BetterU

App of the month

Donate a Photo by Johnson & Johnson

+ Find out why we love it

	Ask the doc Dr. Davis Smith is an internist practicing in Connecticut and at Trinity College in Hartford. He specializes in the care of adolescents and GLBTQ patients.

“How [do you] recover from several nights of insomnia [in a row]?”
—Hydra B., Portland State University, Oregon

Sleep problems are common for students and can have a huge impact on your ability to learn. They influence your mood, weight, and athletic performance—virtually every part of your life. 

Let’s define our terms. “Insomnia” refers to the inability to fall asleep despite our efforts to do so. A more common scenario for students would be staying up or sleeping very limited hours several nights in a row to study for finals or complete end-of-term assignments. 

A few nights in a row of very limited hours of good-quality sleep can be disabling. I’ve seen students effectively psychotic under such circumstances. What’s curious is that in some people, even though they are completely exhausted and know it, they seem to have fallen out of the habit of sleeping and have trouble getting back into the rhythm of regular sleep.

What to do? As a first step, try the following:

• Try to get up and go to bed around the same time every day; don’t let your timing shift by more than an hour on weekends.
• Exercise regularly: If you find that being active in the evenings keeps you awake at night, try it earlier in the day.
• Pay attention to your nutrition: Eat regular meals throughout the day.
• Avoid caffeine after 3 p.m.
• Make sure your bedroom is comfortable, cool, and dark.
• Limit your screen exposure (including cell phones, tablets, laptops, TV, video games, etc.) for the last hour before bed (preferably, two hours).
• Prepare yourself mentally for sleep: Remind yourself that you’ve done what you can for today and now your task is to sleep.
• Do some pleasure reading or listen to soothing music. I like to read mysteries when I’m having trouble sleeping well. I can concentrate on trying to solve the mystery rather than getting worked up about the real concerns of my daily life—all of which will be more easily managed after a good night’s sleep.

What about medication for sleep?
Sleeping pills, such as Ambien and Lunesta, may put you to sleep a little sooner but they don’t respect your sleep system. “They suppress REM sleep and also affect memory consolidation. I might give them to a student in crisis, but cognitive-behavior therapy has a 70–80 percent success rate for helping those who suffer from chronic insomnia and it does not interfere with the sleep cycle,” says Dr. Shelley Hershner, director of the Collegiate Sleep Disorder Center at the University of Michigan.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, I recommend speaking with a health care provider, especially if you are feeling anxious, disorganized, or otherwise distressed. They can give you custom strategies and assess you for a possible sleep disorder or other relevant health issue.

	Ask the professor Amy Baldwin, MA, is the director of University College at the University of Central Arkansas.

“How can I find out (in an affordable way), what the best way to learn for me is?”
—Andrew C., Temple University School of Medicine, Pennsylvania

You are in luck. There are many different learning style models. You can find out more about your learning style by knowing about the prevalent models used to measure it.

Some models include questions that ask you how you prefer to learn or how you prefer to complete tasks. Others you can read about on your own and find out what resonates with you.

It is important to remember that learning styles are not fixed and can change throughout your life. You might even identify with one learning style while a test reveals that a different one may be more relevant to you. Keep an open mind.

What might the quizzes look like?
Here is a sample that you may see on learning styles inventories:

When you need to travel from one place to another and you are unfamiliar with the route, do you prefer to:

• A. Use a map?
• B. Have someone tell you how to get there?

If you answered A, you may be a visual learner, or someone who learns best by seeing the information represented visually. If you answered B, you may be an auditory learner who learns best by hearing the information.

Here are some common learning preference models that you may want to explore:

Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner said there are eight types of intelligences. These include spatial, body/kinesthetic, musical, linguistic, logical/mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. There is no formal way to test for these intelligences, but there’s good information to explain each of them.
+ Check out Multiple Intelligences

VARK by Neil Fleming
Neil Fleming theorized that people are visual, aural, reading/writing, or kinesthetic learners.
+ Take the quiz to find out which you are.

Experiential Learning Styles by David Kolb
David Kolb divided a person’s learning styles into four types: Diverging, Assimilating, Converging, and Accommodating. Kolb saw learning as a cycle: You start with your preferred style, but you can keep exploring other ways to learn.
+ More about Experiential Learning Styles

Kolb inspired many theorists, including Peter Honey and Alan Mumford, who created their own model using many of the same principles.
+ Take a quiz based on their learning model

When you are discovering your learning preferences, remember that the results will not mean you should not try to learn in other ways. In fact, more successful students not only know how they learn best, but also find ways to develop skills in all learning styles. This will give you your most complete learning experience.

	Ask the trainer Frankie Romeo is a certified personal trainer, small group training coach, and graduate student at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I’d like to start lifting weights, but I never have before. Where do I begin?”
—Naomi H.,* University of Maryland

Lifting weights can be intimidating to newcomers. It’s a whole new world of machines, dumbbells, and ’80s headbands (the last one is optional). Resistance training is important, however, for overall health and function. Some benefits of resistance training include enhanced muscular strength, increased bone density, and improved weight management. You can follow these steps to build your confidence for and knowledge of lifting weights.

Seek an introductory class or consult a personal trainer
Nothing can build confidence and knowledge faster than learning with professionals. Many gyms offer introductory classes that show participants how to use different equipment and proper techniques for lifting weights. You may also speak one-on-one with a personal trainer. Some offer free consultations and are willing to help you learn the basics. If you have a campus gym, go ask.

Start simple
It’s important to build a foundation of strength. I suggest that beginners use bodyweight exercises and machines to acclimate to resistance training.

Here’s the difference:

• Bodyweight exercises are a great way to improve fitness with minimal equipment. They include pushups, jumping jacks, and sit-ups.
• Machines are typically cable contraptions with a fixed range of motion. This makes them safe and effective tools for newcomers.

Progress
After starting with bodyweight exercises and machines, incorporate free-weight exercises using dumbbells, barbells, and plates. This increased resistance allows us to further improve our fitness levels, especially our strength. It’s important to understand and practice lifting techniques, because of the increased risks associated with free weight exercises. Also, make sure to have a workout partner or trainer to “spot” you during exercises that involve lifting weight over your body.

Sets, reps, and exercises
I recommend 3–5 sets of 5–8 repetitions (reps) for compound exercises, followed by 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps for isolation exercises. Compound exercises use more than one major muscle group whereas isolation exercises focus on specific muscles. Always start with a light resistance relative to your strength level to warm up.

Examples	Compound exercises	Isolation exercises
Bodyweight	Pushup Squat Lunge	Sit-up Chin-up Dip
Machines	Chest press Leg press Back row	Knee flexion Preacher curl Cable chest fly
Free weights	Bench press Back squat Deadlift	Shrug Lateral raise Bicep curl

+ Free full-body workout from the American Council on Exercise

Mind your mind

A mindful solution to the procrastination problem

By Dr. Holly Rogers

Q: Procrastination is killing me. I just can’t get started with my work. I even put off asking this question. Can mindfulness help?

A: Procrastination is a clever strategy for avoiding discomfort. Often, the thought of getting started with a big project (or anything that even resembles a project) creates feelings of impending doom and anxious dread. Nobody has time for dread and doom, so then we distract ourselves with Grand Theft Auto or trying all 280 flavors of fro-yo.

#JobProb

Making the most of your major

Whatever year of college you’re in, it’s not too soon to be thinking about how to position yourself for the job market you’ll face after graduation. The Job Prob, our monthly series, shows you how to use your college years to build the skills, practical experience, and networks that will help you thrive professionally.

In this installment we look at picking your major or minor. When choosing your academic track, you’re likely to consider a range of factors. Prioritizing them can be challenging. You might be wondering how to weigh your career interests and future marketability, your strengths and passions, and input from your parents, professors, mentors, and friends.

+ Read more

Contributor spotlight

Sonya Mendoza is a third-year undergraduate at Northern Illinois University. She is majoring in biological sciences in the pre-medical program.

For this issue, Sonya reviewed Solve the Outbreak, an app that helps you learn about diseases by putting you in charge of saving humanity from simulated outbreaks.

Why did you join the SH101 Student Advisory Board?
“Through my personal struggles, I’ve developed a greater awareness of the health of others (physically, mentally, or both). I joined the SAB because I wish to be proactive in helping other students who I believe often struggle with mental health issues and making healthy choices.”

What’s something unusual about yourself?
“I have always been fond of life sciences. My favorite movies to watch on repeat as a 3-year-old were about dinosaurs and nature. The day I took my first biology class as a freshman in high school, I was immediately enamored by the concept of “life.’”

Student reporter internship
+ Info & how to apply

Student advisory board
Selected students from our diverse community of readers help shape SH101 content.
+ 2015 – 16 Student Advisory Board