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Dear K,I’m having some roommate issues (#typicalcollegekid). I’m an extremely light sleeper, and when my roommate gets up early in the morning, she without a doubt wakes me up. She consistently gets up hours before I do and goes in and out of the room, moves things around, opens drawers, etc. She tries to be quiet, but I simply cannot sleep while she is doing these things. Is there any way to ameliorate this, or do I have to just suck it up (and/or get my hands on some high dose Benadryl)?
— SleeeeepySally
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Dear SleeeeepySally,
Roommate problems: the epitome of dorm life. There are a variety of troubles that can arise from living 5 feet away from a stranger (or even a friend) and having to spending at least 1/3 of your day together. As you mentioned, one major issue that can come up is the disruption of sleep. Now, it is important to understand that no one is perfect, and the occasional roommate mistake is understandable; nonetheless, when the issue because a repeated problem, it is fair to speak up and take steps to ameliorate the situation.
First of all, figure out the very specific things that she is doing that are disrupting you. The more you are able to list specific things for her to change, the easier it will be to discuss it. Instead of just telling her that she makes too much noise or that she wakes you up, you could explain to her that the drawers slamming are very loud, or the light is too bright. Knowing particular things that are causing problems can help her to fix them rather than simply feeling attacked.
Begin by acknowledging that you know that she is trying to be quiet. Explain that you are simply a light sleeper and are having trouble sleeping through the noise/light/etc. Furthermore, let her know some possible solutions that you have come up to fix the things that bother you (i.e. Only turn on her lamp instead of the overhead light, prop the door open so she doesn’t have to open/close it), by providing her with solutions, it shows that you are helping put in effort as well.
That being said, sometimes things don’t change, or you really are an extremely light sleeper (so is my mother, I tease her about it all the time!). Earplugs are the obvious suggestion and are very effective for blocking out sound. Another possibility is a playlist of soft songs to listen to while you sleep (but can still hear your alarm when its time for class).
Sharing a room is not always the easiest thing in the world, and it definitely requires some give and take. Try out these suggestions, and hopefully you will receive your full hours of beauty sleep!
Xo,
K