Managing Stress: Cheese = Sleep?

By Christina Noland

Stress is part of our everyday lives. From unexpected car trouble to family drama, stress always has a way to make itself known. While everyone has their own threshold, stress affects the entire body, mentally as well as physically.

Every college student should have a game plan ready for when the day doesn’t go their way. Here are some tips to consider the next time stress or anxiety rear its ugly head.

Take Naps

Stress affects your productivity as well as your sleep. Take some hints from your friendly neighborhood cat and nap to reset your day. Taking short naps to combat stress is a great way to keep yourself alert and even improve your memory!

Don’t take naps too often! Sleeping too much throughout the day will throw off your regular sleeping cycle. Trust me, I’ve done this plenty of times.

Eat Cheese?

So what happens when you laze around too much or are too overwhelmed or anxious to fall asleep? Not a problem. Just go eat some cheese about an hour before you want to sleep.

Most students will have some form of calcium on hand, whether that be in cheese, yogurt or milk. Calcium is a natural source of tryptophan that helps produce melatonin. Combining cheese with crackers as a late-night snack will work just as well.

For those of you who are lactose intolerant or hate the idea of dairy in general, you can take melatonin pills to help encourage falling asleep.

Pro Gamer Tip

Stay off your phones and electronics at least an hour before you go to bed. The longer you stare at your phone, the longer you trick your brain into thinking there’s still sunlight outside. Don’t sabotage yourself or your grades with YouTube in the middle of the night!

[Graphic by Christina Noland]