On April 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Arianna Huffington and her team at the Huffington Post came to DU for the first stop of their Sleep Revolution College Tour. The fair, which featured numerous booths offering giveaways and information on sleep and restfulness, was held on Driscoll Green and featured partners such as Sleep Number, CalmCircle College, KIND Snacks, Remodo, Sleep Shepherd, Aros, MUSE and Somni. Huffington herself gave a speech at 11 a.m. and autographed copies of her book, “The Sleep Revolution”.
According to Abigail Williams, director of college outreach for the Huffington Post who works closely with Huffington during the tour, the responsiveness and ambition of the HCC, along with DU’s location in Denver and near other large universities, made it a natural fit as the first stop of the tour.
“We want to spark a national conversation about the importance of sleep starting on college campuses, and we’re thrilled that DU could host us and be a part of this conversation. It’s an exciting place to start the tour,” said Williams.
The fair was centered around the critical importance of sleep, culminating in Huffington’s speech about what inspired her to start taking a look at the importance of sleep in her own life. She recounted her experience collapsing from exhaustion in 2007, breaking her cheek and waking up in a pool of blood. She began to evaluate if this is what success should look like and why sleep is always the first thing to go when life picks up.
“We want to teach students that sleep is a prerequisite to success and a performance enhancer. We want to emphasize that burnout and exhaustion truly isn’t the only option and it’s very unhealthy. We reasoned that if we wanted change to happen in the nation as a whole, it needed to come from college students who were about to go into the working world,” said Williams.
As for how to start taking steps to improve sleep habits, Williams had a few tips for the chronically sleep-deprived.
“Reevaluate your relationship with your phone. Many people charge it next to their bed, which means it’s the last thing they look at before they go to sleep and, if they wake up during the night, they end up checking again, disrupting sleep further. Try investing in a good old fashioned alarm clock and charge your phone elsewhere,” said Williams. “In addition, trying to add on a manageable amount of sleep, 30 minutes to an hour, to your schedule every night can make a world of difference.”
The college tour continues through May 13 and is set to visit 15 other universities.
“The Sleep Revolution” by Arianna Huffington is on sale now.
