by Matt Bird

Created on: March 14, 2011   Last Updated: March 15, 2011

Life on the college campus is great. You can stay up as late as you want, eat what you like, ignore the demands of your parents, go to class whenever you wish, party all night long... fantastic stuff.

Well, so long as you don't care about grades, anyway. Those students who want to do well in a post-secondary setting, however? They need to work hard and study. And sleep plays as big a part in overall success as the work.

Why? Because sleep is energizing. Sleep revitalizes the tired mind after a long day of working hard to appease professors. Sleep improves concentration, thinking, information retention and overall mood, all quite important to a strong student. So what's to be done if you're stuck in a noisy dorm where partying is the norm?

In some cases - in many cases, actually - you may have to seek out alternative living arrangements. In some rare instances it's possible to relocate to a different wing of the dorm, or to a different dorm altogether, though most of the time post-secondary dormitories are already filled to the brim and moving isn't possible. You could move home instead, potentially, or shift to a housing unit that's near the school, but, again, these two options aren't always there. Is there anything else you can do?

1.) Drug yourself. No, not on narcotics, but viable, over-the-counter medicines that cause drowsiness without wreaking havoc on your system. No matter how much noise is blasting away outside your room, you'll probably remain dead to the world long enough to get a solid sleep. Note, however, that this option is best pursued when sleeping is vital, such as near test time - you don't want to become addicted or resistant to your chosen depressant, and such medicines cost a fair amount of money anyway.

2.) Set strict rules with your dorm mate. Even if you can't control the rest of the residence you can argue with your small part of the building. Establish some firm standards immediately, and apply them to yourself as readily as you do your roommate. Once one of you is going to bed, the other has to keep quiet or go somewhere else to be loud.

3.) Plug your ears. A simple but surprisingly effective method, earplugs can do wonders to get you a good night's rest, so long as the revelry beyond your room isn't too rambunctious. They're also quite cheap, and if you want you can supplement them with something soft, like, say, some earmuffs. You can also try blocking the sound out with music you find relaxing, then keep it on until you fall asleep, or buy a white noise machine or fan that you can concentrate on over the sounds outside.

4.) Make sure your bed is top-of-the-line. Comfortable sheets, comfortable pillow, comfortable mattress, comfortable everything. If you can sink into your bed at the end of a long day you'll be more likely to pass out in a hurry, noise or not.

5.) Try to swap dorms with someone else. Get to know the people in the building. If your roomie is the partying type, try to arrange a switch to a room with somebody who prefers a quieter environment. Even if you can't 'officially' do this, you can probably make informal arrangements to swap rooms.

On the plus side, you will, eventually, get used to a noisy dorm and your ability to sleep will improve. Don't just wait for this to happen, though, as your grades will probably suffer with your sleep schedule, and that's unacceptable for any student looking to excel in college or university.

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