A lot has been written about the pressures of college life: Balancing classes, finances, relationships and planning for the future can cause a lot of stress. It’s no surprise that a recent survey of college students found that only one-third have positive mental health.
But mental health is shaped by more than just stressors. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are spotlighting how everyday habits such as eating, moving and sleeping can help support your mental health. For many students, college is the first time these choices are entirely up to them. To help you learn about how mental health is connected to these habits, we’re highlighting some popular reads available through UD Libraries or your local library, plus scientific research.
Eat: Nourish Your Brain
Scientists are increasingly finding connections between diet, gut health and mental well-being. In This Is Your Brain on Food, Harvard nutritional psychiatrist Uma Naidoo explores the connection between diet and mental health. Check out an interview with the author through UD Libraries.
The research points to a few consistent findings:
- Think Mediterranean. Some studies link Mediterranean-style eating — plenty of vegetables, whole grains, beans, fish, nuts and olive oil — to lower rates of depression and anxiety. No single “correct” diet exists, but this pattern has emerging evidence linking it to positive mental health.
- Limit ultra-processed foods. Diets high in refined sugars and heavily processed foods are associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety.
- Feed your gut. Fiber-rich foods and fermented foods like yogurt and kombucha promote a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn supports your mood and the way you respond to stress.
For additional insights from the author, read this interview published in Life Extension. Want to learn more about the diet-mental health connection? This New York Times article is a great place to start.
Note: nutritional psychiatry is a promising area of research, but it is still developing. Media coverage of food and mental health can overstate early findings. If a claim sounds definitive, it’s worth checking what the research actually shows and how strong the evidence is.
UD Resources
- Did you know that all UD students, faculty and staff are eligible for a free personal nutrition consultation with the University’s registered dietitian? Contact dining@udayton.edu.
- Browse nutritional information for campus dining at udayton.nutrislice.com.
- Experiencing food insecurity? UD students can take up to 10 items per week from the Food4Flyers Student Basic Needs Pantry.
Move: No Gym Required
Regular physical activity is a powerful way to promote mental health. In Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, psychiatrist John Ratey makes the case that exercise is essentially medicine for the brain, with measurable effects on mood, anxiety, stress and focus.
Health guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, or about 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Even if you can’t manage that with your busy schedule, some movement is better than none. You don’t need a gym membership or a structured workout routine to benefit. Physical activity includes:
- Walking to class or around campus
- Taking the stairs
- Doing yoga or pilates between study sessions
- Biking, dancing or playing basketball with friends
The mental health benefits of movement are well-documented, and finding something you enjoy makes it more likely that you’ll stick with it.
UD Resources
- UD Campus Recreation offers something for everyone, from lap swimming and group fitness to outdoor hikes and personal training at the RecPlex.
- Interested in playing with others? Students can check out intramural sports and sport clubs through Campus Recreation.
Sleep: Your Brain’s Nightly Reset
Have you ever gone to bed feeling awful and woken up feeling much better? It’s not a coincidence. Sleep is when your brain consolidates memories, regulates emotions and repairs itself. In Why We Sleep, neuroscientist Matthew Walker makes a compelling case for why sleep is so important for mental health and physical health and gives practical tips to help ensure your body gets the rest it needs.
Why We Sleep makes the case that young adults are biologically wired to fall asleep and wake up later than older adults — so if you’re a night owl, biology is part of the reason. The challenge, of course, is that early-morning classes don’t care about your chronotype, and playing “catch up” on weekends can only do so much to make up for sleep lost throughout the week.
A few habits that can help:
- Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time (as much as possible) helps regulate your internal clock. Getting sunlight in the morning can also help reset your circadian rhythm for the day.
- Cut off caffeine in the afternoon. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine, a molecule that builds up in your brain throughout the day and signals that it's time to sleep. It doesn’t eliminate tiredness; it masks it. With a half-life of five to six hours, coffee you drink in the afternoon may still be in your system when you’re trying to fall asleep.
- Wind down without your phone. Even 20-30 minutes of screen-free wind-down time can make a difference.
Resources
The Bigger Picture
Eating well, moving your body and getting enough sleep don’t exist in isolation. They work together: Nutritious food fuels physical activity, movement promotes restful sleep, and quality sleep helps regulate appetite and makes it easier to reach for nourishing foods. Small improvements in one area can create a positive ripple effect across all three. For a broader look at everyday strategies from religion and spirituality to social connections and hobbies, read Mental Health Interventions in Everyday Life.
That said, lifestyle habits support mental health, but they don’t replace professional care. If you are navigating something more serious, UD has resources to help at every level. The University’s step care model provides a framework for thinking about what kind of support you might need, from proactive self-care practices all the way to immediate crisis resources.
Campus Support
- The Brook Center offers mental health and well-being education, peer education groups and more.
- The Counseling Center offers drop-in hours, seminars, group therapy, individual counseling and psychiatric services to UD students. For after-hours support, students may reach an on-call crisis intervention specialist by calling 937-229-3141 and pressing option No. 2.
- In crisis? Call 988 or text FLYERS to 741741.