For many students, being at Kansas University is like an all-nighter in front of an open refrigerator.

Bad sleeping and eating habits take root, and that’s where KU’s Watkins Memorial Health Center comes in.

Ann Chapman, a registered dietitian, tries to help students break unhealthy eating habits that form during their college career.

“How students eat during their college years becomes pretty indicative of how they eat for the next five and 10 years,” Chapman said. “It is an important time in terms of molding eating habits. And for many it’s not a healthy time.”

Dr. Myra Strother, Watkins’ chief of staff and a family physician, says the center also tends to students’ numerous sleeping problems.

“Many students think, ‘I can abuse my body during the week and catch up on sleep on the weekend,’ ” Strother said. But, she added, it doesn’t work that way.

The problem is that many students, especially freshmen, are experiencing more freedoms and responsibilities than ever before.

Imagine a new KU student who was active in sports, band or other extracurricular activities in high school. Once in college, the student might not participate in those activities.

Forget that after-school snack that mom prepared. The new student is living away from home for the first time, eating what he or she wants and taking advantage of food available at all hours. All-night cramming, midnight pizza, early morning Grand Slam, vending machine snacks, and increased drinking.

The combination of less physical activity and more calories adds to a Biggie-sized lifestyle that is bound to cause trouble, health officials say.

“We do see some of these young people developing high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and elevated cholesterol,” Chapman said.

‘Smart choices’

Chapman spends much of the school year speaking at the residence halls and sororities and fraternities about healthy eating. The residence halls, she said, offer a complete, healthy diet, but also offer dessert for lunch and dinner.

“You have to make smart choices,” she said.

Chapman says it’s difficult to eat right especially given the schedules of many students who are on a treadmill.

“Many are going to school and working, and they skip meals,” she said. Then they make up for it by eating fast-food or food purchased from a vending machine.

Chapman said she welcomes students calling her at the health center to get some tips on eating right.

And, she said, don’t be fooled that you can super-size your meals and it won’t come back to haunt you. She said clothing manufacturers that cater to younger people have increased the sizes so that buyers believe they are still fitting into a small size when they really can’t.

“Many students come to me on their own, saying, “I know I’m just eating too much junk.’ That’s encouraging to me when some of them see that they need to change,” she said.

Sleeping disorders

The same lifestyle problems that affect eating also affect sleeping, said Dr. Strother.

Once midterms, papers and finals arrive, the center sees a lot more sick students who have not been getting enough sleep.

“Lack of sleep harms your immune system, and can give you more difficulties with everything from mood swings and depression,” she said.

And the lack of sleep can exacerbate pre-existing problems, such as ulcers and migraine headaches.

Strother said many people think students are skipping sleep to party, and while that may be true in many cases, she said she is seeing more stress and lack of sleep from students who are trying to work too hard.

“A lot of these kids are trying to do 15, 16 hours (of coursework per semester) and work 20, 30 hours a week,” Strother said. “They think they can just push themselves to do it. I applaud the fact that they are trying to do it, but the reality is our bodies need a certain amount of rest.”

Strother said everyone’s sleep needs are different, but that most people need six to eight hours of sleep every day. She said many students tell her they can get by on five hours of sleep, but she said these students “are wiping out” every third or fourth day and are unable to perform well in class or be alert when studying.

Another myth, she said, is that some students believe alcoholic drinks help them relax, but, in reality, alcohol blocks good sleep.

She said the best way to get a good night’s rest is to eat right, exercise and relax about an hour before bedtime.