OCR Text |
Show DAILY THE UTAH CHRONICLE jr "n JHTT1 I IT" I CASSANDRA HARTLEY Chronicle Feature Writer It's coming. You can feel it. It's that moment in class when the professor's voice becomes a soft murmur and your eyes get so, so heavy. You know you need to pay attention and take notes, but your head keeps dropping and your hand drifts off the page. Maybe you can just lay your head on your desk and close your eyes for a few seconds... For many college students, this scenario is an everyday reality. With changing class Sched--ulejobs, club activities, and the weekend social scene, it's a wonder some college students ever see the inside of their bed. Recent studies confirm that sleep for college students is a major problem. According to these studies, an adult should get about eight hours a night, but students get an average of six hours. Besides their erratic lives, many factors in society cause students to skip a good snooze. James Maas, a psychology professor at Cornell University, suggests that modern technology like lights and computers is one of these factors. This is due to the fact that artificial light disturbs the body's "circadian rhythms," which regulate activities like sleeping. Another factor that affects a person's perception of sleep is the idea that society applauds surviving on little sleep. "People think it's macho to get by on small amounts of sleep," Maas said. Indeed, a survey done by The Sleep Foundation reveals that sleep deprivation is becoming an epidemic with about 70 percent of adults relying on caffeine to make it through their days. Some people are able to function well with only a few hours of sleep and are called "short sleepers," but they are extremely rare. , niniii. in iirf,auMaiMiiMniM The Truth About Sleep and Sleeplessness 5 " S s, Dozing for Dollars: The Benefits of Staying Ahead of the Sleep Deficit Perhaps the reason for society's attitude is that few people really understand the benefits and importance of sleep. Sleeping, especially during the deep stage called REM, restores the body and mind so they can function properly for the next day. Lack of sleep can have several deleterious effects, including: a weak immune system, impaired motor skills, memory loss, and mood swings. One study done by the University of California San Diego focused on how sleep affects memory and thinking in students. The results showed that students who slept more generally had higher GPA's, napped less, and had an easier time falling asleep at night. Individual test scores were also shown to be affected by the amcunt of sleep the student received the night before. For those students who think they can manage class without enough sleep, they should consider some of the other more dangerous The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that as many as 200,000 car crashes are caused or related to sleepy drivers. Some researchers compare the effects of driving while tired with driving under the influence of alcohol. In fact, simulated driving tests given to drowsy drivers have often shown that they are likely to react too slowly to dangers, have blurred vision, and get into fata! accidents. ' " - " .At the University of Rochester, scientists are side-effect- s. currently researching another phenomenon of sleep that people should pay attention to. Their research is finding that lack of sleep, especially insomnia, can increase the risk of depression some patients. among Other studies which have shown that sleep greatly affects mental health and happiness back up this Dreamweaving for Truth Seekers Many people who begin to study sleep are surprised to see such a link between the physical act of sleeping and the brain, but it is not Sleeping well can contribute to sound mental health. uncommon. Dreams, which are an integral part of sleeping, could explain this link. People can have hundreds of dreams in one night, but they are of differing lengths and most are not remembered the next morning A small percentage of people never dream at all or go through periods with no dreams, which result in serious mental problems or physical illness. The exact reason for this reaction hasn't been pinned down, but many scientists believe that the REM stage dreams (when occur) is the stage for restoration of key chemicals and processes in the brain. There are many theories other about the reason for dreams, which range from Freud's theories that they are an expression of the unconsciousVI&WI1PMI fLx ness, to the simple Mill IIIIMi idea that they're a Researchers say most students sleep much less than eight hours a day. collection of images, feelings and ideas, gathered throughout Breathers: Drowsy Monsters or Curable the day. Some people have even come up with Sleep Disorder victims? Although most college students find it hard complex theories and symbols to interpret dreams. Common symbols include falling off enough to make time for sleeping and tracking high objects as representing falling in love or dreams, some also have to struggle with sleepwater as representing life. Some of the more ing disorders on top of that. Most people have bizarre symbols are things like a manicure, heard of sleeping disorders like insomnia and which is believed to represent an upcoming sleep walking, but there are also sleep eaters, wedding with a large age difference between who make meals and eat them while being the bride and groom. unconscious, and narcoleptics, who fall asleep Whether or not you believe in any of these instantly during times of excitement or stress. One particularly hazardous disorder is called theories, paying attention to dreams and nightmares can help you keep tabs on your mental sleep apnea. This disorder causes the person to health and possibly provide insights about your stop breathing for periods of time while sleeping. The effects of this are varied, but in many personality. Since college students usually wake up with patients it can cause severe health problems barely enough time to get out the door, experts and complications. Doctors who have studied suggest that the best way to track dreams is to the disorder recommend that if someone suskeep a notebook by your bed so you can write pects they might have sleep apnea, they should down a brief summary and key images when get it checked out immediately. till you wake up. Later on, say while waiting for the bus or shuttle, you can go over it always-lat- e and write down any thoughts or feelings about the dream that might show how it is relevant to your life. How to Catch the Sandman: Sleeping Tips for Nocturnes With all the new research and attention given to sleep, it's easy to see that it is crucial Insomniacs, Narcoleptics and Apneic see SLEEP, page 8 SHANE MCCAMMON Chronicle Editor in Chief INSERT HUMOR positively not funny whatsoever. There are things that are so unfunny, I could be sent to hell for making fun of them. There are topics of conversation COLUMN HERE... I'm supposed to write something funny here. Something that will make you laugh, something that will make you forget your pathetic exis- tence (which consists of midterms oozing cut of your clogged pores). I'm supposed to write something that will hopefully not bore you. But the more I've done this job and the more I've had people tell me how to do my job I've learned there are some things that are just so distasteful that one mutterance inspires people to never talk to you again, to pass you in the halls, to draw little horns on your column photo. Take dead dogs for example. They are inherently not funny. My dad used to sing this song called "My Dead Dog Rover." It went a little something like this: There's my dead dog Rover Laying on the basement floor, One leg is broken, the other is sore, or something like that. I don't quite remember the song CHRONICLE FEATURE EDITOR actually, but because it's not funny, I shouldn't remember it. And because my dad has probably really offended and animal-right- s pet lovers activists the world over with his grotesque song, I suppose I shouldn't talk to him anymore because he is a horrible and insensitive human being. Another topic that is definitely not funny at all is sexual intercourse or coitus. Contrary to popular belief and Must See TV, sexual intercourse is neither fun nor funny. It is serious business, a beautiful thing, a way in which miracles are born into the world. I used to think sex was funny. I mean, just think about all the weird JAMES GARDNER shapes of things. But before you start to snicker, just remember that it's not something we should talk about at the dinner table or with our that she had in her stupid mobile home. used to ask her why she didn't get a real cat and she said something like "oh, who needs a real cat when I've got of all these kitties?" and she even pet one. I mean, good lord! She actually pet one of them! Even though I was about five years old, I kids. I used to like sex, but now I realize it is something we should take so seriously that turning off all the cendoms lights, wearing sheep-ski- n and not completely undressing is both necessary and required unless you desire to be a terrible person. Oh, another thing that's really not funny are When I was a kid, I used to snicker a would every time my wear out the batteries taking stupid pictures of us, and I used to make fun of all the stupid ceramic cats laughed my ass off. But it's not funny. She's dead now. If I want to be a good person, I should whip myself for making fun of my dear old The most unfunny topic of all, especially in this area of the country, great-grandmothe- great-grandm- great-grandm- JGARDNERCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU 581-704- ' I a. see GOD, page 8 1 |