Breaking the Stigma

Sleep Conditions

Katherine Camarata

Lead Editor

Sleep is necessary to maintain physical and mental wellness yet many humans experience sleep impairment, with 28% of the U.S. population reporting excessive sleepy feelings throughout the day according to “Abnormal Psychology” by Barlow et al.

These conditions include a range of disorders from insomnia to hypersomnia, narcolepsy to sleep apnea and sleep paralysis. The Observer interviewed two CWU community members to feature their experiences with sleep paralysis hallucinations and idiopathic hypersomnia in the hopes of supporting those who also experience these symptoms and spreading awareness.

Eating Disorders

Katherine Camarata Lead Editor

Having an eating disorder may look like starving yourself or overeating, or it may be entirely invisible, occurring in the mind more than the body. CWU students shared their experiences living with eating disorders and Senior Lecturer and Dietitian Emily Shaw offered her professional perspective on the presence of eating disorders at CWU.

Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa characterized by extreme food restriction, bulimia characterized by purging, binge eating disorder characterized by excessive overeating and body dysmorphia characterized by a distorted sense of one’s own body image among others, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5.