Some may say I’m narcoleptic — I beg to differ. I mean, I’ll give it to them, this summer while at HUF I developed a nasty habit of falling asleep in public places. In the classroom, on the swings, in the museums, on the streets, in churches, on the bus, on the tram and sometimes even while eating.
Yes, I realize it sounds like I have a problem, but, I promise — no problem here. If I’m stuck on the tram for 40 minutes, what do I have to lose with sleeping? Absolutely nothing. I’m just making good use out of useless time.
Now that I’m back in the States and in classes, I’ve realized that although I do not have a clinically diagnosed sleeping disorder, I do have a small issue. If I’m being honest with myself, I have to admit it’s been going on for far too long. I basically slept through my 10th-grade year of high school and was referred to as “sleepy girl” in honors chemistry class. That term was coined because of my impeccable ability to sleep through every class period, yet continue to make the best grades in the class. Herein lies the issue. If I am able to make A’s in all my classes AND sleep, my body knows that’s the logical solution to my overworked and under-rested problem.
Here’s the thing, though. Yes, I may sleep in a class or two (or three … or 10), but I don’t do it on purpose. I’m not the marathon sleeper. You know whom I’m talking about. It’s the roommate who turns the lights out in your room at dinnertime and then doesn’t wake up for hours. Your room is pitch black and you can’t walk anywhere or make any noise. Next thing you know, it’s 10:50 p.m. and she wakes up to study until 3:30 a.m. Healthy schedule, I’d say.
Nor am I the intense class sleeper. This isn’t the person who dozes off here and there (because I am definitely that person). This is the kid who comes to class with the intent to sleep it away. From bell to bell he’s completely gone. My most awkward encounter with a class sleeper happened this year, actually. It was the first week of school, and this guy walks in 15 minutes late to class, then sleeps the remaining 60 minutes. Everyone is looking at him, but we brush it off. Then the bell rings and he doesn’t move. The professor tries to wake him up gently, and he doesn’t wake up. After what feels like 10 minutes of checking to make sure he has a pulse, he pops up from his seat and walks out. The time I tipped halfway out of my chair in the computer lab while asleep doesn’t even compare to this guy. Props to you, intense class sleeper.
I promise you — as I do my parents every other week — that I do not mean to sleep in class. I literally just cannot stay awake for the life of me. I’ve tried everything: drawing pictures, holding my feet an inch above the ground, solving math equations and, embarrassingly enough, slapping myself a time or two. I’ve even gotten to a point where I continue taking notes in my peaceful slumber. Of course they’re not legible in the least bit and usually the ink dot bleeds through half my notebook, but I’d give myself an A+ for effort.
I say all that to say this — sleep is a struggle in college, but let’s be honest with each other. Unless you are the crazy girl who heads to bed at 8 p.m., you will be sleep deprived. But you can make it through, I promise. With short naps and a lot of coffee you’ll feel … well … not as bad as you did before. Oh, and one more thing. If you’re next to me in class when I doze off, please wake me up before I open my eyes to see the whole class staring at both me and the poster directly behind my head. And no, that didn’t just happen last week.
