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T he D angers of S leep D eprivation Nithya Lingampalli B S J During President Ronald Reagan’s term as president, he went on a state visit to Paraguay. As cameras were documenting the occasion and broadcasting it for the world to see, a surprising shot was included. When the cameras focused on Reagan during the Paraguayan president’s speech, he was asleep! His wife quickly woke him up, and then he ascended the stage to deliver his address. However, when he started speaking, he said that he was very happy to be in Uruguay while everyone else smiled politely (Schneider, 2014). This instance illustrates a national health problem, often unrecognized as a severe issue, that many suffer from on a daily basis. Sleep deprivation, either a chronic or transient state, is when the lack of the requisite amount of sleep for upkeep causes the body to experience many physical and mental problems. According to data from the National Health Interview Survey, “nearly 30% of adults reported an average of ≤6 hours of sleep per day in 2005-2007. In 2009, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night” (Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic, 2014). Children appear to be most affected by sleep deprivation as a recent study from Boston College suggests that, “70 to 80 percent of school-aged children fall short of experts’ recommendations,” a higher percentage than any other country in the world (Liese, 2014). “According to data from the National Health Interview Survey, “nearly 30% of adults reported an average of ≤6 hours of sleep per day in 2005-2007. In 2009, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night” To put the severity of the problem into perspective, the recommended amount of sleep, as suggested by The National Institute of Health, is at least 10 hours for school-age children, 9-10 hours for teens, and 7-8 hours for adults (Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic, 2014). Although there is a variation from these standard times between individuals due to different body requirements, these represent the average amount of time necessary based upon a large sample of the population, and thus serve as a baseline to evaluate individual situations. We see that regardless of the age group, people are falling short of their recommended sleep quota by two hours or more, often on a daily basis. The biological mechanism of sleep deprivation deals with the reduced amount of REM and deep sleep stages, hallmarks of healthy sleep. Normal sleep is divided into “Some of the most interesting [causes] are broad scale societal factors such as the pervasive presence of technology and extremely busy schedules.” two stages, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). NREM sleep is further divided into three sub stages (N1, N2, and N3) that progress sequentially and represent an increasing degree of deep sleep. Stage N3, also known as delta-wave sleep, is the deepest stage of sleep and requires a very strong stimulus to be broken Although many areas of the brain are involved in sleep regulation, the hypothalamus seems to be the key component (Stevens, 2013). There are many causes, both direct and indirect, that contribute to sleep deprivation. Some of the most interesting are broad scale societal factors such as the pervasive presence of technology and extremely busy schedules. Access to technology has never been as ubiquitous as it is today, and its influence is growing even more in our daily lives. Phones, tablets, laptops, television, MP3 players, and many more devices are always within reach, at any time of the day. They are alluring due to the vast amount of information they offer a portal to. As a result, many people find it increasingly difficult to separate themselves from their devices, and often use them right until the moment they sleep, or sometimes fall asleep using them. However, using technological devices right before bed, or even some time before, has been shown to negatively impact the ease and quality of sleep. The light from the devices suppresses the levels of melatonin, a hormone that signals to the brain to 21 • B erkeley S cientific J ournal • E xtremes • F all 2014 • V olume 19 • I ssue 1

Cancer Due to Prolonged Inflammation Nithya Lingampalli B S J Inflammation has long been accepted as the most standard, and perhaps the most effective, response that the body has in place to fight both external and internal pathogens. What mechanisms are activated when your body is invaded by pathogens? How do these mechanisms interact with other pathways in the body? Scientists have considered these questions for years in order to determine exactly how we fight diseases and how we can amplify our body’s defense system. Inflammation has long been accepted as the most standard, and perhaps the most effective, response that the body has in place to fight both external and internal pathogens. This mechanism is considered useful because it activates whenever a threat is present, “Trouble can arise when these immune cells have been genetically damaged or attacked by mutagenic cells (initiated cells). When this DNA mutation occurs, the immune cells continue to proliferate at the site of an injury even though they are no longer needed (Coussens and Werb). “ http:// web.mit. edu/ Figure 1: Endoscopic biopsy showing granulomatous inflammation of the colon in a case of Crohn’s disease. and becomes inactive upon restoring health. However, in some instances this inflammation continues to propagate, now harming cells and threatening to expand throughout the body. This prolonged inflammation gives rise to multiples forms of cancer. In this article we will consider the mechanism of inflammation and how it is activated in the body. To understand how this mechanism can become 1 • B erkeley S cientific J ournal • S tress • F all 2013 • V olume 18 • I ssue 1

L ight as a H ealing M echanism O Nithya Lingampalli absorb different wavelengths of light at various intensities, yielding diverse physiological responses. By studying these varying physiological effects, doctors can then learn how to manipulate a patient’s body with the strategic exposure to light (Cocilovo and Rosen, 1999). Over time, the literature on phototherapy continued to grow as various researches sought to explain how and why it worked. While Ghadiali’s initial Spectro-Chrome Theory was widely accepted as an explanation for phototherapy’s effectiveness, another intriguing postulate was presented through research. The human eye contains a large concentration of light-sensitive molecules called flavins that have long been known to play a part in light absorption, and thus color perception. Research soon unveiled that these flavins also existed in various parts of our body including our skin, organs, blood and bones. This distribution of flavins throughout our entire body may be the mechanism through which we are able to absorb light and have varying physiological responses to it (Starwynn, 2009). A similar theory stems from the fact that certain nerve clusters, often targeted by acupuncturists, also seem to be involved in light absorption. Since these nerve clusters can be manipulated to influence human “Light-sensitive molecules called flavins are concentrated in our eyes ... it was discovered that these flavins also existed in various parts of our body including our skin, organs, blood and bones.” B erkeley S cientific J ournal • C olors • F all 2012 • V olume 17 • I ssue 1 • 1 B S J ver the centuries, various human populations have made use of sunlight’s reputed healing qualities. The ancient Greeks built healing temples in which the incoming sunlight would hit various colored jewels such as emeralds and rubies on the temple’s roof, sending colored beams throughout the interior of the temple. The Romans color-diagnosed their patients and placed them into rooms that radiated a specific color. Even the Chinese used color as a manifestation of cosmic energy that could be used to heal internal organs (Day, 2008). But why is it that different colors of light have diverse physiological effects, increasing heart rate and speeding up skin cell regeneration, on the body? It was not until an accident in 1876 that extensive phototherapy research began. A doctor named Dinshah Ghadiali was astonished when he encountered a woman that was dying from intractable dysentery that no medication would cure. Out of other options, Ghadiali shined a violet light on the patient’s body as a final effort to save her, and the curative effect of the light was so drastic that she was up and walking after only three days. This incident prompted him to research the applications of phototherapy and subsequently develop the Spectro-Chrome Theory, which postulates that the body contained different concentrations of various minerals which all absorbed light differently. As a result, different areas of the body