Over the past few days, I’ve become the most unproductive, groggy, exhausted human being. This is no doubt a result of my erratic sleeping patterns. My sleep schedule has consisted of going to bed no earlier than 3 a.m., waking up no later than 2 p.m. and taking obscenely long naps throughout the day when the exhaustion becomes too much to handle.

This isn’t something we students are unfamiliar with — during the school year, it basically becomes the norm. Days chock-full of classes, meetings, job obligations and extracurriculars leave the wee hours of the night as the only time to do homework, party or continue procrastinating. Our to-do lists are so cluttered that sleep is typically the last item on the list. No one disputes the necessity of sleep, but many of us downplay its importance — some of us believe it’s something we can be successful without. Even if you run consistently on four to five hours of sleep and manage to get the grades and have a social life, you’re definitely not as healthy as you could be.

In an April 2013 National Institute of Health newsletter, sleep expert Michael Twery explains that sleep regulates the immune system, growth hormones, appetite, cardiovascular health and blood pressure. Lack of sleep has also been linked to higher risks of heart disease, obesity and depression, according to the newsletter.

The environment at UC Berkeley inevitably leads us to believe that sleep and academic success are mutually exclusive. While I’m clearly no paragon of sleeping — there have been countless occasions when I’ve gotten out of bed in the morning only looking forward to the nap I’d take a few long and miserable hours later — it’s important to re-evaluate the way we sleep in the context of our daily lives and commitments, regardless of how difficult change may be.

The first step to getting a good night’s rest — finding out how much sleep is actually necessary. That amount of sleep actually varies from person to person, and what makes some people feel rested and refreshed may be completely different for others. On average, according to UC Berkeley’s own Tang Center, adults should sleep seven to eight hours per night to feel alert and free of fatigue.

But this fact doesn’t help much — simply knowing how much sleep you need doesn’t mean you’ll get it. So how do you fix your sleep schedule? It means going to bed before 3 a.m. in order to get more hours in. It means establishing a schedule and sticking to it — yes, even on weekends — which is something just as important as the quantity of sleep. Waking up at 8 a.m. one day, snoozing until noon the next and sleeping in all day during the weekend disrupts the body’s natural rhythms and makes you feel awful. By getting quality sleep consistently, you can prevent stress and psychological strain, according to a Clayton Sleep Institute study.

This same sleep quantity and consistency should also be supplemented with regular exercise and maintenance of a well-rounded diet free of stimulants late in the day to maximize the quality of sleep each night.

What happens when we hit the mid-afternoon wall and just can’t function? Well, that’s when our buddy, the nap, comes into play. Napping shouldn’t replace a good night’s sleep, but if done right, it can seriously improve concentration and focus. The Harvard School of Public Health concluded that the likelihood of developing heart disease is 40 percent less in people who nap regularly. The benefits are so potent that UC Davis health professionals have begun to encourage their students to accompany a full night’s sleep with 20- to 30-minute naps to improve productivity and boost academic success. But the key here is to not overdo it — a nap longer than 30 minutes might backfire, making you feel more tired and sluggish than you originally were.

So if you’re sick of constantly feeling fatigued and lethargic, try this experiment: Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day just for a week and notice how you feel. Our commitments and obligations are hopefully a little less intense now than they are during the school year, so use the next month to gear up for the school year by stocking up on sleep.

Our generation has done a great job of giving sleep less priority than everything else, but its importance is on par with developing healthy eating habits, exercising and maintaining proper hygiene and psychological health — all things we vehemently try to pursue. But without the energy and and restorative benefits of sleep, we’re mistaken in thinking that health and general wellness are attainable.

If we truly want to take control of our health, we have to start prioritizing sleep, even if that means getting a little less done. Our post-college lives aren’t going to get much easier. The next four years aren’t the peak of our responsibilities and commitments, but they may very well be the peak of our youth. We need to establish proper routines and sleep habits now, because our bodies won’t be able to withstand college-style sleep patterns forever. The earlier we start, the healthier we’ll be in the long run.

Shahin Firouzbakht writes a Thursday column on health issues affecting student life.
Contact Shahin Firouzbakht at sfirouzbakht@dailycal.org.

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A friend of mine recently talked to me about an experience he had after smoking marijuana — after getting high enough, he objectively looked at himself in a mirror and saw his face, his body and his total being. Because he wasn’t imposing his own subjective self-perception on his body, it was as if he was seeing himself for the first time from the perspective of a stranger. He then started to worry how that stranger might unfairly judge him on the basis of his appearance with no knowledge of his personality. He said this feeling made him feel strange, almost sad.

I didn’t think anything of it at first. But strip the story down to its core and forget that it was drug-induced, and there is something to gain from it. There are people who struggle with these same thoughts every second of every day and who go to unfortunate lengths to meet societal standards of beauty, body and appearance. And most commonly, they must live with the effects of self-criticism and and debilitating eating disorders.

We meet different kinds of people and have such varied experiences at a fast pace at UC Berkeley that it’s almost inevitable that the way we perceive ourselves comes into question at one point or another during our four years here. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as that self-exploration can lead to inner peace. But when self-criticism becomes so deep that it points us in a completely different and much darker direction, there is a real cause for worry. Intense self-criticism results in negative body image, which stems from a dissatisfaction with physical appearance but sustains the dark emotions that come along with those perceptions.

Left untreated, these feelings can fester and build up to an overwhelming urge to dramatically alter physical appearance. One manifestation of this is eating disorders, which cripple 25 percent of college students who try to control their weight through behaviors similar to bulimia nervosa, according to a Renfrew Center evaluation. Eating disorders aren’t the sole indicators of body image issues — 91 percent of college students have used dieting as a means of weight control. Why have we made it so difficult for people struggling with their body image to reach out and get support for the effects of constant societal and internal pressures?

Appearance has dramatically taken precedence over health, and with that shift comes negative body perception. Body Peace, a UC Berkeley student organization dedicated to promoting positive body image, provides tips to prevent appearance from being the primary motivator for physical change. Become aware of what your body and mind can do every single day. Start thinking about what you can achieve with the time and energy you would have used to spend focusing on self-perceived imperfections. Challenge yourself to think of 10 positive things about yourself that are completely unrelated to your appearance. Then keep adding to the list until you can accept yourself.

If you at least try to strive for wellness, things will fall into place. Dieting or exercising more often, for example, shouldn’t be done with the intention of being able to fit into new shorts or looking less “fat” but rather with the intention of becoming healthier. When we lose sight of what actually matters — our well-being — we start to focus only on the societal factors that try to influence us to change ourselves, and that has disastrous consequences.

Harsh external stimuli in the form of media and pop culture have persuaded us to accept flawed notions of gender, sex and relationships that end up getting projected onto our real lives and enhance negative body image. We need to stifle the influence of TV, movies and advertisements that slowly brainwashes us into accepting stereotypes — that the most attractive women are perfect, thin and of a certain skin tone, or that men need to be muscular to convey dominance. Instead of accepting these unrealistic and one-size-fits-all definitions of beauty and character, we need to develop our own notions of beauty by shutting out external noise and focusing on realistic expectations for ourselves that will actually make us happy.

There’s one overarching solution at the root of positive body image — being comfortable with your body and with yourself. Appearance doesn’t dictate your value and self-worth, and that value is worth finding and cherishing. As long as you’re comfortable with your body regardless of its appearance, you’ll maintain a sense of self-worth and be healthy — mentally, socially and physically — no matter what you do.

The accepting atmosphere here at UC Berkeley is conducive to shattering the barriers that block you from being comfortable with yourself. John Lennon says it best: “We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create.”

Shahin Firouzbakht writes a Thursday column on health issues affecting student life.
Contact Shahin Firouzbakht at sfirouzbakht@dailycal.org.

The post Loving you appeared first on The Daily Californian.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of masturbation is the classic “American Pie”-esque movie scene in which a high-schooler furiously strokes away, wide-eyed in front of a computer screen, beside a trash can filled to the brim with sticky, crinkled tissues, only to be disturbed mid-ejaculation by his mother — a nightmare situation if I’ve ever seen one.

The idea of self-love has had an incredibly powerful taboo associated with it for far too long. It’s been labeled as shameful “self-abuse” and inappropriate — just a lustful way to release pent-up, well, lust. But our generation has made great strides in breaking down the taboo with masturbation. Ask any teenage guy whether he “wanks it” or “beats the meat,” and you’d be hard-pressed to find a negative response.

You can probably see the direction this is going, and I want to reassure you that I’m not trying to sensationalize masturbation. You might think that this kind of thing only belongs in the Sex on Tuesday column, but there’s a lot more that can be said about masturbation’s effects on our bodies and the social stigma surrounding it.

The UC Berkeley campus, with its strong support for sexual exploration, is contributing to the destigmatization of masturbation and the widespread acceptance of self-love. Whether it’s the person in the penis costume walking around on Upper Sproul Plaza sponsored by the Sexual Health Education Program or a presentation given by Good Vibrations — a Bay Area-based sex toy shop — in one of the residence halls, our campus is encouraging its students to turn cultural taboos into cultural norms.

And because people are beginning to create an actual dialogue around masturbation — separate from the jokes you can hear in any college dorm that seem to never get old — without cringing , we’re actually able to seriously discuss the concrete benefits of the act. Actual scientists, not horny teenagers, are studying the benefits of ejaculation through masturbation. A 2008 Fox News article raved about all the good masturbation could bring. Fox News, of all places. Imagine that.

The most obvious advantage of masturbation is that it’s a natural mood booster. During an orgasm, the largest natural release of dopamine and oxytocin occurs, which relaxes muscles and reduces stress.

An Australian study concluded that the more men ejaculate in their twenties, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer later in life. Of the men in the study, those who ejaculated more than five times per week were “one-third less likely to develop prostate cancer,” which is the second-highest cause of cancer death among men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also increases cortisol levels, which can actually strengthen the immune system when released in proper amounts.

So men who masturbate are in great shape. Fantastic! But what about the women? As much as I’d like to consider our generation to be super progressive and liberal, the idea of “female masturbation” — which unfortunately has to be distinguished from “male” masturbation as a completely separate and less accepted form of sexual pleasure — is still a rock-solid taboo. Women who do masturbate are, as per the social stigma, considered promiscuous and excessively lusty, exhibiting no self-control, while their male counterparts are given a societal pass to fap at will.

But the health benefits for women are just as potent. Along with mood enhancement, female ejaculation has been shown to lower the risk of cervical and urinary tract infections by flushing out harmful bacteria and allowing beneficial bacteria to proliferate.

So why do women still feel guilty after this glorious act? Studies show that by age 20, 95 percent of men reach an orgasm through masturbation, compared to only 60 percent of women. The gender gap is indicative of the societal strain that women take with them into the privacy of their bedrooms, and it’s this societal strain that is depriving them of the opportunity to explore their bodies. There’s no reason to feel guilty after buying that first dildo, vibrator, velvet thrust kit, anal plug or lube shooter. In fact, this natural process should impart excitement, enthusiasm and eagerness.

Regardless of gender, the glory of self-pleasure extends beyond the realm of physical health. In my last column, I wrote about the impact that relationships have on our lives, our minds and our personal health, and this is no different. Regardless of your gender, you know your body better than anyone else, and exploring what you like and the limits of what you can do can drastically improve the nature of your romantic relationship.

Whatever your motivation may be, don’t let any preconceived notion perpetuated by societal ignorance prevent you from exploring your body. The days when masturbation was considered wrong and morally devoid have cum and gone. Today, it’s time to take matters into your own hands.

Shahin Firouzbakht writes a Thursday column on health issues affecting student life.
Contact Shahin Firouzbakht at sfirouzbakht@dailycal.org.

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When my older sister — now a proud Cal alumna — was persuading me to apply and eventually send in my SIR to UC Berkeley two years ago, she constantly gave me the same rundown of all the valuable things I’d learn over the course of my four years. She spoke less about the educational value of Berkeley and emphasized the personal lessons that she thought were important for me to experience. But being a naive high school senior, I didn’t really care about “learning about myself” or “learning about people.” These “life lessons” didn’t interest me at all.

Long story short, I decided on UC Berkeley, though I was still dismissing my need for personal development. I gave no thought to the idea of using relationships as a tool to change or grow as a person, and I underestimated the impact they could have on one’s mind.

Fast forward to move-in day and the first night of college in my Unit 3 lounge. I had just finished a grueling day of “floor hopping” and had become a little more familiar with the faces that I would be seeing every day during the upcoming year. It was now time to settle down in the lounge with the floormates whom I knew absolutely nothing about.

I liked it — everyone was warm and friendly. I swear it must have looked like a picture straight from one of the admissions packets they send to prospective students. This was the honeymoon phase, I suppose.

But the novelty wore off steadily and unsurprisingly. Toward the middle of the year, after being in such close contact with so many new faces in an intimate environment like Berkeley, I grew complacent. I was satisfied with the relationships I had made, yet I had mixed feelings about myself.

I was sure I had a handle on all of my relationships, but I had a nagging feeling I couldn’t figure out who I wanted to be. Through my interactions and relationships, I noticed a growing disparity between the kind of person I thought myself to be and how people actually perceived me. It was debilitating to put so much thought into my interactions with friends and new people that it didn’t seem worth the effort. Socially and mentally, I felt drained and less satisfied with myself. It even impeded my ability to focus on anything else — school, family, fun.

My homesickness flared, bringing with it memories of old friends and the ease of relationships rooted in childhood. So I wrongly forced myself to engage less with those around me for fear of feeling even more sorry for myself, but I found myself feeling worse — almost feeling like I had given up.

Around the same time, I tried to reach out to a resident who stayed in his room for long hours, who had persuaded himself that he wouldn’t succeed in social environments. As the building’s health worker, I did what I was taught — I approached him to provide support and to explain to him the impact of social health on his emotionally stability and physical wellness. I neglected to tell him that his inner growth would depend on it because I hadn’t yet realized that myself. But with or without my help, he eventually reached out and found his fears and reservations to be unwarranted.

I was hypocritically giving the same advice and guidance that I myself ignored, and seeing his improvement, I felt motivated and energized to engage, to continue cultivating relationships and to peel back the layers of my own personality to reach the core of who I actually am and how I fit.

I regret nothing about the past year, because my experiences gave me the opportunity to truly understand what the purpose of college is. And it’s far from my conception of college as a high school senior. It’s not about the grades or compiling a standout resume. It’s about self-discovery — the kind of thing you can only achieve through personal relationships. It’s incredibly important, albeit extremely vague. But that’s the point — everyone is different. Everyone experiences it differently, at different times and for different reasons, so identifying and labeling self-discovery and giving it a definition with clear boundaries is impossible. It’s what you make it. Or rather, it’s what makes you.

So commit to fostering as many great relationships as possible — it’s the fundamental purpose of humans: Everything we do is for and because of each other. Every single relationship you develop, from the fleeting ones to the overwhelmingly powerful ones, can provide you with something valuable — a lesson about yourself. We’re social creatures by nature, so our wellness and our biology truly depend on our social interactions. The self-expression, the psychological support and the euphoria that can only be garnered through strong, positive relationships are crucial for success in life.

Step out of your comfort zone. Even if it means just striking up a conversation with someone you wouldn’t normally talk to or sitting next to someone you don’t know during lecture, you’ll learn something about others and something about yourself. We’re only here for a short period of time, so take advantage of this rare opportunity to explore an amazing city, amazing people and yourself for these short but rewarding four years.

“Shahin Firouzbakht writes a Thursday column on health issues affecting student life.
Contact Shahin Firouzbakht at sfirouzbakht@dailycal.org.”

The post An inner voyage appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Don’t get me wrong — I think polar bears are adorable. But seeing them trapped on a tiny piece of Arctic ice doesn’t really faze me. What am I supposed to do about it? Stop driving my car? Join Greenpeace?

These cuddly polar bears and the Arctic ice sheets have become the most prominent symbols of global warming, environmental degradation and all things climate change — but this overused association is outdated and ineffective. Am I expected to change my entire lifestyle and perspective of the world for the sake of a couple of bears thousands of miles away?

It seems like we’ve been trained to associate things like carbon emissions and fossil fuel consumption solely with atmospheric and habitat destruction. We hear that carbon dioxide levels have reached almost 400 parts per million. Al Gore constantly bombards us with the phrase “anthropogenic climate change.” And we’re warned that species like the white lemuroid possum might go extinct due to human influences.

I think it’s a good time to clarify that I don’t just “believe” in climate change because it’s not a matter of faith — it’s a matter of fact. The scientific evidence is clear. I do, however, find fault in the way that climate change proponents have sensationalized global warming to try to galvanize the general public into action.

The entire concept of “going green” has, for the most part, largely disregarded the real impact that climate change has on human health. Take plastic water bottles, for example. On the global scale, water bottles — which only hold a measly 20 ounces — require 50 million barrels of oil annually to produce. This leads to an increase in fossil fuel dependence, which means more greenhouse gases. And when they’re inexplicably trashed and shipped off to the nearest dump, these seemingly insignificant little bottles take centuries to decompose, contaminating the soil and surrounding areas in the process.

Study after study warns us of this, but the International Bottled Water Association, an organization that advocates for bottled water, reports that only 32 percent of bottles were recycled in 2010. They flaunt this statistic as a success and at the same time claim that “90 percent of U.S. households” have the means to recycle their bottles. So why don’t the numbers match up? We’re nowhere near our full potential. Would we recycle more or simply buy fewer water bottles if the environmental institutions and the people who detest the nasty containers emphasized the reproductive damage that results from the potentially carcinogenic phthalates in the plastic?

The “what’s in it for me?” mentality that only our grandkids and great-grandkids will see the benefits of helping the environment has become the mantra of a large, apathetic portion of our generation that uses it as an excuse to live unsustainably. But the damage isn’t limited to the planet.

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 million deaths worldwide are due to urban outdoor air pollution. The mortality rate is 15 to 20 percent higher in cities with high degrees of fossil fuel combustion and particulate matter than in cleaner cities. Death is a real result of the damage inflicted on the environment.

Our monstrously high degree of water usage in the industrial and agricultural processes is reducing our total available freshwater and polluting what’s left of it. Bay Area tap water is widely known to be incredibly clean, yet the Ecology Center reports that our hot water taps contain “elevated levels of lead and copper,” not to mention the arsenic from industrial pollution.

The environmental efforts of Berkeley — the city, the students and the campus as a whole — haven’t gone unnoticed. The I Heart Tap Water campaign, a collaboration between students and the administration, has helped drive campus bottled water sales down by 48 percent since the 2005 school year. The Berkeley ReUSE program has also provided the campus with an opportunity to exchange reusable goods that would otherwise be sent to a landfill.

But everyone in Berkeley is a consumer. And we have purchasing power. Our cosmetics with their synthetic chemicals, our food with its host of pesticides and our electronics with their toxic flame retardants can all be avoided through greener purchasing. Companies and industries are listening, and if we let them know that we care about our health and our planet, they will make the necessary changes to their products for the sake of their own future profit.

To be truly environmentally healthy, there has to be an understanding about the interplay between our own actions and the world around us. Every iPhone that we buy, every Aquafina bottle that we throw away and every trip to the grocery store has a tangible impact on our health and well-being. So let’s use our desire to stay in good health to drive us toward sustainability. Then we might see greater strides toward making this planet more livable.

“Shahin Firouzbakht writes a Thursday column on health issues affecting student life. Contact Shahin Firouzbakht at sfirouzbakht@dailycal.org.”

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