Tag Archives: Fall 2018

Chapter 3 First Impression -Sleep

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

In assessing my current sleep habits, they are not healthy what so ever. On a normal day, I go to sleep no earlier than 1am and no later than 5am. This past week has definitely been my busiest week, giving me not a lot of time to sleep. Making time to do school work, having practice as well as games for volleyball, and then studying and try to work in time to spend with friends and having a social life, this doesn’t really leave a lot of time for me to get a good full night of sleep. In reality, I am looking at an average of 6 hours a day of sleep before starting my day. I try to work in an hour nap whenever I can to try and rejuvenated my body to take on the rest of the day. For most college students, it would be ideal to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night, but in reality I believe most individuals are in the range I am personally in.

To improve my sleeping habits, I am not sure if there is much. During volleyball season, there is really no spare time to sleep more. With time for studying , doing work, working out and having practice, and even making time to have a social life, there is not much to spare. Out of season, there may be more time to improve my sleeping habits. I think I could definitely limit my social life as well as manage my time more wisely school work wise. In college, it is definitely a 360 to high school. I had my day set everyday, with the same schedule. Here there is more time that can slip away from you, making it harder o achieve what you need to get done. I could definitely change my habits of sleep, making it healthier for my overall life and daily activity.

Chapter 3 Sleep – First Impression Post: Option 2

--Original published at Rachel Bickelman's PSY 105 Blog

College students are often heavily sleep deprived as they sacrifice sleep in order to study, work, and/or have a social life in addition to their academic commitments. Assess your current sleep habits and how healthy you think they are. What is a realistic goal for amount of sleep per night for a college student and how can you improve your sleep habits?

My sleep habits are not great but could be worse. I go to sleep around the same time each night, however, depending on whether I have a class at 8 a.m. or not, the time I wake up varies a lot. When my classes start later, I allow myself to sleep in. Although, sometimes, I will stay up extra late to finish assignments or study more which cuts into the amount of time I sleep. Additionally, I do not think the method I use to fall asleep is healthy. Typically, I will turn off the bright fluorescent light during the evening but before sleeping I will spend time on my phone. This bright light likely does not help me to fall asleep, I have heard before that the light from electronics interferes with melatonin production which is key for sleepiness. Overall, my sleep habits are not very healthy as I do not wake up feeling rested.

A realistic goal for college students would be to sleep around 7 to 8 hours. This means if you fall asleep around 11 or 12 p.m. you would get several consecutive hours of sleep per night. Also, since college students stay up later, 11 or 12 p.m. would be a time that students would be done both socializing and doing academic work. I think this is realistic because students will likely not be doing their best academic work during the late hours of night and would benefit from sleeping rather than doing homework only done to a mediocre ability versus the best of their ability when well-rested.

To improve my sleep habits, I can stop using my phone before bed. This would allow my brain and eyes not to be interrupted or strained from my phone’s light. I could also get on a permanent schedule where I am both going to sleep and waking up at the same times each day. This way I would feel tired at a certain time and my body would know what time to wake up rather than it changing almost every day.

First Impression — Sleep

--Original published at Makayla Hockenbrock

There is no way my sleeping habits are where or what they should be. My current sleep habits consist of doing homework, studying, and socializing with friends until about 10:30. Then I will come back to my room, where I will then go shower and get everything ready for the next day. By that time, it is around 11, 11:15. I will then lay in bed on my phone till 12. Once I finally put my phone down it then takes me another 30-ish minutes to relax enough to get myself to fall asleep, just to wake up for 8 am classes the next day. Do I think my habits are healthy? No. Do I think that they have some healthy elements? Yes. I think my major problem is the time portions. I am told that studying, getting work done, and taking time for friends is healthy and should be taken accounted for. However, I feel there is not enough time in a day to make all that happen in a timely manner.

Improving my habits may be a bit difficult since I have become so used to them. However, if I were to change them, I would definitely come back to my room at an earlier time to get ready for bed and for the next day. I would also spend less time on my phone and spend more time becoming relaxed and trying to fall asleep.

I think a realistic goal for the amount of sleep a college student should get every night is 7 hours. Eight hours is what most people say you should be getting regularly, so subtract and hour or two and I think a college student can function efficiently.

First Impression Post- Sleep

--Original published at Sydney’s Side

My current sleep habits are all over the place. I can go from having a full eight hours of sleep one night to only sleeping for a few the next. Most nights I would say I get around 6 or 7 hours which isn’t terrible but it could be better. But I know it is important to stay consistent in what time I go to bed and wake up, which varies greatly. This past week for example there were a few nights I went to bed around one and others I was in bed before eleven. Some days I will take naps if I didn’t sleep enough the night before which in turn puts me into a cycle where I can’t fall asleep for a while and am tired again the next day. On the weekends I like to catch up on the sleep I didn’t get during the week, which is probably pointless but it gives me a reason to sleep in. I usually go to bed around midnight and don’t wake up until eleven the next day on weekends. This probably is not very healthy and adds to the inconsistency of my sleep habits.

A realistic goal for the amount of sleep per night a college student should get would probably be around six or seven hours. I can improve my sleep habits by going to bed at the same time every night as well as trying to increase the amount of hours I get. I should also apply this to the weekend, not matter how much I want to sleep in it would be good to keep it the same as it is during the week.

Chapter 3 First Impression Prompts – Sleep

Hand writing on a notebook

 

Here are the  prompts for this week. Regardless of which option you select, use the tag “Sleep”:

Option 1:

In this TED talk, Russell Foster outlines 3 prominent theories about why we sleep. Watch the talk and argue for the theory you find the most convincing. Make sure to explain your thoughts about the credibility of each of the three theories.

Option 2:

College students are often heavily sleep deprived as they sacrifice sleep in order to study, work, and/or have a social life in addition to their academic commitments. Assess your current sleep habits and how healthy you think they are. What is a realistic goal for amount of sleep per night for a college student and how can you improve your sleep habits?

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Caitlinator

Chapter 3 First Impression Post: Option 1

--Original published at Taylor'sEtownCollegeBlog

Imagine having cancer and not being able to eat because you feel no form of hunger. Medical marijuana is often used in cancer patients for this reason. My cousin had AML Leukemia and because of her chemo, she did not feel hungry and her stomach was always upset. Her doctor prescribed her medical marijuana that did not have any of the addictive qualities but had the substance that provides the feeling of the munchies. The use of the marijuana helped her to maintain a healthy weight through out the cancer process as well as have the drive to eat. This is a benefit of medical marijuana. On the other hand, I can see the negatives that are associated with the use of medical marijuana. Some negatives might be that doctors will prescribe medical marijuana to patients that do not actually need the prescription. This could be an issue because people who do not need the drug might abuse it and in the long run have more health problems than what they originally had.
I do not agree with the use of marijuana for recreational use. I believe that marijuana is a gateway drug that once it is used makes your body more reliant on other substances to feel a certain way. For example, if you use marijuana you might not get the same high and then since the marijuana is not giving you the feeling that you want, you will adventure bigger and stronger drugs. On the other hand, I can see the positives for legalizing recreational marijuana. It is beneficial because the current amount of money that is invested into the us prison system is wasted on those with charges for dealing marijuana and minor offenses like this.
In my opinion I believe that medical use of marijuana should be legal but recreational use of marijuana should not be legal because of the reasons listed above.
~Taylor

Chapter 3 First Impression Post #1

--Original published at Kaylyn's PSY105 Blog

 

Image result for gangster goat

Marijuana is a popular topic in the media; due to, being an illegal substance with some positive benefits in the medical field. People with anxiety, arthritis, seizures, and even cancer can find some benefits in using marijuana. It can calm some symptoms and reduce pain in patients. Since it is being shown as a helpful force in the medical field, people are calling for its legalization for medical purposes. There is some controversy, however, because it is illegal for a reason, and over time may produce other health risks and addiction. Just like opioids, which is another controversial drug, there may be issues with an addiction forming. Also, there are risks with having a job and using marijuana. If you fail a drug test, this may cause job loss or other issues at work. Overall, I believe that medical marijuana should be legalized so long as they use extreme caution when prescribing it to patients. When on the job risks turn up there should be a doctor’s note given to the boss that explains why they may fail a drug test. I do realize that drug tests are not specific in testing for just one type of drug.

Recreational use is a bit more complicated because unlike with medical marijuana they do not remove THC. This can cause hallucinations and other strange things occurring to your mental state, just like with alcohol. However, alcohol is legal and can impair you as well so I can see it as being okay to legalize as well. I think that like alcohol, marijuana can be okay when used in small doses and not letting it get out of hand. Also, I think having regulations on it will help keep it under control a bit more. I think that legalizing it could be a good thing if used responsibly.

Chapter 3 Drugs Impression

--Original published at David's Blog

For the chapter three drug post I decided to look at option two. Which was wether abstinence or harm reduction was a better form to eliminate or reduce drug use. I have some experience with people I have know using drugs so I thought it would be a good idea to cover this subject.

First the topic of abstinence, this method is when you completely stop using said drug. This is defiantly the most common or most know. Like mentioned in our prompt the AA group uses this method a lot for recovering alcoholics.

The next model was the harm reduction which in basic still allows drug users to use drugs just less or safer ways. Some examples given were designated drivers or testing of drugs to make sure they don’t cary any harmful or deadly chemicals. The real purpose is to reduce the issues that come with the drug use or “side affects”.

If I had to chose one of these models for someone close to me or a loved one I would probably go with the abstinence. This way I know they aren’t using the drug at all and it seems less likely of using the drug again. With harm reduction its not really teaching people to live without the drug its just making them a little safer. The person is still using the drug so there still going to b addicted and can still cause harm. So again I would prefer my loved ones to go through abstinence than harm reduction because I would like to see them off the drug and living better and healthier lives.

Drugs

--Original published at LivsCollegeBlog

Drug addiction is an epidemic that is practically everywhere. Due to it being so widespread, there are many ways to deal with it. One way is the abstinence model where the goal is to completely rid the substance from the body and eliminate the use of the drug. Another way is the harm reduction model, which aims to provide a healthier way to use drugs. The example given by Dr. MacFarlane for this model was to provide clean needles to drug users in replace of dirty needles to reduce the contraction and spread of HIV or Hepatitis.

Sadly, I have dealt with drug addiction in my family and fiends on numerous occasions. Because of this, I personally feel that the abstinence model is way better than the harm reduction model. That’s not saying that the harm reduction model is not useful or impactful at all, it just isn’t AS useful or affective than the abstinence model.

The abstinence model is probably a better choice than the harm reduction model because it is aiming to completely eliminate the use of the drug and rid the body of it. Compare this to the harm reduction model where the drug is still being used, just in a “healthier” way.

If/when a loved one in my life needs help, I will definitely recommend the abstinence model. If my family member chooses to seek help for his/her addiction, I want them to never have to go through it again; I want the toxin to be completely gone.

Chapter 3 First Impression: Drugs

--Original published at Wolfman Productions

When thinking about certain drugs and how many stories you hear about the misuse of them, many often think that most if not all drugs are nothing but bad. There are drugs out there that if misused constantly, then many will think all drugs are misused and fear for their families safety. When you take the time and look at the facts floating around at there, you see than there are many drugs that help more than hurt the consumers.

One drug I see come up as a drug that should be used more often is Marijuana. Many claim that if more states get access to this drug, then things would be easier for patients suffering from extreme pain and the standard civilian. I do see the positives for marijuana and how they can and are helpful to patients who are suffering from extreme pains from surgery or a symptom they have no control over. I’m a bit more worried about allowing marijuana being available to the general public because you never know what the dealers are doing to the drugs.

The people who end up selling this drug could mix is with something else that could hurt the people using it. The people who use it recreationally may not notice anything wrong with it and keep using it without knowing the danger they might be in. This can cause trouble for both the market and how other look at the usage of this drug. The market could be affected by the lesser amount bought because of the issues of merchants mixing other drugs into the marijuana. The people in charge of distributing the drugs would need to take better care to make sure that the people they are sending it to are trustworthy. Others who notice this would also change their minds on the subject because of it. They would take a look and make sure they still support the use of it recreationally. Once they figure out how they feel about this, they can make their choice to support this longer or give it no more support.

Hopefully more people and more people take time to look for information to form their own opinion and not let other sway their thoughts. As long as we can do this, then we can be more proactive with this and make sure it’s how we want it to go.