Studies show that a healthy routine, diet and exercise led to an improved lifestyle for stressed out college students.
Rates of mental health issues continue to increase in the U.S., largely impacting 18 to 29-year-olds. As the mental health of college students declines, more studies suggest that a proper routine could be the answer to their woes.
According to research, an average college student’s routine consists of 30 minutes of coursework, 8-12 hours of screen time, 3-6 hours of designated doomscrolling and 3-15 hours of sleep.
This research also found that the average college student balances their heavy schedules with large doses of caffeine, three sips of water and a diet of pre-Michelle Obama school lunches.
“Six hours of sleep, 30 mgs of Adderall and eight shots of espresso: we’re so back. Anything more or less, and it’s so over. It’s a very delicate balance to maintain,” said communication and media studies major and self-proclaimed health expert Syanna Santiago-Smith.
The UCCS psychology department conducted a study on 10 college students to see if healthy routine, diet and exercise positively impacted their mental health. Shockingly, they found that the implementation of healthy habits, including touching grass, led to positive results.
The students were tasked with getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night, drinking 12-15 cups of water per day and eating three balanced meals daily. Participants were given a two-hour maximum screentime per day and required to participate in 75 minutes of light exercise over a 7-day period.
All 10 students reported that implementing these habits elevated their overall motivation, emotional state and physical state of wellbeing, despite the temporary anxiety induced by decreased screentime.
“Not being able to scroll on my phone until I fell asleep and as soon as I woke up made me feel like I was out of the loop, which was honestly kind of godsend because I’ve never felt more locked in,” said Cassandrea Braker, a student pursuing a bachelor’s in sports management.
Nursing student Lizzie Grey reported being shocked to find the medical advice she vigorously studied during clinicals applied to her as well.
“Adding fruits and vegetables to my diet really was a game changer. I took one bite of a baby carrot, and I swear it felt like my eyesight got better, but that could also be getting eight hours of sleep. Only closing your eyes to blink can’t be good for them,” Grey said.
Theater major Ash Lori Cole attributed her increased energy levels to the end of the mercury retrograde, but noted that touching grass positively impacted her, too.
“Mercury in retrograde screws everything up for me and drains my energy so much. Like yes, I got nine hours of sleep, but I’m a Gemini and no amount of sleep can change my ruling house. To be fair though, exercising made it a lot easier to connect with nature’s energy,” Cole said.
Students and researchers alike were stunned at the positive results of healthy habits, but the students are projected to return to their previous habits and lifestyles despite these groundbreaking results.
Editor’s Note: Scribble is the satirical section of the Scribe.
Photo by Óscar Aguilar Elías on Unsplash.