May 
By Carisa Anik Platt
We’re all hard-working college students. Some of us work hard at academics, others at extracurriculars, and some work very hard at partying. Others don’t work hard at all, but are still exhausted. Regardless of what activity has you pulling all-nighters, the effects can be detrimental to your health.
Academic and athletic performance suffers when you’re sleep deprived. Negative effects include decreased coordination, delayed visual and auditory reaction time, reduced cardiovascular performance, diminished mental functioning, and reduced endurance. Your body can pay emotional and psychological tolls as well, including impaired moods, and increased perception of exertion.
May is Better Sleep Month. The most common responses to “Hey, how are you?” always seems to be, “Tired.” Here are some ways to change that.
7 Simple Ways to Sublime Slumber
1. Avoid coffee and caffeinated soda during the day. Though you may feel the desired “jolt” initially, you’ll eventually crash.
2. Avoid long naps during the day. However, a 20-30 minute planned nap is a good idea. The National Sleep Foundation says that a 20-30 minute nap can help improve mood, alertness and performance. Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Napoleon, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison were all afternoon nappers!
3. Avoid bedtime snacks. It’s hard on your digestive system.
4. Develop a bedtime routine. For example, listen to soothing music, have a cup of tea, or anything that helps you unwind.
5. Exercise! But try to avoid exercise for at least 2 hours before bed.
6. Keep your room quiet, at a comfortable temperature, and kick out that weird guy sleeping with your roommate. Also try to gradually soften the lights as you get closer to bedtime. This mimics the effects of daylight.
7. Make crawling into bed another signal to your body that it’s time to hit the hay. Try to use your bed just for sleeping…this might be difficult for those who have a more active social life.
Tip of the Month:
The weather is warm and spring fever is setting in! If you do choose to engage in sexual activity, be sure to protect yourself. Barrier methods such as latex gloves (you can cut them open to make a dental dam) and condoms are the only way for those who are sexually active to protect against STIs, and are free at the Health and Counseling Center!
The Scoop on Schizophrenia
By Claire Burke
It is not uncommon here at Lawrence to see students talking to themselves as they go about their day. Don’t jump to conclusions! While this behavior may seem odd, it’s unlikely that these people suffer from mental illness, and, perhaps more importantly, you should not assume that such behavior is indicative of schizophrenia, an often flippantly attributed and frequently misunderstood mental illness.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness plagued by public misconceptions, and it is often attached to multiple personality disorder or extremely violent tendencies. In general, schizophrenia disrupts a person’s ability to distinguish illusion from reality and organize thoughts. Schizophrenia seems to have genetic and environmental causes. Evidence for a genetic predisposition toward schizophrenia exists—it can run in families. It also may be caused by a viral disease during a crucial time of fetal development. Research also seems to show that a predisposition can remain dormant or become active. Activity may be triggered by extremely stressful events such as deaths of family members or close friends, or controllable events like drug abuse.
Common symptoms of schizophrenia include sudden and constant disorganized thinking, bizarre behavior, and delusions of grandeur. Word jumbling and the inability to focus or make coherent sentences are also common. In some cases, visual and auditory hallucinations may occur, commanding the patient’s attention. These are called positive symptoms—things are present that should not be. Negative symptoms include loss of motivation, expression, and social interest. Emotions and actions that should exist go missing.
Schizophrenia shows up most often between the ages of 18 and 25, which is when many people are going through stressful life changing experiences in school, work, and personal life. Men are more likely to become schizophrenic than women. While schizophrenia has no cure, it can be treated with moderate success through medication and therapy. Understanding and support from everyone involved—including the general public—is probably the most helpful treatment of all.
Sat., May 13, 5:00-7:00 p.m.; Wriston Amphitheatre – BACCHUS Root Beer Bash
Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m.; Union Game Room – BACCHUS meetings
Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.; Colman First Floor Lounge – Active Minds meetings
Brought to you by the Student Wellness Committee