6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

EDITOR ANNA TILLEY

lewpoints

Sleep should come before our screens

Ithough in this day and age fs Vas time is something

almost unavoidable, people must learn how to put down technology to gain the sleep they truly need.

With our current technology- fuelled society, it’s hard to put our phones down. For those, like myself, who have experienced insomnia, it’s even more difficult. Doctors will prescribe screen-free time before bed, which can be seriously difficult if most of your life or work exists in

a screen.

People are busier than ever. Smartphones, tablets and laptops are consuming more and more of our time.

Social media and texting are major culprits, but if you’re a busy person, you’re using your phone and laptop late into the night for work and are perhaps unaware that technology is disrupting much-needed sack-time.

In a Norwegian study, published in the online journal BMJ Open, it was found that the more you stare at a screen before bed, the worse the quality of your sleep will be. Screens throw off our circadian rhythm, that internal clock that tells us when it’s time to wake up and fall asleep.

But how do busy people avoid screens at night?

Create a bedtime routine. Send those last-minute emails, texts and tweets an hour before you want to be asleep.

If you must look at your phone (can’t the cat memes wait until the morning?), adjust the light. Blue light has been said to be particularly harmful, but the iPhone’s newest update comes with a nightshift feature that changes the screen to warmer tones.

Turn that time you used to spend tossing and turning into waking up an hour earlier, feeling refreshed.

Using your phone as alarm clock is a bad idea. If you must, set your phone to night shift, and turn off all notifications while you sleep.

Of course, not all late-night screen time is used for work. Apps such as Twitter brings in users before bed as well. But overall, sleep is more important than tweets and cat memes. Your body will thank you.

OPINION

LAUREN BOOTHBY

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ore like Pokémon No

ith the cold season upon

us, it’s now time for

Pokémon Go, the game

that captured hearts over the summer, to be laid to rest.

Year after year people are finding more ways to look down at a screen rather then up to nature. Pokémon Go has turned people into “gotta catch em all” robots, and it’s time for that to end.

People argue that Pokémon Go gets people outside and active. This may be true that the app caused many to spend time outside (at really any hour), but were they really outside mentally? Not likely.

People need to better appreciate what nature has to offer. The ability to turn off everything, without anxiety, is very important.

Pokémon Go had players outside, but they weren’t appreciating their surroundings.

Users weren’t out for the sake of taking in fresh air or to enjoy the company of others. They were out for one reason only, to catch Pokémon.

Not only did this app cause users to ignore how beautiful their surroundings were, it also caused mindless and dangerous accidents.

People crossed highways, played while driving, and in one incident, two men fell off a cliff. These accidents all occurred in the pursuit of something that isn’t even really there.

The nostalgia Pokémon Go provided is something to appreciate, but overall, it has had its time. It’s

just another app that took up a big chunk of users day to day lives, and fueled society’s appreciation of technology over nature.

Throughout the upcoming months of falling leaves and frosty windows, hopefully Pokémon Go quietly and respectfully disappears off phones and allowing its users to look up and appreciate life just a little more. There’s a whole world out there that doesn’t need an app to be explored.

OPINION

ANNA TILLEY

VERONNICA MacKILLOP comic

Science literacy is needed for all

essential for every person living

in Canada, but according to Langara College, scientific literacy is something only science students need rather than every student.

Next January, Langara will

introduce two science literacy cours- es to its science program. This takes a solid step towards helping its science students compete academi- cally and profes- sionally. Yet, while these new courses will acknowledge the essential role of critical thinking

| being able to read, is

Or a im Se Nees’ A NY | \

and communica- iS tion in science,

the college OPI N ION ignores the need

for those skills for BONNIE LEE

the rest of the LA MADELEINE

student population.

Science literacy extends beyond professional success. It is a social skill needed by everyone, regardless of their proximity from the work of scientists. If no effort is made to improve the scientific literacy of the population at large, the gap between those who understand the role of science in society and those who don’t will grow wider.

As that gap grows, distrust in science will increase. Our lives are increasingly based on scientific and technological advancements that are more finely woven into our lives than the screens all around us. Yet, there are few of us who understand the technical complexity or subtlety of that integration.

A recent Ontario Science Centre survey found that about 19 per cent of Canadians rely on intuition when making decisions about the food

they eat or the vaccinations they give their children, and 40 per cent of Canadians surveyed do not understand enough about how science is done to understand how the climate is changing and why it matters. These findings are similar to those in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Science literacy programs at Langara should not focus solely on the professional development of science students; they should be a part of every student’s education. All Langara graduates should be able to understand and assess scientific insights and products. The key to making informed choices in a society now experimenting with genetic and cyborg-like enhance- ments, and experiencing daily interactions with automation and robotics, is an understanding of how science works.

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The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. They may be edited for brevity. Your letter must include your name and phone number.

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