The Daily Reveille - February 7, 2014

Page 1

OLYMPICS: LSU swimmer inspired by mother’s Olympic background, p. 5

Reveille

OPINION: Ukraine government gives rebels legitimacy, p. 8

The Daily

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 85

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@lsureveille

thedailyreveille

lsureveille.com

Friday, February 7, 2014

FLEETING

FLOCK photos by:

LAUREN DUHON

Staff Photographer

The pelicans that migrate to campus every fall have begun flying back north. Turn to PAGE 11 for more on the departing birds.

TECHNOLOGY

Cell phone usage before going to sleep may be harmful Recent study shows reduced efficiency Christine Aman Contributing Writer

Students with tests or presentations early in the mornings may want to put away their laptops and cellphones and make it an early night. According to a new study, viewing work emails after 9 p.m. can negatively affect work performance the next morning. The study, published in the journal “Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,” found late night emailchecking caused harm to sleep patterns, which caused work deficiency the next morning. The cause was blue light,

“the most disturbing kind of light,” emanating from laptops and smart phones and harming sleep. Kathryn Saichuk, Student Health Center health promotion coordinator, said the blue light stimulates the brain, making it harder to get the deep stage of sleep needed to rest. Even with closed eyes, the body can still see the blue light and be stimulated, Saichuk said. The study said phones caused more problems than other types of screens because they give off the most blue light, but Saichuk said anything giving off light harms the brain from getting deep stage sleep. Saichuk said students should put phones and electronic devices away at least an hour before sleep. The study only researched

the effect of viewing work emails on phones and other screens, but Saichuk said nonwork use of phones can have the same effect. The key is to not do anything that causes the brain to work hard, Saichuk said. She also said going too long without sleep can cause psychological breakdowns. “Sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture,” she said. Saichuk suggested turning off all electronics and placing them at a distance while sleeping. She also suggested covering everything that causes illumination like clocks and radio screens. Though a light flickering or buzz from a phone may not cause people to wake up, the brain hears it and responds CELL PHONES, see page 11

photo illustration by TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille

A recent study shows using a phone after 9 p.m. may affect productivity the next day.


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