Volume 124 Issue 2
kansan.com
TAKING CHARGE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Lawrence leads Manhattan in
UNK
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
PAGE 47
HEALTH
Trouble sleeping? You're not alone.
BRITTANY NELSON editor@kansan.com
It's 2 a.m. on a Tuesday night,
and Katie Meskero, a senior from Overland Park, is wide awake. She knows she has to teach Math 101 at 8 a.m., but she said she doesn't even try to go to sleep because she knows she won't be able to.
When she finally decides to snooze, Meserko said she cannot go to sleep without the TV flickering in the dark room.
"I will not fall asleep unless I'm somewhat focused on something in the background," Meserko said. "Otherwise, I constantly think in my head things I have to do or need to do, or get creative ideas."
According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, at least 40 million adults suffer from chronic, long-term sleep problems and 20 to 30 million suffer from occasional sleep problems. So, like many other adults, Meserko needs help getting to sleep.
Anne Owen, Lawrence psychologist, said that people need some kind of bedtime routine to go to sleep.
"Doing something that's not compelling or interesting can help shift you from thinking about your problems or worries of the day, and you will be more likely to fall asleep," Owen said. "Most people find that playing video games or surfing the web are activating, so reading quietly might be a better choice."
If every time you go to bed and feel anxious, even if you are tired, you will not fall asleep, she said.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN
Joe Sayegh, a graduate from Stillwell, said he has to have some sort of distraction to fall asleep, such as having the TV on or playing a game on his cell phone.
busy day or random things. Watching TV gets my mind off things."
"Usually, I'm not tired enough to fall asleep by the time I want to," Sayegh said. "I'm too bored to sit there and I usually think about my
But Sayegh said if his girlfriend is with him, he doesn't need something else to distract him.
"If someone is there, I usually fall asleep fine," Sayegh said.
Owen said that if people don't have a serious sleep problem and falling asleep to a TV works for them, she sees nothing wrong with it. However, she said there are better ways to prepare yourself for sleep.
"Mindfulness meditation is a good technique to help ease your mind for better sleeping." Owen said.
According to the medical dictionary, mindfulness meditation is defined as, "a technique of meditation in which distracting thoughts and feelings are not ignored but are rather acknowledged and observed nonjudgmentally as they arise to create a detachment from the and gain insight and awareness."
Reading a book is a bedtime routine that sleep experts recommend.
Keith Floyd, a psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services, said that the more people get frustrated that they are not asleep, the more their insomnia will worsen.
"Instead of getting angry that you're awake at 3 a.m. and have to get up in two hours, mindfulness meditation makes you think in a different way to where you accept your current situation." Floyd said. "Therefore you will not have anxiety, which leads to falling asleep faster."
"it's bad to exercise late at night because it raises your core body temperature," Owen said. "If you are hot inside or outside of your body, you will not fall asleep."
There are also many things people should avoid before hitting the sheets. Owen said that our body temperature decreases throughout the night, and this drop in temperature supports the body's sleep system.
TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEPING
Contributing to Student Success
Have a routine
SOURCE: CAPS WEBSITE
facebook.com/kudining
twitter.com/kudining
foursquare.com/kudining
Have a routine Sleep only when you are tired Only use your bed for sleeping Exercise on a regular basis Avoid taking naps
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bookstore recently began offering price comparisons between its own prices, Amazon.com and Halff. com.
1 can "like" our
"There was one student that said, It was the best idea that KU has ever had." Rourke said.
Rentals cost 61 percent less than new print textbooks and could reduce the yearly amount spent on textbooks, according to Student PIRGs, an organization consisting of college students that looks at the rising cost of college.
But while students can save money renting or buying online, the bookstore prides itself on being there for students even after they've bought their textbooks.
Renting textbooks has also become a more popular option among students.
"We are the non-profit store for the University," Rourke said. "Every profit that we make goes right back into student success such as the Student Union Activities (SUA) and the campus radio station,
GRAPHIC BY HANNAH WISE/KANSAN
CLASSIFIEDS 2B
CROSSWORD 4A
CRYPTOQUIPS 4A
OPINION 5A
Don't forget
ns, unless stated otherwise. © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Kansan.com will also be getting a new look in the coming months. To complement our print redesign, we're striving to make Kansan.com an online destination for students. We want you to check out our exclusive content, watch Web videos and daily KUJH-T TV broadcasts and talk with our football and basketball writers during games in live chats hosted on the website. If you have ideas of what you'd like to see on our website, let us know.
The UDK will continue to keep students and others up-to-date through our new mobile app and a stronger social media presence. You can find The University Daily Kansan's mobile app on Android and in the iTunes store. We've also re-branded our Twitter accounts to our redesign and added more accounts. To stay updated on news on campus and around Lawrence, follow us at @UDK_News. For the latest on KU sports teams, follow @UDK_Sports. And to read opinion
Though The UDK is undergoing a gamut of changes, one thing hasn't change: We're still the student voice. We're your voice. So, let us know what you think. What do you think of our redesign? What do you want to see in the paper, on TV and online? Send an email to editor@kansan.com and let us know. After all, that's why we're here.
out the day to bring news to students and alummi.
Another change will debut on Friday, Sept. 2 before Kansas takes on McNeese State at Memorial Stadium. Friday papers before home football games will have an expanded sports section sponsored by the Wave, our sports magazine, and will include game predictions and analysis. The paper will be tabloid-style like Jayplay, our weekly lifestyle magazine, and don't worry, we'll still have our regular news, opinion and entertainment content.
Today is the first day of classes. Don't forget to go to yours or you could fail.
Stroda is editor-in-chief of The University Daily Kansan. She is a senior from Salina.
Facebook page, too.
Today's Weather
Forcasts done by
University students. For
a more detailed forecast,
see page 24.
HI: 92
LO: 71
It least it's not 100!