Neurodiversity in the University

 

📚 A Simple Guide To Navigating University 📚

Transitioning to university may feel like a daunting task. You may face challenges you have not encountered before, such as struggles with unhealthy habits, physical and mental well-being and adapting to the new environment.

Did you know:

- 56% of students reporting fatigue 😫

- 19.7% had coping difficulties with university 😢

(Hussain et al., 2013).

In this blog, we aim to help address and support your transition to university to make it a smoother process. From talking about ways to address mental struggles to ways to maximise your physical well-being, we hope to ease your transition and help make your time at university enjoyable.

 

Physical Wellbeing 💪:

-Physical Health and Wellbeing is a key aspect of our daily lives that seems to become neglected and declining among university students. 

-In a study involving first-year undergraduates, it was found that 80% had experienced health problems within 6 months with the most common involving fatigue or headaches (Hussain et al., 2013). 

-The study further explained the causes associated with the university lifestyle that lead to poor physical health such as stress from academics, virus transmission due to students living in proximity to each other and excessive alcohol consumption (Hussain et al., 2013). 

- Another study highlighted the impacts of freshers flu which is a key health issue faced by 95% of undergraduate students (Eames et al.,2008). 

-Specifically, the study emphasised the behavioural consequences of the illness on students such as missing social activities, lectures, supervisions and in extreme cases skipping meals (Eames et al., 2008). 

-To combat the arise of further health complications faced by students, universities should spread more awareness surrounding nutritional eating, regular exercise, and limiting alcohol consumption (The University of Warwick Health Centre, n.d).

 

Please contact the Warwick Health Centre here, if you are currently struggling with your physical health: https://www.uwhc.org.uk/

Phone number: 0247 562 3418 

Mental Wellbeing 🧠: 

During your time at university, you may experience struggles with your mental health, whether it’s from stress during exam season or adjusting to a new environment. It is a common occurrence, as reflected in 19% of English 16–24-year-olds experiencing a mental health condition (Thorley, 2017) and 8% of first-year university students having been diagnosed with depression or anxiety (Hussain et al., 2013). However, there are simple strategies that you can implement into your everyday life which have been found to help.

Sleep 😴:

Enhancing sleep quality has been found to: 

- Improve mental and emotional well-being.

- Improved emotional regulation

- Lower levels of depression and anxiety.

 Simple measures such as reducing noise,  maintaining a regular sleep schedule and getting the recommended amount of sleep (7-9 hours) each night allow for these improvements, which is vital for students to maintain greater mental well-being (Scott et al., 2021).

 

Meditation 👐:

Loving-Kindness Meditation is an enjoyable form of meditation, involving silently repeating phrases such as “I may be happy”, which encourages unconditional kindness. LKM has been seen to have long-term positive impacts on mental health such as reducing symptoms of depression and increases in mental well-being throughout your university experience (Totzeck et al., 2020).

 

Furthermore, if you want to have support on campus, the Warwick Wellbeing Services can offer a wide range of services, such as email therapy and one-to-one disability support.

 

 

You can find the Warwick Wellbeing Services here:

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss/students/support/

Unhealthy Behaviours 🍺:

For many, the transition away from home can cause people to fall into unhealthy behaviours. With many students needing to cook for the first time, students will often lack a balanced diet and may not eat enough. A study that looked at 639 German university students found that less than 30% of students reported eating fruit and vegetables several times a day (Hilger, et al. 2017) Although this study only looked at German students, similar unhealthy behaviours were found in American students, with roughly two out of every five students engaging in excessive binge drinking habits (White and Hingson, 2013.) The same study found that 25% of students attributed missing and falling behind in classes, as well as doing poorly in exams to drinking. To avoid these dangers, make sure you drink responsibly!

If you need any additional support or information about alcohol intake during your journey through university, you can visit the Warwick Wellbeing Services: 

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss/students/support/

Loneliness and Societies 😔:

Moving away from home is a common struggle amongst all university students, whether it’s to a nearby city or a whole new country, loneliness is evident. A fun and welcoming way to overcome this issue is to participate in multiple campus societies. According to Taylor and Ali (2017), international students found comfort and fondness through the food they ate at home. The various societies available at Warwick allow everyone to try foods from all over the world, allowing diverse students to feel at home and within a community.

References:

Eames, K. T. D., Tang, M. L., Hill, E. M., Tildesley, M. J., Read, J. M., Keeling, M. J., & Gog, J. R. (2023). Coughs, colds and “freshers’ flu” survey in the University of Cambridge, 2007–2008. Epidemics, 42, 100659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epidem.2022.100659

 

Hilger, J., Loerbroks, A., & Diehl, K. (2017). Eating behaviour of university students in Germany: Dietary intake, barriers to healthy eating and changes in eating behaviour since the time of matriculation. Appetite, 109, 100–107.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.11.016

 

Hussain, R., Guppy, M., Robertson, S., & Temple, E. (2013). Physical and mental health perspectives of first-year undergraduate rural university students. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 848. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-848

Malachite Photography.(2023).Student Struggling Alone With Alcoholism On Campus.[Photograph].Getty.Student Struggling Alone With Alcoholism On Campus by Malachite Photography (photos.com)

Pelaez, J.L.(2019).Boy Lying In Bed With Thermometer In Mouth.[Photograph].Getty. Boy Laying In Bed With Thermometer In Mouth High-Res Stock Photo - Getty Images

Scott, A. J., Webb, T. L., Martyn-St James, M., Rowse, G., & Weich, S. (2021). Improving Sleep Quality Leads to Better Mental Health: A Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60(60), 101556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101556

 

Staying Healthy. (n.d.). The University Of Warwick Health Centre. Retrieved 8 December 2023, from https://www.uwhc.org.uk/health-information/staying-healthy/

 

Steppeua.(2023).White Cat Doing Yoga.[Photograph].Getty.White Cat Doing Yoga High-Res Vector Graphic - Getty Images

 

Taylor, G., & Ali, N. (2017). Learning and Living Overseas: Exploring Factors that Influence Meaningful Learning and Assimilation: How International Students Adjust to Studying in the UK from a Socio-Cultural Perspective. Education Sciences, 7(1), 35.

https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010035

 

Thorley, C. (2017). Not By Degrees: Improving Student Mental Health in the  Uk’s Universities, IPPR.

https://www.ippr.org/files/2017-09/not-by-degrees-summary-sept-2017.pdf

 

Totzeck, C., Teismann, T., Hofmann, S. G., von Brachel, R., Pflug, V., Wannemüller, A., & Margraf, J. (2020). Loving-Kindness Meditation Promotes Mental Health in University Students. Mindfulness, 11.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01375-w

Volkava, T.(2023).Portrait Of an Elderly Man In Eyeglasses Suffering From a Headache Holding a Glass of Water in His Hand.[Photograph].Getty. Portrait Of An Elderly Man In Eyeglasses Suffering From A Headache Holding A Glass Of Water In His Hand High-Res Stock Photo - Getty Images

Warwick Support Services (n.d.).

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss/students/support/

 

White, A., & Hingson, R. (2013). The burden of alcohol use: excessive alcohol consumption and related consequences among college students. Alcohol research : current reviews, 35(2), 201–218.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24881329/