Health Special Section by The Beacon

HEALTHY LIVING

*Note from the special section editors: Choose two: grades, a social life or sleep. The classic conundrum of maintaining balance is all too real for many of us. We drag our feet through each day, coffee in hand, always feeling like we’re forgetting something or not living up to our full potential. This special section is here to remind us of the importance of self care and prevention. Karen Garcia & Rebekah Markillie • THE BEACON

Binge drinking found to change brain function

By Cheyenne Schoen THE BEACON

Whether it’s losing control of our steps or losing our pre-party meal, many of us have seen alcohol’s immediate effects take a toll on ourselves and on our friends. A pounding headache and a weak stomach are a few things we might face the morning after a night out, but what are some of alcohol’s lesser-known effects on the brain and body that we don’t immediately see? The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as, “a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after four drinks for women and five drinks for men — in about two hours.” A national survey done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed that 60 percent of college students ages 18-22 drank alcohol in the past month, and 2 out of 3 of them did so by binge drinking.

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Binge drinking is a sledgehammer that has a high probability of changing the brain. The brain has just never evolved for that.

Mark Pitzer Professor

Psychology and neuroscience professor Mark Pitzer warns against the effects of binge drinking on the brain. Unlike other drugs, he said, alcohol penetrates all tissues in the body because it is lipophilic, meaning it dissolves quickly into lipids and fats. “Alcohol seems to greatly enhance how GABA neurotransmitters work, so it

is inhibitory,” Pitzer said. “The first brain cells that seem to be involved are in the cerebellum, so the speech goes, becomes slurred, then you have some movement problems, and then everything else goes, including all of the brain tissues.” According to Pitzer, the hippocampus is the next part of the brain affected by binge drinking. The hippocampus is the brain’s memory maker. Drinking a lot in a short amount of time disables the brain’s ability to encode or record memory, which can lead to a memory blackout. Junior environmental science major Marc Dorsey said it’s interesting that we are sometimes able to recall partial memories, which he calls a “brownout.” “You can have a blackout, where you don’t remember anything, or a brownout, where you remember bits and pieces, or right before you blacked out or right after,” Dorsey said. “With a blackout, it’s interesting that you can recall when you blacked out, the last memory before, but then after that it’s just nothing. I’d be interested to know what happens biologically during a blackout.” Pitzer has an answer. “As those doses of alcohol continue up, you continue to alter brain activity, and the blackouts come about because you have changes in the activity in the hippocampus,” Pitzer said. Alcohol’s effects extend beyond the brain. The liver works to get rid of toxins in your body, and that includes alcohol. The liver makes a toxin during the metabolization process of alcohol that is even more harmful than the alcohol

Parker Shoaff • THE BEACON

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 60 percent of college students ages 18-22 drank alcohol in the past month, and two out of three of them did so by binge drinking. it is breaking down, and these toxins can damage the liver’s cells and other organs. “The liver and the muscle tissue kick out their enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase, which can break down alcohol, but they are overwhelmed, and there’s just no way they can keep up,” Pitzer said. Pitzer explained that the danger with binge drinking is in the reward circuits that come with it, because those reward circuits may lead to withdrawals and later to addiction. “The reward circuits that evolved to bring reinforcement when you’re around people, or a certain person, or food when you’re hungry, are totally overwhelmed by any drug,

Fight the common cold

including alcohol,” Pitzer said. “If they’re pushed too hard by huge doses three or five times a week, you can have changes to where the brain functions differently and you have withdrawal symptoms when you don’t have alcohol.” Withdrawal symptoms are dangerous, he said, because college students are in the middle of the risk factor for addictive behaviors, which ranges from ages 15 to 25. “Binge drinking is a sledgehammer that has a high probability of changing the brain,” Pitzer said. “The brain has just never evolved for that. The brain evolved for getting scared, but that goes away really quickly. Or, you know, ‘I found this big cheeseburger in

the forest and that was great!’ But that feeling goes away, and wanting Jägermeister doesn’t.” And have you ever noticed yourself getting sick after a weekend of drinking? That’s probably because alcohol suppresses your immune system’s ability to fight off germs for 24 hours after you’ve gotten drunk. Putting down the bottle and drinking in moderation can eliminate or reduce the harmful effects of alcohol on the body and brain. Moderate drinking, according to the NIAAA, is up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Contact Staff Writer Cheyenne Schoen at schoen17@up.edu.

Every year around this time, people turn to each other, tissues in hand and misery in their sinuses. Others proudly claim they never get sick, as if they have some badge of immunity, until they too, begin coughing. Follow these tips and keep yourself healthy.

Melissa Aguilar • THE BEACON

Keep it clean

Get active

Picking yourself out of the comfort of your warm bed to brave the Rec Center when it’s still Surfaces like keyboards, doorknobs, sinks, drawer pulls and remote controls are hotspots for all dark outside may be the hardest thing you have to do next to your English midterm, but it’s kinds of nastiness you don’t want in your system. Sanitize the most-touched surfaces in your totally worth it. Regular aerobic exercise helps increase the body’s cells that fight infection. dorm or house at least once a week to keep everyone healthy.

Hands off! Though it can be hard to break the habit, by avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth, you cut off the ways infections can get into your system.

Lather up

Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before eating or after coming in contact with germy communal objects.

Relax

The stress of having projects, papers due and roommate drama can really take a toll on your health. Dedicate some time from your busy schedule to take some time to yourself to unwind.

Eat better

Feeding your body antioxidants (the substances that fight off free radicals that damage your cells) can help boost your immune system. While vitamin C may not prevent them, they may help reduce the severity and length of colds.

HEALTH EDITION

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Fantastic fuel (and where to find it)

In the midst of classes, meetings and social commitments, a balanced diet is often one of the first things to fall through. Once unhealthy indulgences become habits, they can be hard to undo.We’ve all heard the myths about the “Freshman 15,” the number of pounds you supposedly pack on your first year away from home, and there are several misconceptions students have as to what it means to be healthy. Alina Rosencranz • THE BEACON

What triggers the Freshman 15?

According to nutrition professor Victoria WarrenMears, several factors play into the notorious weight gain phenomenon that occurs during freshman year. For one, there are more food options available on a college campus. A wider variety of food, combined with a lack of parental control and students’ propensity for stress eating, makes people pack on the pounds. Changes in physical activity also play a role. “I’m pretty sure that at UP there are lots of people who were high school athletes, that aren’t playing their sports at a college level,” Warren-Mears said. “So they’ve changed their physical activity tremendously and you also have to adjust your eating if you change your physical activity.”

What are common mistakes students make regarding food?

A lack of food and water consumption are the two main mistakes UP students make regarding their diet, according to Gemma Hobbs, a dietitian at the Health Center. Often students are too stressed or sleep in and skip a meal as a result. This may cause a lack of concentration later during the

day, Hobbs points out. Students commonly perceive drinks like Vitaminwater and similar beverages as healthy, though they contain a lot of sugar, Hobbs explains. “I think that marketers are really clever and they make them seem like they are full of nutrition and vitamins and all that kind of stuff,” Hobbs said. “But it might not be something that you need every day and you could probably get those vitamins in just regular food.” She recommends cutting back from beverages that contain a lot of caffeine and sugar.

How do I successfully change to a healthy lifestyle?

Before making any actual changes, Warren-Mears explains that it’s important to understand what the individual person has to change. An analysis of one’s current diet is the first step toward a healthier lifestyle. It takes doing something 150 times before a habit is formed, so Warren-Mears recommends taking baby steps. “I usually recommend that people start out by changing one thing at a time,” WarrenMears said. “As opposed to the New Year’s Eve strategy of ‘I’m going to change everything all at once’ and sort of falling flat on your face.”

It can also be helpful to start increasing a habit rather than decreasing another. For example, a first change could be increasing how much fruit one eats — which might be easier than decreasing the consumption of candy or other treats.

What options does UP offer to help me change to a healthy diet?

On top of salad or fresh fruit as some healthier food options, UP has more to offer students that are seriously invested in their diet and nutrition. On its website, Bon Appetit provides a table that lists nutrition facts for some popular ingredients, along with an option to ‘ask the dietitian’ specific questions. Other options for learning more about nutrition is taking the NRS 202 class on nutrition, or making an appointment with Hobbs at the Health Center. “I’d be happy to talk with people, or anybody that really wants to come see me,” Hobbs said. “I like to take a non weight-centered approach. If people are worried that I’m gonna ask them to lose weight, that is not gonna be the case.” Contact Staff Writer Alina Rosenkranz at rosenkra17@up.edu. Twitter: @RosenkranzAlina

5 things to do after bombing a midterm It happens. Sometimes things don’t always go the way you plan. That midterm you thought would be a piece of cake turned out hard as nails. Maybe you even studied all night and thought it was in the bag. Whatever the reason, if you take action now, you can recover from a rough week of exams. Kelly Carder from the Shepard Academic Resource Center provided these tips to help get your grades back on track. Jacob Fuhrer • THE BEACON

Go to the source. Meet with your professor and have a conversation. Focus on various problem areas, go over old exams, review your study habits and listen to their suggestions.

tutoring. If you think you simply don’t know the material, 2. Find check out the Learning Commons to be matched with a peer mentor. Certain departments may also have dedicated tutors. Check with your professor for more information. your brain. If you just can’t seem to remember the 3. Retrain material from class, consider a visit with Brother Tom Giumenta, a learning assistance counselor who knows details about how the brain retains information.

Look at old exams and quizzes and papers and have 4. Review. an honest analysis of the feedback you’ve received. Consider going back to answer the questions you missed. If necessary, ask to review your old exam during office hours or schedule an appointment with your professor. your grade. Look at your syllabus and decide what you 5. Calculate need to do to receive your goal grade in the class. For some people, it may not be possible to pass the class if too much of the semester has passed. In that case, you may considering withdrawing, but speak with your adviser first. A breakdown of the grading system as well as information about withdrawals can be found online under the University Academic Regulations page.

Under pr

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Do some deep breathing exercises. B nose and then slowly breathe out for fill your lungs up with air. Repeat th your heart rate go back down to nor

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HEALTH EDITION

Z catch some extra Z ‘s Z a guide for the perfect nap Getting a full eight hours’ worth of sleep can be difficult — luckily we’ve got naps to help make it through the day. Here’s The Beacon’s guide to all things nap-related. Melissa Aguilar • THE BEACON

APPS FOR SLEEP

A lot of times, our phones, tablets and computers keep us up at night while we work. A study from Harvard shows the blue light those devices emit prevents us from feeling sleepy. Let those devices help you sleep rather than hindering it. We found some apps that can help take you from your pillow to Dreamland in no time.

All photos by Hannah Baade • THE BEACON

ressure?

Sleep Cycle

As its namesake suggests, SleepCycle uses the motion sensors in your phone to determine what part of your sleep cycle you’re in. You can set a time range of when you would like to wake up, and it will choose the time when you’re in the lightest stage of sleep for a more peaceful awakening rather than jerking you out of deep sleep.

Pzizz

This funny sounding app uses a combination of songs and sound effects to serenade you to sleep. You are free to choose the volume of the various effects and vocal tracks to your liking for anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours. Once it has all your settings, Pzizz creates a unique playlist each time you listen, so you’ll never be bored.

Lucid Dreamer

Nataša Kvesic• THE BEACON

p into a big mound in your body f angst and anxiety. But there are ngs and deal with them head on.

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Breathe in for four seconds through your r seven seconds. Make sure to completely he same breathing exercise until you feel rmal.

SleepBot

A lucid dream occurs when you’re aware you’re dreaming, which can sometimes allow you to control what happens in the dream. This app plays audio or visual cues to help trigger lucid dreams. When you finally do wake up, the app includes a journal where you can record all the fun dreams you had. “Well I only got three hours of sleep,” a friend might brag as you try to one-up each other in sleep deprivation. What started out as a joke between college students comparing how little sleep they were getting during exams led to the creation of this app. Not only does it track the hours of sleep you get, but it also has a recording feature to capture any late-night sleep-talking. Sleepbot provides you with a graph of your sleeping habits over the course of six months.

CHECK OUT MORE APPS ONLINE

HOW TO NAP Naps should last around 20-30 minutes to improve your alertness, but not interfere with your nighttime sleep schedule. Try to nap in a quiet, undisturbed place for the best sleep. Being in a darker room helps you fall asleep faster. The best time for a quick snooze is mid afternoon, around 2-3 p.m. Just make sure your naps are not too close to when you wake up, or your body may not be ready for more sleep. Take a nap too late, and it might be harder to go to bed at night.

BENEFITS OF NAPPING Regular napping may help reduce stress and decrease risk of heart disease. Longer naps can improve creativity.

A NASA study found that following a nap, pilots and astronauts experienced an increase in alertness and performance, in addition to reducing mistakes and accidents.

YOUR SURVIVAL KIT Coffee Drinking a cup of coffee before your nap may seem counterintuitive, but the caffeine won’t kick in until about 20 minutes after drinking it—just in time for you to wake up. Phone Don’t forget to set a gentle alarm to make sure you’re not sleeping too long.

Blanket Being too cold can keep you awake. Pencil For the ideal power nap, hold a pencil while you nod off, and when the pencil falls it will wake you up.