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Healthy U-PBHL 1100-08

Fall 2014
Professor Jamie Sclafane

Behavior Change Project

Devyn Del Balso

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Step 1: Asses your current health and take the RealAge test
My age is 18 years old and my real after taking the RealAge test is 15.6 years old.
The negative behaviors in my plan:
1) Get more ZZZs
2) Go easy on the junk food
3) Pull the plug on stress
4) Expand your diet
5) Have more satisfying sex
6) Eat More Whole Grains
7) Vary Your Veggies
8) Reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke
9) Go easy on the red meat
10) Find positive coping strategies
11) Get hooked on fish

Step 2: Set Goals and identify Rewards

I picked sleep as my behavior to change for a few reasons. I know I do not get enough
sleep at night, but this real age test told me that is literally making me older by not getting
enough sleep and that definitely scares me. I am changing this behavior because I stress myself
out on no sleep but I feel like not sleeping has me get all the work I have to get done. However,

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this just has me be tired for next day where I need to take a nap. I will even get up early to study
if Im too tired the night before, reducing the hours I sleep there too. It is a vicious cycle of the
stuff I need to get done and the little hours of sleep I get a night. On a good night during the
school week I am able to get 5-6 hours of sleep. Every day except Friday I have an 8am class. I
know getting such little sleep is bad for my health and I feel drained during the day, so I do want
to change and try to get more sleep. When I hear other people getting 8+ hours of sleep a night, I
am in disbelief at how they could honestly do it with all of their commitments. I am all about
shortcuts things and I am ready to get the best hours of sleep of my life.
There are so many detrimental things when I dont get sleep that affect me every day.
First I am exhausted during my morning classes and then I take a nap to get through the rest of
the day. Since almost all of my classes are in the morning, it is hard to stay awake on no sleep. I
love the naps that I take, but I dont want to feel as exhausted as I always do. Additionally, not
getting enough sleep puts me in an Im tired and cranky mood for much of the day and I have
huge bags under my eyes. I am tired of feeling like that all the time. Additionally, when I stay up
late studying I will eat a lot of snacks. Some healthy and some not but either way, I should not be
eating past a certain time of night, I should be sleeping.
I changed this behavior because I have schoolwork, a job, homework, activities, and
socializing in one day and it can be a lot but it needs to all get done. I know sacrificing my sleep
every night is not healthy but it seems to be the only way to get everything done. Changing my
sleeping habit may seem easy to some because well I just go to bed earlier. This change is going
to be hard for me though because I need to get everything I need to done. Also I am so used to
staying up that I dont know how easy my body will rest at my new sleeping times. I think this

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change is easier thought of and said than I actually done but I am hoping I can have success with
it because it will just make me a healthier person.
If I am successful with the change, I am hoping there will be a few positive outcomes. I
am hoping my body feels healthier and more refreshed just by getting more hours of sleep. I am
hoping to feel more energetic and awake so I do not have to take naps or a least take shorter
naps. With this new energy, I am hoping to be more productive and not fall asleep while doing
my homework because I am deprived of so many hours of sleep. I am hoping to be able to get
more on track with my schedule and if I straighten out my sleep schedule that means I probably
straightened out my agenda everyday too. By getting to sleep more hours it will keep me focused
in class and hopefully keep me focused studying as well and I wont even need to wake up early
to study or perhaps only on occasion. I also feel that more sleep with reduce the stress and
anxiety I have about the work I have to do so it would be a nice relief to see my stress level go
down. Yes, there will be nights where I will not get much sleep, but that should not happen
every day.
My behavior change goal is to consistently sleep 7+ hours a night while still getting
everything done on my agenda. I want my sleeping goal be achieved by November 14th 2014,
that way I can implement my new habit into the second half of the first semester. If I achieve this
goal, I will reward myself with taking me and my pod (the people I live/hangout with here) for
bonding at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Step 3 Asses Your Current Behavior
Monday November 3rd- So I skipped my 8am Psychology like I usually do when we have an
Anatomy test and I did not sleep in I got up to study. I had my 9:30 Anatomy test. After that I had
about an hour and half break until Healthy U. I got lunch with my roommate and two friends and

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we all napped for an hour before class. I went to healthy U and when I got out it was about 2pm.
I had a draft of an essay due for College Writing and a Philosophy reading to do as well as start
studying for my Anatomy lab practical. I read part of the philosophy reading and then I had to go
to the Science Enrichment Center for 3:30 it was 5pm when I got out so I got dinner. I went back
to the room it was 6:30. When I finished my homework it was 8:30. I went to the gym for almost
2 hours and got back to the room around 10:30pm. I showered and face timed my boyfriend until
12:00am. I then hung out with my neighbors in the dorm until about 1am.

Tuesday November 4th- I got up at 6:30 so I got 5 and half hours of sleep. I have classes from 810:45. I then go to Anatomy tutoring form 11-1:45 because I go for lab and lecture. I then ate
lunch and headed into work for 3:30 until 9pm. I got back to the dorm around 10pm. I then did
my homework until 12am studying for my lab practical among some other homework. I then
hung out with my neighbors until 2am.

Wednesday November 5th- I got up at 7 so I got 5 hours of sleep. I have class form 8-1:45 straight
through, Psychology, Anatomy lecture, and Anatomy lab. At 2, I got lunch and went back to my
dorm and did a quick paper that was due for Freshman Seminar at 5. I finished that around 3:30
so I napped until 4:30 and went to class. I go dinner and then went to the gym at 7 until 9:30 and
went back to shower and do my homework until 11:30pm. I then hung out with my roommate
until 12:30am.

Thursday November 6th- I slept until 6:30 so I got 6 hours of sleep which is better than what I
had gotten the other days of the week. I have class from 8-10:45am. I got lunch at 11 and left for

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work at 12. I went to work from 12:30-4:30 and went back to the dorm. I went to the library and
worked on some homework until 6pm. I got dinner and headed to my EMT meeting off campus
which lasted until 10pm. I went to the gym until 11 and I went back to the dorms around
11:30pm and hangout with everyone until 2:30am.

Friday November 7th- I got up at 8am because I had to shower and be into work for 9am so I was
able to get 6 hours of sleep. I went to my 12:30pm class and then the weekend starts for me. I get
lunch and take care of any last minute things on campus such as emailing a professor for
example. I usually do homework for a few hours until around 6pm and squeeze in a nap if I can.
I go to eat and then I go out around 10pm. I can sleep in Saturday morning so that is when I like
makeup my lack of hours of sleep. I try to get as much as I can done Friday and Saturday though
because Sunday I have my EMT shift and I cant do homework then.

Step 4 Redefine your goal and develop an action plan

When Im trying to obtain my goal of sleeping more hours, I noticed Im going to run in
to a few problems. First, I have morning classes 4 days a week so I always have to get up early
after long nights. I always have different events and things on my agenda depending on the day.
My only time for social interaction with people on my floor is late at night which is a problem

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because that is when I should be going to bed, but I cant just let my social life go bad because of
all my work. My second problem is that I work two jobs and both off campus. My preschool job
I work twice a week and my other job I work once a week but it is a 5 and a half hour long shift.
However the hours and days change a lot so I do not really have a set schedule. My other
problem is leaving big papers for College Writing until the day or two beforehand. I really have
to look at my syllabuses better and work ahead on the weekends and not go out if I have too
much work.
I think it will take me longer than November 14th to really start getting seven or more
consistent hours so I will give myself until December 1st to really get to my goal. I will start my
change the week of November 10th though. I will hopefully start to make changes in that week
that stick and help me consistently sleep more hours. So, I will specifically get more homework
done on the weekends so I do not need as many hours during the week to study and get to bed
earlier. If I know I have a commitment to an activity in advance I will try and do that homework
a day or two earlier than the scheduled event. If I am starting to get more hours of sleep by doing
this, I will us the time slots I would normally nap in to hang out with my neighbors and friends. I
can also each lunch with them so I am hanging out with them then too. I also do not have to hang
out with them every day. I can pick and choose which days are best for me to really sit down and
hangout with them. I have to work, and I work weird hours, but I get paid well so changing my
job or hours is something that is not possible unfortunately.
Everything should be changed as soon as possible and I should start planning around
things as early as possible. I did this step right after I was done with my last diary entry. I did not
wait a week, so I am going to start looking at my schedule for the next week right away and plan
everything better. I usually take things day by day, but I realized if I do that I will never sleep. I

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will be very tempted to stay up until very early hours of the morning hanging out with neighbors
because they are fun to hang out with and we just sit around and talk for hours. I dont want to
feel like I am missing out on something by going to sleep or studying so this is something that
threatens my success with this. My work schedule may also be a reason I fail when I really do
not know when I am working until the day or two before.
I know this summary was shorter, but I really do not have much else to say unless I repeat
myself. I made sure I hit all the points and that nothing was missing. This is going to be
something very hard to change because I am used to not sleeping but I think it is a goal I can
reach over time. I need to break my cycle f going to bed very late and waking up early.

Step 5 Implement your behavior change plan

Monday November 10th- I woke up at 7 for my 8am class but I made sure I went to bed early
around 11pm so I was bel to get a full 8 hours of sleep for Monday morning. I did the same as
last Monday, got lunch with the girls but we did not nap we just ate lunch and talked. I told them
about how I was changing my sleeping habits and they totally supporting me and my roommate
actually wanted to try and do the same. I went to my 12:30 class. After, I got lunch and finished

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my work by 4pm. I then went to the gym until 6pm and got dinner. When I was settle in my
room it was about 8:30pm. It felt good to not have as much work as usually but that is because
did some over the weekend. I talked in the pod until 10pm and then I forced myself to go to bed
but I did not tell them about my sleeping change, I dont know why.

Tuesday November 11th- I got up at 6:30 for my 8am so I was able to get 8 and a half hours of
sleep! That has to be a record for me during the school week or something. I has class until 10:45
and then I went into work at 12:30 until 3pm so I did not go to tutoring until 3:30. I then went
back to the dorm at 5 and I had a lot homework so I did that until about 8pm. I then ate dinner
late and then went to the gym so I got back around 10-10:30 pm. I was going to go to my bed
after my shower, but it is hard not really interacting with your neighbors at all so I hung out with
them until 12am. I really struggled with not emotionally talking to any of my friends throughout
the day that day so I had to sit and talk to them.

Wednesday November 12th- I got up at 6:30 again so I got 6 and a half hours of sleep. This was
definitely not what I wanted but it could have been worse. I had class from 8-1:45. Got lunch at 2
and did some of the work I had for Thursday while eating lunch. I was also able to have this
lunch with one of my friends. We went to our 5-6:15 class and then I had an EMT dinner from 7
until 10pm. I went back to my dorm and finished my homework t 11:30 talked to some people
for an hour and got in bed at 12:30am. It is very hard when your activities vary in times so this is
a huge struggle for me.

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Thursday November 13th- I woke up at 7:30 so I got 7 hours of sleep so this was not bad. I went
to class form 8 to 10:45. I grabbed lunch and worked from 12:30-4. I quickly packed and
actually went on a train at 6:30 up to Boston to see my boyfriend. We talked about this leaping
problem I had and he knew I was exhausted form the trip so we made sure we went to bed pretty
early around 11:30pm and he had class in the morning anyway.

Friday November 14th- I got up around 10am when he had class to do my homework I agreed to
start doing a few days in advance. I also had a five page paper for psychology due so I did as
much as I could of that. Im happy that even when I was away and the end of this week was not a
typical week for me, I was still able to get to bed at a reasonable time all the way up in Boston
and start my homework. We went out around 5pm for dinner and to see Blue Man group. We
went to bed late Friday night and since we both did our work, we slept in and had a great rest of
the weekend.

Step 6- Evaluate your progress

Although its going to take longer for me to consistently get more hours of sleep, I think
I am off to a pretty good start. I did not achieve the full goal of getting seven+ hours of sleep a
night because some nights I still got less, but some nights I reached my goal and I am proud of
myself for it. Even though sometimes activities still got in the way I did make some minor

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changes to my lifestyle that honestly went a long way. I realized however, the goal I chose will
be hard to maintain because I am a college student with a crazy schedule, but as long as I
continue to take steps toward it, I think I can get there and achieve my goal. Besides, I want
buffalo wild wings really bad so I will definitely work toward getting that!
I was able to get more of my work done earlier which helped me have more time to chat
with people or I was just less stressed out. When I went to bed earlier the first two nights, it did
not bother me that I did not take a nap and it usually does so that was really good. However, it
really bothered me when I had a long day and had not really seen anyone and it was very late, so
I forced myself to stay up and talk when I probably shouldnt have, but I really do not want my
relationships to suffer. I also need to make time for the gym which I wish I could make a certain
time for but since work and activities just pop up into my schedule, it is hard to keep consistent
with it. Also, the more time I spend at the gym the less time I have socializing, so I am thinking
that my roommate and I should go to the gym more often and not talk, but just spend time with
each other. That way I do something awesome with her and I do I feel as bad later when
everyone is hanging out. I will still get my gym time as well.
I was very happy to hear that my roommate wanted to get more sleep as well. She was
one of the factors I picked the more sleep behavior change in the first place. We are both always
up trying to deal with our hectic schedules while attempting to maintain a social life. Some days
its absolute Bedlam and we are stressed out and up for hours. Other days the work mellows out
and we have more time to relax. Either way though, if we were to develop strategies together that
help us both out, I think I could indefinitely reach my goal in the next two or three weeks as long
as she is willing to take on this challenged with me.

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As you can see, my plan to reach my goal is still ongoing in my eyes. I may not have
achieved it in the first week of my changes, but I am making improvements day by day, no
matter how crazy my schedule gets. I am determined to live a healthier lifestyle and sleep more. I
hope in the future, my schedule gets easier next semester and I will have a more consistent
schedule. However, even with my current schedule I hope to be more consistently sleeping by
the beginning of December so I am getting plenty of sleep before finals start. This will absolutely
reduce my stress level and help me focus. I will not be wanting to take naps when I need to be
finishing out the work I have at the end of the semester.
Overall this project really helped me analyze not only my sleep schedule but my whole
days schedule as well. My journal entries involved all day agendas of what I was doing so I
could see for myself on paper what was preventing me from some much needed hours of sleep. I
hope that once I have reached the goal with sleeping and I can achieve more goals to help me
lead the healthiest lifestyle I possibly can, even though there will always be stress as a nursing
major, living healthier will help me get through the chaos.