Students at Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) crafted personalized eye masks while learning about healthy sleep habits during the “Sleepy Hygiene Chat & Craft” event on Wednesday.
Hosted by the Student Housing and Residential Life (SHRL) Programming Board and the Personal Growth and Counseling Center (PGCC), the event emphasized the importance of sleep hygiene through discussions, hands-on activities, and wellness resources.
The event was originally conceived by Milo Drake, a first-year business administration major and student assistant with the SHRL Programming Board. It is one of many events Drake has organized as part of the Mini Monte Mayhem initiative, which aims to help students connect with campus resources and build community.
The event began with a discussion on the benefits of sleep hygiene, led by PGCC staff. Students learned how to improve their nightly routines, develop better habits and explore wellness resources like YOU@CSUMB to support their overall health.
“It made me think of how I like to journal before bed, so I thought an event centering [on] sleep hygiene and nightly routines might be beneficial for other students,” said Drake.
After receiving their tips, students were invited to develop their own personalized sleep strategies to improve their nightly routines and promote better sleep quality. After turning in a “sleep plan,” students designed and bejeweled their very own sleep mask.
“I love having events that vary in purpose and style. We talk about wellness, but oftentimes we forget to highlight the importance of sleep and how to build habits to encourage prioritizing one’s health,” said Joshelyn Martin, assistant director for programming and engagement,
Drake not only developed the theme but also partnered with the PGCC, organized the crafting activity and connected the event to the broader Mini Monte Mayhem initiative.
“Milo has incorporated a fun activity such as decorating a sleep mask, partnered with an important office at CSUMB and tripled a student’s incentive to participate by connecting it with the Mini Monte Mayhem initiative,” Martin said. “Very rarely do we see any events include so many components that the participant doesn’t necessarily realize exist but are thoughtfully put together by an event planner.”
Drake emphasized the initiative’s goal of fostering connections between students and campus resources:
“All of the Mini Monte Mayhem events are meant to encourage students to engage with resources or groups on campus. These events are meant to create a place for students to practice using resources before they need them in critical moments.”