’s considered normal to, I try to find time randomly throughout my day to catch a few z’s.
I always hated those kids who slept in class. Now I am sometimes one of them.
Turning off the lights in class to show a film is like a cue for my body to pass out. As I woke up to the "The Lion King" playing in my three-hour night class a few weeks ago, my dream turned into me walking to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Although it really was just the lights being turned on by my teacher in the auditorium.
But don’t think I am a slacking student. Of course I always make sure to flip on my audio recorder, used primarily for Central Michigan Life interviews, to capture my professors’ lectures.
Sticking to my exercise routine has also become a struggle. What was going to be an abs session last week turned into me passed out on my bedroom floor for 15 minutes before I came up for a crunch.
My dentist appointment on spring break didn’t go much better. Apparently the reclined dentist chair resembled that of a recliner to my sleepy head. I guess it’s good that I fell asleep before the doctor came in and not while he was actually cleaning my teeth. Either way, it wasn’t the best place to wake up.
While many people are counting down the days to summer tans and vacations, z's are the only things I am looking forward to counting this summer.
