Steward your Physical Body
Studies show that good sleep, regular exercise, and healthy eating impact academic success and emotional health. Check it out:
- Students who got nine or more hours of sleep achieved higher GPAs than students who got six hours or less (William E. Kelly, Kathryn E. Kelly, Robert C. Clanton, 2001). Sleep deprivation triggers anxiety, and poor sleep quality is related to both depressive symptoms and symptoms of anxiety (Eller et al., 2006).
- Regular physical activity helps improve cognitive functioning, fosters good sleep and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression in healthy people and in people with existing clinical diagnoses (Exercise is Medicine)
- Students who had breakfast on at least five days per week reported a significantly higher GPA than students who had breakfast on three days or fewer. Students who had fast food at least seven times in the past week reported significantly lower GPAs than students who had eaten fast food less than four times (Reuter, Forster and Brister, 2020).
What Biola Students Say
-
25%
of students found sleep difficulties to be traumatic or very difficult to handle, while 17% said that sleep difficulties affected their academics.
-
41%
of students met the recommended exercise guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association.
-
66%
of students reported nutrition habits of eating only up to two servings of fruit & veggies each day, while 4% of students reported eating the recommended five or more servings of fruit & veggies each day.
Source: National College Health Assessment, Spring 2018
Campus Resources
What one small change can you do to practice physical well-being and steward the body God gave you?
Learn & Practice Self-Care
- Get some sleep with these sleep hacks.
- Eat something tasty and healthy with these nutrition tips.
- Get up and get moving with these fitness resources.
- Follow Student Life Well-Being Blogs developed by our Peer Wellness Ambassadors.
Check out Campus Resources & Events
- Tight food budget? Check out the Biola Shares Food Pantry.
- Stop by the Health Center for complimentary over-the-counter medicines from the Self-Help wall.
- Work out at the Fitness Center.
- Learn more about healthy offerings from Bon Appetit’s on-campus eateries.
Build your Community
- Make new friends while fostering an active lifestyle through recreational and intramural activities.
- Find your crew through at a dance, recreation or sports club.
Develop your Skills in Classes & Workshops
- Take advantage of your Lifetime Wellness Course as part of Biola’s CORE curriculum to learn more about fitness, nutrition and sleep.
- Check out Coping Essentials to learn strategies of mindfulness that may help in fostering physical rest or meeting other goals of caring for you physical well-being.
- Gain confidence for defending yourself in a R.A.D.S. class.
Talk about Your Concerns
- Review your physical or sleep concerns with a medical provider at the Health Center.
- Share what’s keeping you up at night at during the Biola Counseling Center’s Drop-In Consultation hours.
- Learn more about disordered eating, healthy body image and nutrition from the Biola Counseling Center recommended resources.
- Take advantage of the Concussion Care Clinic if the need arises.
- Reach out the Office of Student Accessibility for accommodations due to disability or extended or chronic illness.
Additional Resources from Biola
The Beauty of Sleep
Watch this video of Susan Lim, assistant professor of history, speaking at a breakout session of Biola's annual Torrey Memorial Bible Conference on October 9, 2019.
The Stages of Sleep and Impact of Sleep Deprivation
Watch this video to see Dr. Chris Grace explain the purpose and function of sleep as well as the effects of sleep deprivation in a PSYC 200 lecture.
How Can Sleep Bring Glory to God?
Read this Biola Magazine article by Jason McMartin, associate professor of theology, on the spiritual significance of sleep.
You Might Be Sleeping All Wrong
Alumna Alex Bell shares some research regarding good and bad sleep positions for optimal rest on the Student Life blog.
Learning, Sleep and Why All-Nighters are a Bad Idea
Watch this video of Professor Matt Walker, from the Smithsonian, lecture to learn about the effects of sleep on learning.
You Snooze, You Win
Check out NCAA's Focus on Sleep for Student Athletes.
Biola Well-being Workouts
Check out nine weeks of curated at-home workouts from Director of Sport Performance Frank Ramirez.