Explore Wellness Topics

Eating well means choosing foods and drinks that help your body work its best.

Build Balanced Meals

A balanced meal gives your body the energy and nutrients it needs. Campus Dining's nutrition and wellness resources, including MyPaw, MyDining and Healthy Huskie Choices, explain the food groups and how much to eat from each, and share nutrition and food allergy information to help you choose.

Drink Plenty of Water

Water supports your overall health. Get tips for drinking more from the American Diabetes Association, and find out how much you need from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Keep Healthy Snacks Handy

On a busy day, it's easy to grab whatever's convenient. Having healthy snacks ready makes the energizing choice the easy one. Learn how to build a better snack with The Nutrition Source from Harvard, and find snack ideas and recipes from the American Heart Association.

Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating means slowing down to savor your food. It can help you notice your eating habits and handle stress eating. Learn how stress affects food choices from the American Psychiatric Association.

Try Nutrition Coaching

NIU's nutrition coaches offer one-on-one support, from meal prep and cooking to choosing foods that help with energy and focus. Learn more about NIU Nutrition Coaching.

Consistent, quality sleep helps you feel energized and supports learning, memory and your immune system.

Aim for Seven or More Hours

Adults need seven or more hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not getting enough quality sleep can lead to fatigue, stress, trouble with learning and memory, and a greater chance of getting sick.

Take a Short Nap

A nap of no more than 20 to 30 minutes can boost your energy, memory and mood. Learn more about the benefits of napping from the National Sleep Foundation.

Set a Bedtime Routine

A regular sleep schedule trains your brain to know when it's time for bed, so your body starts winding down and falling asleep gets easier.

Make Your Space Restful

A cool, dark, quiet room is best for sleep, but what matters most is creating a sleep space that feels comfortable and relaxing to you.

Can't Fall Asleep?

• Get up and do something quiet without a screen, like taking a short walk, reading or journaling. Screens can disrupt your sleep.
• Don't use alcohol or other drugs to fall asleep. They lower your sleep quality.
• Exercise every day. It promotes better sleep and can help you fall asleep more easily.

Moving more is about physical activity that helps your mind and body feel their best.

Aim for 150 Minutes a Week

Adults should get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, according to the American Heart Association. Split it up however works for you, like 30 minutes five times a week. You've reached moderate intensity when your heart beats faster and you're breathing harder.

Find Movement You Enjoy

Choosing activities that bring you joy helps keep you motivated. Try dancing, walking with friends, joining a sport club or taking a stroll around the lagoon.

Connect With NIU Recreation

NIU Recreation offers group fitness, sport clubs, fitness equipment, adventure trips and more. It's a great place to meet new people, stay well and have fun.

Use Movement to Recharge

Having trouble focusing or starting an assignment? A five- to 10-minute walk or movement break can reenergize your mind and body and help you study and tackle assignments.

Boost Your Mental Health

Physical activity can buffer the effects of stress, improve your mood and ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Connecting with yourself and others builds supportive relationships, so you feel accepted and not alone. Social support can also buffer stress and help you thrive.

Join an Organization

Find a group that fits your interests, experiences or identity. Student Involvement can help you find a student organization or volunteer opportunities.

Go to an Event

The NIU Events Calendar has something happening every day. Go solo or ask a classmate to join you.

Be Kind to Yourself

It can be stressful to start new friendships, especially on your own. Step out of your comfort zone, remember you're not alone in this and be patient with yourself.

Start the Conversation

Try making small talk while you're in line for food, waiting for the bus or elevator, or sitting next to a classmate before class. Give a compliment, ask about an assignment or ask what they think of a recent event.

Look Close to Home

Your classmates, roommates and hallmates are likely looking for connection, too. Take the first step and ask them to hang out, grab a bite or study together.

How Alcohol Affects You

After you drink, alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream. From there, it reaches your brain and starts to impair how your body works. Your liver removes alcohol at a rate of about one drink per hour, so time is the only way to sober up.

What BAC Means

Blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, is the percentage of alcohol in your body. It's used to gauge how alcohol is affecting your body and behavior. To estimate your BAC, you need to know how many standard drinks you've had. One standard drink is a 12-ounce beer, 4 to 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

What Affects Your BAC

• How much you drink, how fast and over how much time
• Your body weight, what's in your stomach and other drugs in your system
• Your drink's temperature, carbonation and strength (percentage of alcohol)

Effects by Number of Drinks

If You Choose to Drink

• Set a limit and pace yourself, about one drink an hour.
• Eat before and while you drink.
• Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.
• Skip drinking games, pregaming and energy drinks.
• Don't mix caffeine with alcohol.

Look Out for Each Other

• Stick with your group.
• Keep your drink with you.
• Trust your gut and leave if you need to.
• Respect people who choose not to drink.
• Use a designated driver.

Speak up and help if a friend is drunk or in a potentially dangerous situation.

Signs of Serious Impairment

• Loud or slurred speech
• Poor coordination and focus
• Sudden changes in behavior or emotions
• Drowsiness or falling asleep
• Any of the signs of alcohol poisoning

How to Help

• Stay with them and speak calmly.
• Get them out of the situation.
• Have them sip water, but don't force them to eat.
• Keep them still and warm, even if they say they feel warm.
• Call 911 if they're unconscious, hard to wake up, vomiting or breathing slowly.

Illinois Law

• You must be 21 to buy, have or drink alcohol.
• Using a fake ID is illegal.
• Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, drugs or both is illegal. If you're 21 or older and driving with a BAC of 0.08% or higher, you'll be issued a DUI. If you're under 21 and have any alcohol in your system, you'll be issued a DUI.

NIU Policies

• Tobacco, Alcohol, Cannabis and Other Drugs policy
• Student Code of Conduct: conduct violations, sanctions and procedures
• Student Involvement event policies: on-campus and off-campus social events
• Fraternity and Sorority Life policies: chapter houses and third-party locations

Consent is:

• Clear, informed and voluntary agreement
• Active and ongoing
• Needed for every action
• Something you can take back at any time

Consent isn't silence or a lack of resistance, and a person who's unable to respond can't give it.

An external condom is a single-use sheath of thin latex or another material. It fits over an erect penis and catches semen to help prevent pregnancy and STIs.

Latex

• Most condoms made and used in the U.S. are latex.
• Use only water- or silicone-based lubricant with latex condoms, never oil, petroleum jelly or lotion.
• Some people are allergic to latex and may want to use polyurethane condoms instead.

Polyurethane

• Made from a synthetic material similar to plastic
• Less stretchy than latex, kind of like a thin sandwich bag, and wider than an average-size condom
• Can be used with water- or silicone-based lubricant

Size

• Made as one size fits all, but sizes and the tightness of the rings vary by brand
• Some are a snugger fit, while others are larger. A snug but comfortable fit lowers the chance the condom slips off during sex.

Texture

• Some people prefer thinner condoms for more sensation. Others prefer thicker condoms to feel more secure.
• Ribbed or studded condoms are designed to increase pleasure for one or both partners.

How to Use an External Condom

1. Get consent.
2. Check the expiration date.
3. Check the package for damage.
4. Tear it open carefully.
5. Add a drop of lube inside the tip.
6. Pinch the tip of the condom.
7. Roll it down to the base of the penis or object.
8. "Burp" the condom to push out any air.
9. Add lube to the outside of the condom.
10. Have sex.
11. Hold the base of the condom while pulling out.
12. Remove the condom and throw it away.

An internal condom is inserted into the vagina to prevent pregnancy, or into the vagina or anus to protect against STIs.

Latex-Free

Internal condoms are made from a soft material called nitrile. They're hypoallergenic and won't irritate sensitive genital skin.

How to Insert an Internal Condom

1. Get consent.
2. Check the expiration date.
3. Check the package for damage.
4. Tear it open carefully.
5. Add lube if you'd like.
6. Relax and get into a comfortable position, like standing with one foot on a chair, lying down or squatting, similar to putting in a tampon.
7. Squeeze together the sides of the inner ring at the closed end of the condom, and slide it into your vagina like a tampon.
8. Push the inner ring into your vagina as far as it can go, up to your cervix. Make sure it isn't twisted.
9. Pull out your finger and let the outer ring hang about an inch outside your body.
10. For anal sex, remove the inner ring and use your finger to insert the condom into your anus, leaving the outer ring outside your body.
11. Guide your partner's penis into the opening of the condom. Make sure it doesn't slip between the condom and your vaginal or anal walls.

How to Remove an Internal Condom

1. After sex, twist the outer ring to keep semen inside the pouch.
2. Gently pull it out of your vagina or anus without spilling any semen.
3. Throw it in the trash. Never flush a condom, because it can clog the toilet.
4. Internal condoms aren't reusable. Use a new one every time you have sex.

Dental Dams

A dental dam is a thin piece of latex used for oral-vaginal or oral-anal sex. You can also make one from an external condom.

Diaphragm and Cervical Cap

• Block sperm from getting past the cervix
• Can be used more than once if cleaned
• Protect against pregnancy only

Pill, Patch, Shot, IUD, Ring or Implant

• Protect against pregnancy only
• Talk with your doctor to find the method that works best for you.

Abstinence

• Abstinence means choosing not to have intercourse. Other kinds of intimacy, like massage, kissing and solo masturbation, are still options.
• Abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancy that's 100% effective.

• No sexual contact is the surest way to protect yourself from infection.
• Being exposed to an STI doesn't automatically mean you'll be infected.
• If you think you may have been exposed, get tested by a health care provider, like NIU Health Services.
• Some infections can spread through other contact, such as mutual masturbation and oral-genital, genital-genital or anal-genital contact.
• Used correctly every time, condoms provide excellent, though not perfect, protection from STIs. External condoms, internal condoms and dental dams all provide protection.
• You can turn a condom into a barrier for oral-genital or oral-anal contact by cutting it lengthwise and stretching it over the area.