VOLUME 118 ISSUE 22
HEALTH
KU ranks 45th in safe sex
Sexual Health programs at the University of Kansas were ranked 45th out of 139 schools, according to the Trojan 2007 Sexual Health Report Card. The rankings were released Monday.
Sperling's BestPlaces ranked the universities on behalf of Troian.
The University of Minnesota received the No.1 ranking.
Ken Sarber, health educator for the Wellness Resource Center, said he was happy with the results but would like to pursue the top spot on the list.
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》 LAWRENCE
Downtown fun features music, beer, barbecue
In an effort to promote the downtown area, the Lawrence City of Commerce will sponsor "Get Downtown Lawrence Live 2007" from 4 to 10 tonight on Eighth Street between Massachusetts and New Hampshire streets.
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The event will include live performances from local bands, the KU Band and Spirit Squad, $3 beers and a special $5 barbecue dinner from Buffalo Bob's Smokehouse. The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce will provide water and sodas for a small fee.
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© 2007 The University Daily Kansan
Recent studies by the British Sleep Council concluded that it is more difficult for teenagers to fall asleep when they have electronic devices in their bedrooms. Carole Guillaume of Watkins Memorial Health Center said that the presence of tech equipment in bedrooms made people of all ages think they had work to do and did not allow their bodies to relax and transition into sleep mode. Guillaume suggests people should keep their bedrooms electronics-free to ensure nood sleep.
Nighttime tech use curbs sleep
Studies show using electronic equipment keeps body active, restless
mdent@kansan.com
BY MARK DENT
Nintendo Wii is calling Doug Bradys name.
Brady, Topeka freshman, has just finished his homework and wants to reward himself. He plays for a half hour then goes to sleep at about midnight — or at least he tries to.
"I notice after playing video games I get wound up," Brady said. "Sometimes I struggle to fall asleep."
Recent studies by the British Sleep Council
have shown that the prevalence of electronic devices in bedrooms causes teenagers to take longer to fall asleep. Carole Guillaume, a staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center certified in family and sleep medicine, agreed with the study's results and said the subject had been studied several times. She said TVs, cell phones, computers,
"The bedroom should be a restful environment. It should be reserved for sleep, sex and sickness."
including college students, because they took away the transition time from the hectic pace of life to the sleep world.
The electronic devices stimulate people who use them before bed, Guillaume said. They turn on the body's sympathetic nervous system when people need to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system to relax. She said people should unwind for an hour before they went to bed.
music players and other devices inhibited the ability to fall asleep for people of all ages.
Guillaume said the presence of electronics could be just as negative as using them. She gave the example of a computer. She said the
DR. CAROLE GUILLAUME Staff Physician Watkins Memorial Health Center
sight alone could make a person feel like work needs to be done.
"You should really have a bedroom without electronics in it," Guillaume said. "The bedroom should be a restful environment. It should be reserved for sleep, sex and sickness."
he and his roommate shared a TV and a Nintendo Wii and each had a laptop. Jill
Most college rooms aren't. They have more gadgets in them than Circuit City. Brady said
by the numbers
College students and electronics:
41 percent own a portable MP3 player
3. 5 average hours spent on the internet per day
20 average minutes spent texting every day
Alloy College Explorer Study
Dorsey, Topeka freshman, usually talks on her cell phone before she goes to bed and sometimes uses her computer.
National statistics show similarities. According to the Alloy College Explorer Study, 41 percent of college students owned a portable MP3 player in 2006. Students spent about three and a half hours each day on the Internet and 20 minutes text messaging.
Taking a long time to fall asleep is a problem for college students. Guillaume said college students needed about seven and a half to nine hours of sleep each night, although it varies for each person. If it took someone a long time to fall asleep, Guillaume said, he
or she will would to sleep in late. That's not possible for students who have classes in the morning.
Guillaume said lack of sleep could cause headaches, poor memory, poor concentration and falling asleep in class. Guillaume also said use of alcohol combined with a lack of sleep was twice as bad.
Even with these studies, it could be tough to pull college students away from their electronics. Brady said the seven hours of sleep that he averaged a night was plenty.
"Once I get going, I'm fine," he said. "If I get in a really boring class, it's different. But even if you get 10 hours of sleep you'd struggle to get through those classes."
Dorsey said she thought she could fall asleep faster if she stopped talking on her phone before bed, but she had no plans of stopping her nightly routine.
"I'm so tired 50 percent of the time that I skip it because I don't want to get wound up," Brady said. "The other 50 percent — I just can't resist it."
Brady is slightly more likely to change his ways. He said he had already started playing less Wii to get more Zs.
— Edited by Amelia Freidline
ENTERTAINMENT
Catch the 'Buzz' at comedy performance
Students looking for some entertainment before the start of Saturday's football game can watch comedian Buzz Sutherland perform. He will perform at 2 p.m. Saturday at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
Tickets are still available and cost $5 for the general public or are free with an SUA Preferred Student Card. Susan Hoffman, assistant director of Union Programs, said she was expecting a big walk-up crowd.
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Sutherland
》 SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Golf tournament raises money for scholarships
Family Weekend begins today with the Gale Sayer: Golf Tournament put on by the School of Education.
This is the first year that the golf tournament has coincided with Family Weekend. Other events continue tomorrow including several open houses, a tailgate before the football game, a parent breakfast that
Chancellor Robert Hemenway will be attending and other activities. Students and their families can choose which events they want to attend.
Free parking is provided for parents in the Student Recreation Fitness Center parking lot. A shuttle will be running back and forth to campus.
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