I had no problems with sleeping my whole life until I came to live in the college dorm. Living with roommates is really messing up my whole sleep schedule and now even when my roommates are not here, I can’t sleep because of random thoughts or stress/anxiety. I was wondering if this is common?
I don’t want to go see a doctor because I don’t want to tell my parents about this because they will worry. But I was just wondering, is insomnia pretty common in college students?
@jo8hnn Ah, that’s one reason I now live in a single 
I had a roommate freshman year and had similar sleeping problems (maybe not as bad though). A lot of it was due to the fact that he and I had much different sleeping schedules. A few things you could try:
- Wear earplugs and/or face mask.
- Establish a quiet hours/lights off time with your roommates (E.g. lights off after 1am).
- Try to sleep at a regular time every night.
- Melatonin pill perhaps?
- Invest in good-quality bedding (sounds weird but works for me). If you haven't already, you may want to get a mattress topper as well. These things really improved my sleep quality.
Having random thoughts which induce stress and anxiety is a factor of depression or symptom. You say you are having this even if noise is not around you. For some people this is temporary because of external factors but for some people this will be a lifelong battle. The very worst thing you can do for this condition, whatever it is, is to not treat it. You will worry, your parents may worry, but you can get to it and address it. Otherwise your are going to sweep under the rug any physical or mental conditions that you could confront. If you had cancer would it be better not to tell parents so they don’t worry? Be brave and take care of yourself.
I like to listen to relaxing videos (ASMR) on YouTube.
Insomnia is very common among college students. This can be triggered by irregular sleeping patterns that seem to be part of the college lifestyle combined with the stresses that come with higher education. @MITer94 made excellent suggestions. If it persists, you should get treatment as ongoing insomnia can trigger other mental health issues. Also, do talk to your parents about it, they love you and are the best people to offer you tailor made suppot. The campus counseling center also likely deals with this issue often.