Opinion: Dorm beds are unacceptable

Working as a reporter, in addition to staying on top of class work, is among the most stressful endurance tests I have ever had to face in my short life. Keeping a tight schedule of writing stories, typing up term papers, doing reading assignments and setting up interviews often leaves me drained of energy and carrying a bad migraine by the end of the day. Despite these daily issues, however, I find that what gives me the strength to make it all more than bearable is a good night of sleep. I only wish that my bed was willing to cooperate.

As a resident of Smith Hall, my room contains the same twin-size mattress as every room of the hall. The problem with this is that I outgrew twin-size mattresses about five years ago. When I want to relax, I prefer to have my limbs stretched out as much as possible, so I find it rather discomforting to know that, by stretching my legs out to their full length, my feet end up on my desk. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect to get a bed fit for a king, but I'd also appreciate not having to curl up every night just to fit on a mattress that I was probably too big for when I was 16 years old.

Even ignoring the size of it, the mattress is just flat out uncomfortable. I've slept in sleeping bags and on carpeted floors that were more comfortable than this bed. I've actually bought a layer of foam to lie under the sheet to make the surface softer and I still find myself waking up every hour to shift positions. I am an insomniac by no stretch of the imagination. So when I wake up exhausted from five to six hour nights of sleep, there is a serious problem.

Every day I count the minutes to the weekend that I get to return home to Dallas to my full-size feather bed, but ultimately any surface is an improvement over my dorm mattress. On my last visit home, I managed to fall asleep on my living room couch, in a sitting position. Two months ago, while staying with friends, I slept on their old, slightly lumpy couch, and somehow woke up a mere five hours later, fully refreshed.

My lack of comfortable and decent sleep has left me tired, frustrated, and phoning in several days of work just to get a few more minutes of shut eye. In a field that requires me to actively stay on top of things. That is not good. I can only hope that residential assistance heeds my words and shoot for mattresses that are at least more supportive of the human body.