ssues & ideas EDITOR VERONNICA MACKILLOP THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016 7 Modern students handle healthcare Students discuss ways to stay healthy and informed while they are in school Birth control options open Langara offers help and advice to students at Langara By BONNIE LEE LA MADELEINE ith the growing range of safe and effective alternatives now available for pregnancy prevention, some women are exploring their options. Last month, findings from a Danish study of birth control and depression showed women who use the pill, or oth- er hormone-based therapy, are more likely to also take anti-depressants. However, the study didn’t find that us- ing hormonal birth control plays a role in developing depression. When it became available in the late 1960s, many women embraced the pill because they wanted the control it of- fered over pregnancy. Concerns about potential long-term effects on health and fertility fuelled research into other options, including IUD’s, the NuvaRing, the shot and the patch. Paige Kempo, a general arts student at Langara is aware of her options. “Pm pretty knowledgeable,” said Kempo. “I tried the Nuva, and now I’m on the Evra [patch].” Student Health Services provides counselling and prescriptions for a va- riety of birth contro] methods on cam- pus and a 90 per cent discount for stu- dents. According Susan Kensett, a nurse at Langara Student Health Services, the pill remains popular, but women are ex- ploring newer methods. “When I go through hormonal op- tions, I mention there is a ring and a patch,” she said. These methods exist because people can easily forget to take the pill every day. “The really nice thing about the patch or the NuvaRing is that there is a steady release of hormones rather than a cyclical, 24-hour situation with pills,” Kensett said. IUDs are safe, effective and inexpen- sive, Kensett said. “The copper IUD, which doesn’t have any hormones, is under $100 and remains in place for up to five years.” Some women are reluctant to use IUDs or the NuvaRing because they are uncomfortable with having something inside them, she said. Students are encouraged to see nurs- es about their options and the potential risks. “This is a closed-door, one-on-one [meeting]. It is part of my role to talk about sex,” Kensett said. SEAN HITREC photo Many students expereince an increase in tinnitus-like symptoms when they are stressed. Stressed out students can experience tinnitus Ringing in the ears makes it hard for students to focus Nurse Susan Kensett shows some of the first forms of birth control. BONNIE LEE LA MADELEINE, photo By SEAN HITREC s the stress of midterms and term js Vins increase, some students ay experience a ringing in their ears from a condition called tinnitus. Tinnitus is often perceived as a vari- ety of audible sounds, such as ringing, a ophy student at Langara, also gets a ringing in his ears when under stress. “lve always had a problem hearing in class and sometimes the ringing just distracts me from paying [attention] to my teacher, ” Gibson said. For students like Gibson and Singh, there is hope. CHRIS GIBSON tone, or ocean and nature sounds. Gen- Elissa Robb, a registered audiologist erated in the head, the causes of the and hearing instrument practitioner at Sociology and condition are varied. the Western Institute for the Deaf and philosophy Up to 15 per cent of the populationre- Hard of Hearing, suggested different ports having tinnitus at least once a _ ways of treating and dealing with tinni- r4 4 week. The severity and whether the _ tus. sounds are constant or permanent can While there is no cure for tinnitus, I’ve al- vary. there are ways to manage it. For Ravneet Singh, an accounting “I think the thing to do, and it’s so ways had student at Langara, the ringing starts much easier said than done, is to not fo- a problem when he feels stressed. cus on it. Or not let it be the front and hearin g in “There is a bit of an audible soundin centre when you have it,” Robb said. my ears when I get stressed out and it Robb suggested something called tin- class and doesn’t let me concentrate,” Singh said. nitus retraining therapy, which trains sometimes “When I hear it, I get kind of annoyed your brain to ignore the tinnitus. . , and I can’t concentrate on anything. I For those who experience tinnitus the ringing want to sleep and I don’t want todo any and who want to know more about it, distracts activity after I hear those sounds.” Robb suggested visiting The Tinnitus Chris Gibson, a sociology and philos- Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital. me SLEEP apps 1 isleep easy for iphones has guided meditations to help with sleep 2 sleep pillow for iphones plays white noises 3 Sleep genius for iphones and Androids helps you slowly wake up 4 Sleep cycle for iphones and Androids wakes you up during your lightest sleep time 5 Sleepbot for iphones and Androids helps you track your sleep Source: clark.com & romper.com Avoiding screens not the only way to get a good sleep Programs give hope to students who can’t avoid screen time before bed By CHELSEA POWRIE tudents who can’t avoid S:= time before bed may get a better sleep with the help of new programs. Studies show that it’s important to limit screen time in the hours leading up to bedtime in order to get a better sleep. Harvard University neuroscien- tist Anne-Marie Chang discovered in 2012 that blue light in particular has negative effects on a human’s circadian rhythm, the natural hor- monal change that tells the body when to sleep. Cell and laptop screens emit mostly blue light, since they are designed to mimic daylight, which sends the wrong message late at night. Luckily for busy students, the newest operating system updates on Apple products include an op- tional “night shift” mode, which limits the screen’s blue light emis- sions, changing the glow to a pink- orange. Some Android phones also come with a similar “night mode” program. “Too much screen time in the time before you go to bed certain- ly [causes] an increase in how long it takes people to fall asleep, and also how long they stay asleep,” said Dr. Carolyn Gotay of the UBC faculty of medicine. Gotay said there are links be- tween chronic diseases and sleep deprivation, and on a day-to-day basis, students who aren’t getting proper sleep may have trouble in class. “Tt has cognitive effects. We find kids don’t do as well on exams when they are fatigued,” Gotay said. Unfortunately, avoiding screens before bed is not always an option for students. “There are some times that Ill be on my computer [late at night] because I have to finish writing up something,” said Paige Mc- Cullough, a Langara photography student. Students like Satu Kivinen may find the new programs helpful. She watches movies or television shows before bed to wind down. “T use them to just gently drift off to sleep,” Kivinen said. Nigh t Ship itt: o, nm CHELSEA POWRIE photo Turn on “night shift” for iphones or “night mode” for Androids to get a better sleep.