Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor08.20.22
Back to school is meant to signify a joyful time in a student’s life. This includes expanding their knowledge of new fields of study, making new friends and being reconnected with their peers and supportive mentors and professors. It’s even a time to boast their fall-ready wardrobes and manicures.
But it also presents its own set of challenges, especially among college-age students who dread long hours at the library cramming for exams, or experience unpleasant emotions like separation anxiety and depression when living away from home for the first time. They may also experience stress tied to the pressures of keeping up academically and socially, and feel spread too thin when taking on too many assignments, not to mention taking part in all kinds of extracurriculars. It can all impact mental health and take a physical toll, too.
The disruption of sleep schedules can have detrimental effects on cognitive abilities like concentration, memory and academic performance, and can even lead to general unhappiness. According to Medical News Today, such stressors keep a whopping 68% of students up at night. And 20% said stress keeps them awake at least once a week. In fact, stress disrupts more sleep patterns than alcohol, caffeine and smart phone device usage. The bright blue light emitted from phones can throw off the circadian rhythm and shift melatonin, the hormone associated with the sleep-wake cycle.
Feeling Good = Classroom Success
To keep mental health and wellness at the forefront of the college experience, The Vitamin Shoppe, Secaucus, NJ, partnered with Follett Higher Education Group to deliver an assortment of mood- and nutrition-enhancing vitamins, protein powders, collagen and immunity-supporting supplements to select campus bookstores across the US.
Follett, based in Westchester, IL, is the largest campus store operator in North America, serving more than 1,100 colleges and universities.
Starting this month, The Vitamin Shoppe will offer students at select Follett stores and its corresponding e-commerce sites a selection of wallet-friendly foundational health vitamins and supplements that aid in academic and sports performance and support sleep, mood and brain health. Available brands at launch include The Vitamin Shoppe products, BodyTech and BodyTech Elite, which both support workout performance; Plnt, a meal replacement plant protein supplement; and TrueYou, an enhanced collagen powder that supports hair, skin and nail growth.
Vitamin Shoppe CEO Sharon Leite said students on campuses and in college towns across the country are “a key demographic that is increasingly focused on holistic health concerns and Follett is the ideal partner for us to price them with the quality, innovation and expertise that The Vitamin Shoppe is known for.”
According to a post on LexingtonLaw.com, more than 50% of students polled said mental health was a primary concern throughout school, driven by academic pressure and financial strain.
The wellness assortment will be available at Babson College, Boston College, Bowie State University, Georgia State, Indiana University at Bloomington, Pepperdine University, Smith College, Stanford University, Tennessee State at Nashville, The Citadel, University of Florida at Gainesville and the University of Texas at Dallas, among others.
As the partnership progresses, it will expand to more locations and product assortments including on-the-go energy drinks and protein bars.
“We know when students feel their best, it can translate to success in the classroom,” Emmanuel Kolady, CEO of Follett Higher Education, said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with The Vitamin Shoppe to further enhance our goal of improving student outcomes by conveniently offering first-class health and wellness products.”
But will students move some of their beer money and coffee coffers into a wellness wallet? According to the Education Data Initiative, the average student spends $342 eating off campus every month and nearly $100 on coffee per month. Alcohol came in at $42 at month. Vitamin Shoppe is counting on kids to find room in their budget for mental health.