7 AM. 9 AM. 2 PM. 6 PM. While these times may initially appear to be a schedule for a full day of eating, these are actually my previous quarters’ “breakfast” times. During my enrollment appointments, I’m never thinking about whether my schedule aligns with BPlate’s hours. Only once I do the “meal time scan” on my new schedule do I realize that I’ll be eating at odd hours for the next 11 weeks. Last quarter, my “breakfast” time was 2 PM which meant I was unintentionally (and unwillingly) intermittent fasting. I know most people wake up with no appetite, but I go to bed thinking about breakfast and wake up starving. Having a different breakfast time every day made me feel cranky, anxious and unable to retain a single word in my classes because I was hungry.
This quarter, I decided that it was the biggest waste of my time to rewatch BruinCast lectures simply because I was too focused on food during class to listen. My solution has been waking up early every day. For me, “early” is 7:00 AM. Initially, I just tried waking up two hours before the first class of the day but I found it more tiring to get up at 9 AM on Monday and then 7 AM the next day. What can I say? I thrive on consistency. For the past month, whether my first class starts at 10 AM or 2 PM, my alarm is set for 7:00 AM. Here are the changes I’ve noticed:
- My Roommate Isn’t Happy (But I Am)
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If you’ve ever had dinner with a group of people and been the only one wanting to get ice cream afterward, this is the same feeling my roommate seems to feel about my new sleep schedule. While everyone’s perfect amount of sleep differs, I find that around seven hours is the optimal amount of sleep which means my eye mask is on at 11:30 PM. This is inconvenient for my roommate who’s a night owl and no longer has someone to talk to during her most active hours.
- Decreased Anxiety
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Michele Hu / Spoon Multiple nutritionists have popped up on my For You Page discussing the negative impacts of drinking coffee on an empty stomach. Apparently, having so much caffeine without food puts our bodies in a high-stress mode by increasing cortisol. I’ve always ignored this advice, but now that I’ve been eating breakfast consistently, I’ve been making sure to eat a full meal before coffee. I take my time to sip on my iced Americano after my meal and maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I truly feel less anxious. I can tell because Google Calendar isn’t one of my most-used apps now.
It makes such a big difference knowing I can take 45 minutes to eat slowly and I’ll still have plenty of time to get ready for class. After breakfast, I review my to-do list, read a few pages, check my notifications and start on some assignments before getting to campus.
- Stable Energy Levels
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During the quarters when I had to eat breakfast in the afternoon, I would grab a chocolate croissant, a large matcha latte or some Cheez-Its from the vending machine in between classes. While all these options are delicious, none of them are satiating or a balanced meal. This quarter is the first one where I don’t feel hungry while I’m on campus or have a terrible mid-day crash. I make sure to get a good amount of protein in from the scrambled eggs and a Greek yogurt bowl I top with fruit. I never ever skip the bagel bar because they’re my favorite food. An unexpected advantage to eating breakfast consistently is that I haven’t spent money at Kerckhoff since I’m nicely caffeinated and satiated already.
I understand how difficult getting up in the morning can be, especially if you’re not as food-driven as I am. Admittedly, it took a few weeks just to adjust my sleeping schedule and get used to a slow morning routine. I thought my productivity would decrease once I started a lengthy morning routine but I’ve found that I’m able to be just as, if not more, productive by going to bed early and front-loading my mornings. Given the changes I’ve seen in my emotional and physical well-being, I don’t plan to stop waking up early any time soon. Scheduling in time for meals in college can feel like an annoying unnecessary process but one I think deserves to always be prioritized.