Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
psychology sleep essay
psychology sleep essay
The science of sleep essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: psychology sleep essay
Prior to choosing Sleep Psychology as my topic for this course, I knew very little about the topic. I am currently enrolled in Psychology 101 and a small component of the course was learning about sleep psychology; however, after the two class meetings in which my Psychology class discussed sleep psychology, I was still interested in learning more about it. I decided on Sleep Psychology as my research topic for this class because I thought it was a very interesting and relevant topic with a lot of area to expand on my knowledge of the topic.
Going into this class, I only knew the fundamentals of electromagnetic waves present in the brain during the various stages of sleep and basic information about some of the most common sleep disorders. Through my research for the various presentations in this class I learned about the psychological implications of some of the more obscure topics related to sleep including sleep
…show more content…
Although I did not necessarily enjoy the presentation aspects of this class, I definitely feel like I have improved as a presenter throughout the course of this class. The first presentation was pretty nerve-wrecking, which is my normal response whenever I have to present in front of people. With each presentation I have felt myself become more comfortable in front of people, less dependent on my notes, and just more confident in general. Even though I doubt public speaking will ever be one of my strong suits, I have become much more at ease with presenting and speaking in front of other people. Especially for the presentations in this class, it was reassuring to know that I was the person who was—in theory—an expert in my topic and most people were hearing this information for the first time, which eased a lot of the pressure when it came to
Using secondary sources from academic journals, as well as other peer-reviewed materials in the science of sleep medicine, this report outlines how academic performance and physical health is affected by chronic sleep
We live our entire life in two states, sleep and awake1. These two states are characterized by two distinct behaviors. For instance, the brain demonstrates a well-defined activity during non-REM sleep (nREM) that is different when we are awake. In the study of sleep by Huber et. al., the authors stated that sleep is in fact a global state2. It is unclear whether this statement means that sleep is a state of global behavioural inactivity or the state of the global nervous system. The notion that sleep is a global state of the nervous system served as basis for sleep researchers to search for a sleep switch. The discovery of the sleep switch, in return, provided evidence and enhanced the notion that sleep is a global state of the nervous system. The switch hypothesis developed from the fact that sleep can be initiated without fatigue and it is reversible1. It was hypothesized that there is something in the brain that has the ability to control the whole brain and initiate sleep. Studies have found a good candidate that demonstrated this ability3. They found a group of neurons in the Ventrolateral Preoptic (VLPO) nucleus. It was a good candidate because it was active during sleep, has neuronal output that can influence the wakefulness pathway, and lesion in the area followed reduce sleep3. The idea that there is something that can control the whole brain and result sleep state supports the idea that sleep is a global state of the nervous system.
Hirshkowitz, M., & Smith, P. B. (2004). Sleep disorders for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub.
into how different parts of the brain are behaving during sleep and how to influence those parts to give us the best or worst
In the field of psychology, the concept of sleep has raised multiple questions over time. Psychologists are constantly doing studies on people while they sleep to diagnose sleep disorders. Using EEG readings, they study and record brain waves and muscle movements that occur while the participant is asleep. Sometimes they even wake the person up so they can observe what happens to the brain when you are woken up in different stages of sleep. In order to diagnose sleep disorders, we must first understand what exactly sleep is. Sleep is generally made up of multiple 90-minute cycles. Every time sleep occurs, we cycle through four stages followed by a fifth stage of REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The final stage proves the brain is functioning even
Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive and psychological well-being of a person. Learning, memory processing and maintenance of the brain are among the most important functions of sleep. In addition to maintaining the brain, sleep has important roles in controlling the functions of many other body systems. Sleep-related issues are common in today’s society, especially in high school and college students’ populations. “In recent surveys, nearly 75% of university students reported occasional sleep problems such as difficulty in falling asleep, sleep disturbances, delayed sleep phase syndrome and excessive daytime sleepiness” (Altun, Insaf, et al.). These sleep
Many individuals believe that you can only experiences dreams during the REM stage of sleep. The REM stage is one of five stages that people pass through when they go to sleep ever night. REM is an acronym that stands for rapid eye movement. The REM stage was discovered by the two scientists, Kleitman and Aserinsky (Suzuki et al., 2004). During their research they observed that when their patients were woken up during the REM phase, they were capable of recalling their dreams most vividly. Since then the REM has always been associated with dreaming. During REM sleep, dreams tend to be longer, more bizarre, and more complex. However, this is not the only stage of sleep in which people dream. In fact there are multiple stages of sleep in which a person can dream (Behn, Ananthasubramaniam, & Booth, 2013).
On a regular basis I don’t typically remember my dreams or even try to remember them. Keeping a sleep journal was a very hard thing for me to do. It was also difficult to know in what specific stage I was in during different times throughout the night. I can’t say for sure the amount of time I spent in each stage either. I can say that I could barely hear my alarm about two hours into the night, so I consider that to be REM because normally I hear my alarm just fine in the morning.
breathing in heart failure and the resulting impact of readmission rates. The design included patients admitted to cardiac intensive care unit at the Hospital of the University Of Pennsylvania, for HF, arrhythmias, and myocardial infarction between January 2012 and March 2013 with an observed sleep disordered breathing pattern. 106 patients met inclusion criteria. The left ventricular ejection fraction of these patients was 32.7% ± 19.8. A type III sleep study was completed on that admission. 81 patients were found to have a SBD defined here as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of ≥ 5 events/h. The low AHI was used for the potential over-estimation of sleep time from the lack of EEG use. An auto-CPAP or auto-BiPAP with pressures of 5-20 cm of water
Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the ideas that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleeping, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during consciousness. If all of these important activities occur during sleep, why is it that people are so willing to short themselves of this vital activity? Although much about sleep still remains a mystery, research and experiments continue to show how important sleep is to each and every person. Throughout this paper, I will discuss sleep and the effects that it has on performance and health, especially in college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator to their level of performance in the classroom and other school-affiliated activities, as a lack of sleep leads to decreased performance. Sleep is directly related the level of performance and health in an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).
Doctors have been saying for years that you should not stay up late, or not to sleep in during the day. Doing these things can lead to dementia, heart disease, and early death. One part of sleep is actually found to be more important.
Sleep disorders are an underestimated public health concern considering that fifty to seventy million Americans are affected. Technological advances in the field of sleep have facilitated various theories to explain the need for and the purpose of sleep. Scientist have uncovered many types of sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Sleep disorders affect men ,women, children, the elderly, and the obese in different ways. Factors such as the number of children and the effects of menopause have been studied to determine their effects on sleep. Various treatments have been utilized ranging from non-pharmacologic to pharmacologic methods. Scientist have pinpointed areas of the brain that are involved in sleep deprivation and hormones that ultimately affect sleep.
Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 July 2013. Web. 7 May 2014. .
Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s mental well-being. Sleeping affects how well people think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. While a person is sleeping, his brain is preparing to help him learn and remember information. A good night’s sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills. It is very important for the students to have sound sleep as it can improve their concentration, memory and creativity. Furthermore, having enough sleep increases the ability to m...
This class has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I am not typically a shy person but something about this class made me nervous. Giving presentations in front of a classroom is something that I do not have much experience with, especially in front of my peers. I 've learned how to be more confident in what I am saying through participating in class discussions and presenting during the Pecha Kucha activity. As stressful as that activity was, memorizing the information that was important in order to teach my classmates was very beneficial and time efficient compared to reading word off of a powerpoint slide. While teaching in a classroom, you only have about an hour with your students a day so it is important to be time