Explore Wellness Topics

To eat well is to consume food and beverages that will help your body to function properly. Here are some tips to eat well:

Strive for a Healthy, Well-Balanced Diet

• A balanced meal allows you to fuel your body with the energy and nutrients it needs. MyPaw can help you learn more about the various food groups, how much to consume from each group, and tips on incorporating them into your diet.

Explore Campus Dining Services’ Resources

• MyDining and the Healthy Huskie Choices feature provide nutrition and food allergy information to help you choose what food options are best for you.

Drink Plenty of Water

• Water is key to supporting your overall health. Check out the American Diabetes Association for tips on how to drink more water and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for how much water you should consume.

Have Healthy Snacks Readily Available

• When you have a busy schedule, it can be easy to choose the convenient food option rather than the healthier and more energizing option. Preparing on-the-go, fueling snacks will make it easier for you to have healthier food options at the ready.
• Learn more about how to prepare the best snacks for you at The Nutrition Source from Harvard.
• For snack ideas and recipes, check out the American Heart Association.

Practice Mindful Eating

• Mindful eating is the act of taking a moment to savor your food. As a result, it can slow consumption, increase awareness of our eating habits, and help us navigate stress eating.
• Learn more about how stress impacts our food choices from the American Psychiatric Association.

Get Personalized Support With Nutrition Coaching

• Nutrition coaches can provide you with 1:1 support for your eating better goals. From meal prepping and cooking to choosing foods to help with energy and concentration, NIU’s Nutrition Coaching program can help.

The goal of sleeping better is to get consistent and quality sleep for your body to feel energized, as well as to support learning, memory storage, and your immune system. Here are some tips for sleeping better:

Strive to Sleep for 7 Hours

• The recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is 7 or more hours. A lack of quality sleep can lead to fatigue, stress, difficulties with learning and memory, and a greater risk of becoming sick.

Nap for an Energy Boost

• A nap lasting no longer than 20-30 minutes can increase energy levels, improve memory, and enhance mood. Learn more about the benefits of naps from the National Sleep Foundation.

Establish a Bedtime Routine

• A nightly schedule can train your brain to know when it is time to go to bed. As a result, your body will start to prepare for rest around your scheduled bedtime, thus making it easier to fall asleep.

Determine Your Ideal Sleep Environment

• A cool, dark, and quiet bedroom is the recommended environment for quality sleep. However, creating a sleep space that feels comfortable and relaxing to you is the most important.

Trouble Falling Asleep? Try These:

• Get up and do a quiet activity, such as taking a brief walk, reading a book, or journaling. The activity should be one that does not involve any screens as that can disrupt your sleep.
• Avoid using alcohol and other drugs to fall asleep as that disrupts your sleep quality.
• Engage in daily exercise as it promotes better sleep and can help you to fall asleep more easily.

Moving more is all about engaging in physical activity to help your mind and body feel its best. Here are some tips to move more in your day:

Strive for 150 Minutes of Moderate-Intensity Movement Per Week

• This is the recommended amount of physical activity for adults. You can divide this time accordingly throughout your week, such as 30 minutes 5 times a week.
• How do you know if it is “moderate-intensity”? If you notice your heart beating more and you are breathing heavier, then you have reached moderate intensity.

Move in a Way That Brings Joy

• Choosing a physical activity that brings you joy can help increase your motivation for movement. Try dancing, walk with friends, join a sports club, or take a stroll around the lagoon to enjoy nature.

Connect with NIU Recreation

• NIU Recreation offers many options and services, such as group fitness, sport clubs, fitness equipment, adventure trips, and more. It can be a great place to meet new people, be well, and have fun!

Use Movement to Reenergize

• Having trouble focusing? Struggling to start that assignment? Try taking a 5–10-minute walk or movement break. It can help reenergize your mind and body, thus improving your ability to study and tackle assignments.

Movement Boosts Mental Health

• Physical activity can buffer the effects of stress and improve mood. It can also decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Overall, movement enhances your emotional well-being.

When you prioritize connection with yourself and others, you are building supportive and healthy relationships to help you feel accepted and not alone in your experiences. Social support can also help to buffer the effects of stress and enable you to thrive. Here are some tips for finding a connection:

Join an Organization

• Follow your interests and find a group on campus that aligns with your passions, experiences, and or identity. Explore Student Involvement to find a student organization or volunteer opportunities.

Attend an Event or Program

• The NIU Events Calendar has something scheduled every day. Explore the calendar, find what interests you, and attend. Try going solo or ask a peer if they want to join.

Making Connections Can be Tough, so be Kind to Yourself!

• It can be stressful to find and start a new friendship, especially when you are by yourself or feel overwhelmed by starting a conversation. Encourage yourself to step out of your comfort zone and make those connections. Remember that you are not alone in this experience, so be kind and patient with yourself.

Initiate the Conversation

• Having the courage to start a new connection can be a challenge. Try making small talk while you are in line for food, waiting for an elevator or bus, or even turning to a new classmate before class begins. Small talk could include giving someone a compliment, asking a question about an assignment, or getting their thoughts on a recent event or experience.

Lean Into Nearby Connections

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

Alcohol Impairs Your Body Through the Bloodstream

• After consuming alcohol, it gets digested and then absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, it eventually reaches the brain and starts to impair your body’s functioning.
• The liver is responsible for removing alcohol from your body’s system. It does so by metabolizing one drink per hour. As a result, time is the only way to get sober.

BAC Measures Levels of Alcohol Impairment

• BAC, or blood alcohol concentration, is a measurement that indicates the percentage of alcohol in your body. This is used to determine the physiological and behavioral effects of alcohol on your body.
• It’s important to know how many standard drinks you have consumed when calculating BAC. One standard drink is equal to a 12-ounce beer, 4-5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

Understanding What Influences BAC Levels Can Help You Make Safer Choices

• Time, quantity and speed of consumption
• Physical variables, such as body weight, stomach contents, and other drugs in your system
• Drink components, like temperature of the drink, carbonation, and potency (i.e. % alcohol)

What Does Your Body Experience Based on the Number of Standard Drinks and BAC Levels?

If You Choose to Drink, Use These Strategies to Be Safer

• Set a limit and pace yourself (≈1 drink/hour)
• Eat before and while drinking
• Alternate drinking non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages
• Skip drinking games, pre-gaming, and energy drinks
• Avoid mixing caffeine with alcohol

When You’re Out With friends, Use Group Mentality

• Stick with your group
• Protect your drink (keep it with you)
• Trust your gut and leave if needed
• Respect the rights of those who choose not to drink
• Use a designated driver

Speak Up and Help a Friend if They Are Drunk or in a Potentially Dangerous Situation

• Signs of being drunk or serious impairment include:
  • Speaking loudly and or slurred speech
  • Poor coordination and focus
  • Radical changes in behaviors and emotions
  • Falling asleep or feeling drowsy
  • Shows signs of alcohol poisoning
• Use these strategies to help a friend who is drunk:
  • Stay with them and speak calmly
  • Remove them from the environment
  • Have them sip water, but don’t force them to eat
  • Keep them still and warm, even if they feel warm
  • Call for immediate medical attention if the person is unconscious, hard to wake, vomiting, or breathing slowly

Seek Immediate Medical Attention if You Notice Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

• Signs of alcohol poisoning
  • Nausea, vomiting, seizures
  • Slowed, irregular breathing
  • Confusion and stupor
  • Blue-tinged or pale skin
  • Low body temperature
  • Unconscious and cannot be woken
• NIU maintains a policy of amnesty for students who attempt to seek help for themselves and/or others in need of medical attention due to alcohol or drug use.
  • If you seek medical attention in good faith, the Office of Student Conduct may choose not to pursue disciplinary action.

In Illinois, You Must Be 21 to Purchase, Possess and Consume Alcohol

• It is also important to know that it is illegal to use false identification.
• Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, drugs, or a combination is illegal in Illinois. If you are over the age of 21 and are driving with a BAC of 0.08% or higher, you will be issued a DUI. If you are under the age of 21 and have any alcohol in your system, you will be issued a DUI.

Be Aware of NIU Policies That Relate to Alcohol and Drug Use

• Tobacco, Alcohol, Cannabis, and Other Drugs
• Student Code of Conduct
  • Conduct violations and sanctions
  • Conduct procedures
• Student Involvement event policies
  • On-campus social events policies
  • Off-campus social events policies
• Fraternity and Sorority Life policies
  • Chapter houses
  • Third-party locations

Remember: Consent is Permission

• Clear, informed and voluntary agreement
• Is not silence or lack of resistance
• Cannot be given if a person is unable to respond
• Active and ongoing
• Must be obtained for every action
• Can be withdrawn at any time

Safer Sex Means Practicing One or More Behaviors That Will Reduce Your Risk of Experiencing a Negative Consequence (Contracting an Sti or Becoming Pregnant) From Sexual Activities

• The term "safer sex" is used instead of "safe sex" since every sexual contact involves some form of risk -- there is a continuum of risk from very low to extremely high.

There Are a Variety of Safer Sex Options and Supplies

• Use a protective barrier, like a condom or dental dam, and use lubricant
• Choose to not have sex
• If you do choose to have sex, it is important to communicate with your partner about getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

NIU Health Services Offers Free Safer Sex Supplies at No Additional Cost

• Safer sex supplies available include external condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, and lubricant. These items are located on a kiosk inside of Health Services. Students do not need to ask anyone for the supplies and can be taken at their leisure.
• Health Services also offers STI testing.

A single-use sheath of thin latex or other material designed to fit over an erect penis and to catch semen upon ejaculation to prevent pregnancy and/or STIs.

Latex

• The majority of condoms are manufactured and used in the U.S.
• Latex condoms can only be used with water- or silicone-based lubricants (no oil, petroleum jelly, or lotion)
• Some people are allergic to latex and may consider using polyurethane condoms instead.

Polyurethane

• Made from a synthetic material similar to plastic
• Not as elastic as latex (kind of like a thin sandwich bag), and wider than the average-sized condom, they can also be used with water- or silicone-based lubricants

Size

• Manufactured as one-size-fits-all
• Standard sizes and the tightness of the elastic rings, however, vary by manufacturer
• Some condoms are a "snugger fit," while others are "larger sized." A snug yet comfortable fit decreases the chances that a condom will slip off during intercourse.

Texture

• Some people prefer thinner condoms that allow for more sensation. Others prefer thicker condoms to feel more secure.
• Other choices include "ribbed" or "studded" condoms, which are designed to give one or both partners increased pleasure

Steps to Using an External Condom

1. Get consent
2. Check expiration date
3. Check packaging
4. Tear open carefully
5. Add a drop of lube inside the tip
6. Pinch the tip of the condom
7. Roll down to the base of the penis or object
8. “Burp,” the condom
9. Add lube to the outside of the condom
10. Action
11. Hold the base of the condom while pulling out
12. Remove and throw away

An alternative to regular condoms that is inserted in your vagina for pregnancy prevention or into the vagina or anus for protection from STIs.

Latex-Free

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

How to Insert an Internal Condom

1. Get consent
2. Check expiration date
3. Check packaging
4. Tear open carefully
5. Add lube if desired
6. Relax and get into a comfortable position. Standing with one foot on a chair, lying down or squatting are common— kind of like how you’d put 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’s not twisted
9. Pull out your finger and let the outer ring hang about an inch outside the body. You’re good to go!
10. For anal sex, remove the inner ring and insert the condom into your anus with your finger, leaving the outer ring hanging out.
11. Now, guide your partner’s penis into the opening of the condom, making sure it doesn’t slip to the side between the condom and your vaginal or anal walls

How to Remove an Internal Condom

1. After sex, twist the outer ring (the part that’s hanging out) to keep semen inside the pouch
2. Gently pull it out of your vagina or anus, being careful not to spill any semen
3. Throw it away in the trash (never flush any kind of condom, because it can clog your toilet)
4. Internal condoms are not reusable — use a new one every time you have sex

Dental Dams

• A thin piece of latex is used for oral to vaginal or oral to anal sex. These can also be made from an external condom.

Diaphragm and Cervical Cap

• Blocks sperm from getting past the cervix
• Can be used more than once if they are cleaned
• These only protect against pregnancy

Pill, Patch, Shot, IUD, Ring, or Implant

• These types of contraception protect against pregnancy only
• Speak to your doctor to find a method that works best for you

Sexual Abstinence

• Deliberately avoids intercourse. This definition allows other forms of sexual intimacy such as massaging, kissing, and solitary masturbation.
• Abstinence is the only method of avoiding pregnancy that is 100 percent effective.

• No sexual contact is the surest way to protect yourself against infection
• Exposure to an STI does not automatically mean you will be infected
• If you believe you may have been exposed, seek testing from a health care provider
• Some infections can be transmitted via other contact, such as mutual masturbation; oral-genital, genital-genital, l or anal-genital contact
• Condoms provide excellent, although not perfect, protection from STIs if used correctly and consistently. External condoms, internal condoms, and dental dams all provide protection.
• Condoms can be made into effective latex barriers for oral-genital or oral-anal contact by cutting a condom lengthwise and stretching it over the desired area.