Sleep Tracking (25)

So as I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to start tracking my sleep using my FitBit. With that being said, I tracked my sleep a few times this past week and I've learned some things! First of all, I got really close to sleeping about 8 hours a night, so I'm proud of myself in that matter. Second, as you can tell in the picture above, I tend to get more and more restless the closer it is to me getting up for the day. In this case, that was around 9 o'clock. What I've noticed on the weekends when I don't set an alarm is that I wake up at about 8:30 no matter what, but I can always go back to sleep with no problems. I think that's because my body has gotten use to waking up five days a week between 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock usually. I think that is a reason why I get more restless around that time. 

I've also discussed the effects of working out on my nightly sleep, and I'm going to expand on that a little bit more. Sleep is essential when trying to maintain good health. Because of this, I've been more conscious of my quantity of sleep, quality of sleep, and also my sleep hygiene before bed every night. For the past couple of weeks now I've decided to get up and workout in the mornings before my classes. That means I've been waking up anytime between 5:30 and 6:30, depending on the day and when my first class is. It's been hard for me to do because I most definitely am NOT a morning person, but I'm growing to like it more and more. I just talked about how my body naturally will wake up at around 8:30 because that's my typical time to get out of bed, but now I'm about to be changing that maybe! I don't really want to start waking up normally at 6 AM because that's just too early, but I guess we'll see what happens! Overall, I've enjoyed tracking my sleep to learn more about my sleeping patterns and habits, and I've also enjoyed going to bed a little earlier in order to get a good morning workout in. 

Alexander Pope, Insomnia, and Caffeine Addiction (24)

In Roger Schmidt's article entitled "Caffeine and the Coming of the Enlightenment," he discuses how Alexander Pope was possibly the first major author to be addicted to caffeine.  He illustrates how Pope stayed up night after night, continually writing and asking his servant for more coffee.  Schmidt writes, "Caffeine fuels insomnia as it simultaneously attempts to alleviate the symptoms:  the ceremony of tea and coffee becomes, as here, highly ritualized," which provides an interesting viewpoint on the subject of coffee and caffeine (Schmidt 137-138).  In the case of Alexander Pope, his supposed insomnia might be a learned disorder, but it is also related to his extreme intake of caffeine.  For example, his continual writing at night might have taught his brain to associate the bedroom or his bed as a place of work, not of rest.  Because of this, every time he was ready to sleep and went to bed, his brain possibly began to immediately think about many things instead of resorting to sleep.  As a result, Pope would more than likely begin to write in an effort to clear his head.  Once this became a learned behavior or habit, he viewed his writing time to be at night, which led to the intake of caffeine to stay awake to continue to write.  And like the domino effect, this led to an addiction to caffeine, which led to less sleep, which then led to more caffeine, and more addiction... It's a never-ending cycle once started, and it seems that Alexander Pope was one of the first documented writers in history to suffer from caffeine addiction.  
I find this entire assertion extremely interesting simply because of how it relates to what we've learned about insomnia and caffeine, and how it can greatly affect one's sleeping patterns.  Alexander Pope is obvious evidence of the severe effects both insomnia and sleep can have on a person.

Sleep and Exercise (and small spaces?) (23)

Lately, I've been trying to pay better attention to what settings I sleep better in, as well as certain things I do throughout the day or at night that might also effect the quality of sleep I get.  I've come to a few conclusions!
First of all, I always sleep better on the days that I get a good workout in.  I might've already touched on this, but ever since I've actually been paying attention to it, it has become extremely obvious to me that this is the case!  If I happen to miss a day of working out, it usually doesn't effect me a whole lot, but if I go more than 2 days without working out I can usually tell that I might not sleep as well, or I might wake up more frequently.  I think this is because of how the body and mind seem to rejuvenate or refresh while one sleeps, which we have discussed thoroughly in class, but I also think part of the reason might be because of my mindset about it.  I already think that I sleep better when I workout, so when I'm getting into bed and my muscles are already sore I immediately tell myself (sometimes a little excitedly) that I'm about to get a a great night of sleep that night. 
Second, I think I've realized that I don't like to sleep in the open.  I've always known this because I hate sleeping without any covers on, but I think it extends beyond that a little bit.  If I'm sleeping in a bigger room or a bigger area, I realize I don't feel as comfortable or relaxed as I do if I'm in a smaller space.  So, for example, I'm in a room in Davis, and they're fairly smaller than other rooms.  My room at my parents' house is bigger than this room, but I've noticed I feel almost more secure in a smaller room than in a larger one.  And interestingly enough, because of this I've actually started to sleep better in my smaller dorm room than in my larger bedroom when I go to my parents' house, and that makes me just a tad bit upset!  Hopefully I'll figure out a way to adjust a little better.
I've also decided to start tracking my sleep a little better.  I have a FitBit, which can track sleep if it's worn at night, and I'm going to start doing that more often to get a better feel of how I actually sleep at night.  We'll see what happens!

Medical and Religious Aspects of Segmented Sleep (22)

In the article "Sleep We Have Lost," Ekirch presents several interesting points pertaining to sleep and how it relates to medical practices and religion.  For example, on page 366, he states that medical books from the fifteenth to eighteen centuries recommended that people sleep on their right sight during the first sleep, and then switch to their left side during their second sleep in order obtain better digestion and a "... more tranquil repose."  This suggests a medical advantage to a segmented sleep, true or not.  In regards to religion or morals, Ekirch explains that in earlier Christianity, a pattern of segmented or broken sleep existed.   He elaborates on page 366 that, "Ever since St. Benedict in the sixth century required that monks rise after midnight for the recital of verses and psalms, this like other regulations of the Benedictine order had spread..." which further supports the implementation of segmented sleep in religious activities.  However, the church itself was not responsible for the implementation of broken sleeping patterns, according to Ekirch.
If segmented sleep was a necessity for people in earlier times, why do we no longer sleep in segments today?  Possible explanations for the change in the sleeping patterns of people today that is presented by Ekirch on page 383 lies in the effects of "Professional policing, nocturnal trade, evening employment for the workers, and, most important, improvements in both domestic lighting and the illumination of public streets..." which basically embodies industrialization.  The now fast-paced lifestyle practiced by people all around the world today has greatly influenced the sleep pattern of mankind.  With the use of light emitting devices and other modern technology and lighting, our brains and hormones are thrown off.  This links to what we've learned this semester about circadian rhythms within the human body, and through his explanation of the loss of segmented sleep, Ekirch provides more evidence as to the changes of circadian rhythms and sleep in general.

Benadryl (21)

This past week I have been battling a cold or some really bad allergies like most people do this time of year!  As a way to combat my coughing and congestion, I've been taking Benadryl at night.  Every time I take it, I always think of what the nurse told us about Benadryl and ZzzQuil, and how they're basically the same thing.  I don't notice Benadryl making me feel extremely drowsy once I take it, but I have been sleeping extremely well considering I can't really breathe that great right now, so the medicine must be doing its job!  Even though it was earlier in the semester, I'm thankful that Laurie Hall came and spoke to us about different sleep aids and the effects of the immune system when students are sleep deprived.  Learning that along with the other sleep topics we've discussed in class had made a huge difference in how I view sleep hygiene.  Now that I've been borderline sick, I've made an effort to go to bed earlier, as well as avoid electronics so that I can fall asleep faster.  Getting as much sleep as possible at this point would help me greatly and (hopefully) boost my immune system so that I'll get better faster! 

Sleep in Literature (20)

While reading the article Caffeine and the Coming of the Enlightenment by Roger Schmidt, I found it interesting how many different prominent authors and pieces of literature mentioned or discussed sleep.  For example, Schmidt refers to Shakespeare's Macbeth, and The Tempest, as well asNicholas Hart's sonnet titled Astrophil and Stella.  The idea that modern readers view sleep as "... A metaphor for death... [and] nullity..." is also presented by the author, and I believe this is an accurate assertion.  When analyzing text, sleep is viewed as something with a grave or negative connotation with a sense of foreboding for a specific character.  However, when analyzing the meaning to poets and authors like Shakespeare and Hart, sleep is much more than a mere metaphor.  These writers view sleep in such a way that it "... makes our waking life seem little..." and as a completely different world.  This interpretation embodies a sense of mystery.  The idea of sleep and the meaning of it in literature continues to change and shift as literature changes.  I'd like to learn more about sleep within different pieces of literature now that I have a scientific understanding of sleep!

Worrying About Sleep (19)

A few nights ago, I had a night where I didn't get very much sleep and I had some nightmares that kept waking me up. Needless to say, I was exhausted the next day, so the following night I slept really well.  However, the night after I got some rest, I began to worry about if I would sleep well or not since I didn't feel extremely tired when I got into bed.  As you might expect, I didn't sleep well that night either, and I actually had more disturbing dreams.  After reading from Sleep:  A Very Short Introduction, I learned that the process I just went through can actually lead to a form of insomnia (yikes!).  I've decided that when I start to worry about sleep from now on, I will take the time to do something that helps me relax, such as write or read for a short amount of time. I have a really bad habit of automatically getting on my phone when I can't sleep at night, but I've also learned that the light from electronics will prevent my brain from secreting melatonin, which is definitely something I need!  Having the ability to assess my sleeping problems and know the solution to each problem has been extremely beneficial to me throughout this semester.

Insomnia (18)

In The Promise of Sleep, the author, William C. Dement, gives two accounts of insomnia that led to two very frightening outcomes.  First, he writes about a story that occurred in 1991 when a woman who was, at the time, experiencing some very traumatic life changes that led to an extreme amount of stress.  She began losing sleep at night for an extended amount of time, and because of this, got into a serious car accident while she had her sister's children with her.  There were no deaths, but various injuries of different severities.  Because of the woman's sleep deprivation, she was caught off guard by her sleep debt while driving, which resulted in her running a red light.  The second story was about a friend of Dement's.  The man and his wife had travelled to France, and due to the intensity of the jet lag the couple was experiencing, they crashed into a ravine.  The man walked away from it, but his wife, however, sustained fatal head injuries.
What strikes me the most about this section of The Promise of Sleep is the serious effects of sleep deprivation and insomnia that aren't always taken into consideration.  For example, one's concern while experiencing insomnia is often limited to his or her ability (or lack thereof) to sleep at night.  Falling asleep while driving, on the other hand, will more than likely not be a huge concern of this particular individual.  Dement's discussion of these two accidents is eye opening when it comes to the effects of sleep deprivation as a whole, and I think it's important to be aware of these potential problems in order to prevent further accidents.

Research and Analysis (17)

My preferred topic for the argument paper discusses the use of ergogenic and cognitive aids within the U.S. military.  
I'm interested in this topic because of the controversy involved.  There's two ways at this point in time to combat sleep deprivation.  The first is obviously through a more regulated sleep schedule, and the second is by implementing sleep reduction aids including caffeine, amphetamines, and modafinil. In these circumstances, the U.S. military is choosing to utilize both ergogenic and cognitive aids.  My interest in this topic stems from the attempt to balance the need for sleep and how that affects one's need or dependence on certain sleep reduction aids.  My stance on this subject is as follows:  U.S. military personnel need adequate sleep in order to perform well at their designated tasks, yet they experience a high amount of sleep debt and sleep deprivation.  If they do not receive enough sleep due to the inability to regulate an appropriate sleep schedule, then the next action to aid the personnel is the utilization of sleep reduction aids.  Although this might not be the best solution to the problem of sleep deprivation in the U.S. armed forces in regards to health, it seems to be the only option right now, especially if these aids are already in use. 
Two sources I plan to include are:
"Night of the Living Meds:  The U.S. military's sleep-reduction program" by William Saletan, and
"Sleep Patterns of Young Men and Women Enrolled at the United States Military Academy" by Nita Lewis Miller.

Sleep Reduction (16)

In William Saletan's "Night of the Living Meds," it is reported that the military is already taking action to research and develop drugs that aid in sleep reduction for current personnel.  As we've discussed and read in class, it's evident that sleep deprivation has a huge negative effect on people.  This doesn't exclude soldiers at war.  Research has been conducted that shows mental and physical performance decline significantly when one is deprived of sleep.  With this in mind, the personnel at war experience an extreme drop in performance during combat.  In an attempt to remedy this, the military is now implementing the use of supplements to essentially eliminate sleep deprivation and improve physical performance.  Caffeine has been a major focus of study and a widespread necessity among military personnel, but along with caffeine, 86 other aids have been evaluated as well.  With the utilization of these aids, an obvious improvement in function can be seen.  However, at this point in time, the military states that the study and use of these aids occurs simply to prepare themselves for the possibility that their enemies might begin to implement these aids first, according to Saletan.  
In my opinion, I don't think finding ways to employ sleep reduction is the best idea.  If at all possible, I think the military should accommodate sleep schedules that benefit all personnel.  Sadly, this probably isn't completely reasonable or possible.  So with that being said, I think it is almost a necessity for the military to find ways to make personnel feel awake with little to no sleep.  If sleep reduction aids are going to improve the performance of the military personnel, then it might be important for them to be used.  It's a touchy subject when it comes down the the health of military personnel, regardless of the position one takes in this instance.   

War and Sleep (15)

In the article "Sleep Difficult in a War Zone" by Todd Neale, a study was done to determine if the sleep of current deployed personnel or personnel that had been deployed in the past was affected in comparison to personnel that hadn't yet been deployed.  The result showed that those who are currently deployed in  Iraq or Afghanistan, or those who have already completed a deployment are getting less sleep than those who had not yet been deployed.  Similarly, the groups of personnel who had experienced deployment reported more trouble sleeping, and "... the relationships seemed to be modified by both exposure to combat and by mental health problems -- including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression -- during follow-up."  Now researchers are questioning whether sleep (or the lack of it) plays a role in the development of these mental health problems.  If so, then the promotion of a healthy sleep schedule among military personnel might be beneficial to those deployed and those who have completed a deployment.
Based off of everything we have discussed in class about the negative effects sleep deprivation has on both physical and mental health, I am not surprised by these results and the concern of the researchers.  In my opinion, I believe a healthy sleep schedule would greatly benefit all military personnel, especially those currently in combat.  Realistically, I know that sleeping while in combat would naturally be hard to come by, but if there was some way to improve this somehow, I think signs of depression and PTSD after completing a deployment could be limited to an extent.  I don't think sleep can cure all cases of depression and PTSD, but I do believe it could help fairly significantly in the long run. 

School Terrors (14)

Not too long ago, I had this dream/nightmare that I only got one question right on my most recent Chemistry exam, which resulted in my grade being a 5 for that specific test.  When I woke up, I obviously had a huge problem with this dream (nightmare?).  Before I had learned anything about dreams, I wouldn't have known why I had that particular nightmare, but now I do.  I think that that dream occurred during my REM sleep because those are the brain's way to try and move into the future for experience.  So in other words, my brain was trying to prepare me for a failing grade on my Chemistry exam.  This is funny to me, because I thought I actually did very poorly on the test, which means my brain legitimately tried to prepare me for what I thought was already going to happen.  Of course, I didn't really think I was going to score a 5 on my test, but I still didn't expect an outstanding grade!  As it turns out, I found out the grade I actually made today, and thankfully I did decently on it!  So all of my stress and terrible dreams happened for no real reason!

Bad Days Lead to More Naps (For Me) (13)

Today has not been a good day for a handful of reasons.  With that being said, I really felt like I needed to take a nap earlier, and so I did (or at least tried).  I didn't ever end up falling asleep, but just laying down and relaxing allowed me to sort of rejuvenate myself before taking on the rest of the day.  Still thinking about the question that was asked on the first day of class, I'm realizing more and more that sleep, or even just resting in general is extremely important in my everyday life.  I've become more aware now of the nights that I don't get enough sleep and how that has a negative effect on me the next day, as well as my need to escape from myself and other stressful events that have happened during the day.  My desire for good sleep has increased as well.  Of course, as a college student I won't always have the time to get enough sleep, and quite frankly sometimes I choose to not get enough sleep in order to maintain a social life.  But whenever that happens, I always make a point to either nap in an effort to avoid a bad day, or go to bed earlier the next night to make up for the sleep debt I've accumulated.

Manhole 69 (12)

All I have to say about this story is wow!  The story told in this is extremely thought provoking, yet eerie, and I kept thinking about the question we were asked the first day of class.  I remember I said that I would choose to live without sleep, but I think I might change my answer now.  I said that I would do without sleep in order to have more hours awake, which would give me more time to accomplish things, but now being halfway through the semester, I'm realizing more and more how important sleep is.  For one, as mentioned in the story, I need a break during my days.  Sometimes I even need a break in the middle of my day, which is when I decide to take a nap!  If I didn't sleep at night, I would be completely overwhelmed with everything, which is ironic considering I thought I would be more productive without sleep.  Overall, I really think that the purpose of "Manhole 69" is to demonstrate the actual importance of sleep that is often overlooked by people.


Source:  Manhole 69, J.G.  Ballard

Midterm Madness (11)

As I think back to the beginning of this semester, it's crazy to think about how much I've learned solely about sleep!  Before this class, I knew only bits and pieces about REM sleep and obviously about the physical aspects of sleep, but now I know so much more from circadian rhythms all the way to sleep inertia, sleep drive, and sleep debt.  While preparing for the upcoming midterm, my nerves are starting to kick in just a little bit!  I feel like we've learned a lot of information that we need to retain, so I'm a little worried about trying to remember everything.  But with the rest of today and tomorrow to study and prepare, I think I'll score decently on the midterm.  What I'm enjoying most thus far are any discussions about dreams and nightmares.  For some reason, dreams and nightmares are extremely intriguing to me.  If I can find enough research and topics to talk about in regards to dreams and nightmares, I think I might choose to write my paper about them!

Waking Up In the Dark (10)

On Sunday morning, my alarm went off and I woke up to see no sunlight outside at 7 am.  This made it extremely difficult for me to actually get out of bed!  Up until then, I hadn't woken up to no sunlight, even if it was just a little bit, and it really threw me off!  I ended up staying in bed twenty minutes later than I intended because I just couldn't get going.  It probably didn't help that I had a late night the night before, but I really do think waking up to no sunlight caused a huge problem for me!  It made me realize that I'm definitely not ready for the soon approaching time change.  
On the other hand, waking up today was a lot easier!  Granted, I didn't have to be up until about 9 am, but I actually woke up two minutes before my alarm went off, and I felt very refreshed!  Having woken up on my own, I was not interrupted in the middle of my sleep cycle, which made it a lot easier for me to get up.  I didn't roll over and go back to sleep, so instead I turned my alarm off and got out of bed and felt ready for the day.  I had plenty of time to get ready without rushing, and then I went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast before my first class.  Needless to say, my body waking up naturally has been the best thing that's happened to me in regards to my attempts to get up in the mornings!  Maybe I should invest in an alarm clock that goes off according to which part of my sleep cycle is happening...

Ill-Merica (9)

America is sick, and there's research to prove it.  According to studies presented by Paul Krugman in his article, "Our Sick Society," America is statistically more sick than the English.  When looking at the results, it seems that simply being American does more damage for your health than even race and social status.  Why is this happening?  A couple ideas as to why the health of American's in general is so poor has to do with health care, and overworking ourselves.  The healthcare provided to the English, for example, might actually be better than the health care offered to Americans.  Krugman writes, "It's possible that Britain's National Health Service, in spite of its limited budget, actually provides better all-around medical care ... because it takes a broader, longer-term view than private insurance companies," validating the issue of quality health care in the U.S.  The other issue of overwork still prevails in this study.  For example, Paul Krugman explains that, "... Americans work too hard and experience too much stress. Full-time American workers work ... about 46 weeks per year; full-time British, French and German workers work only 41 weeks a year. I've pointed out in the past that our workaholic economy is actually more destructive of the 'family values' ... than the European economies in which regulations and union power have led to shorter working hours," revealing that the European's included in this study already work less than the average American.  Taking this all into consideration, it's easy to see that the one thing the American's can change (for the most part) is overwork.  The topic of overworking ourselves is a common theme when studying sleep in the workforce, and clearly it's a true problem if it's causing American's to become even sicker as we age.  

Krugman, Paul.  "Our Sick Society."  EconomistsView.  NYT, 5 May 2006.  Web.  29 September 2015.

Friends or Enemies? (8)

Recently, I hadn't been having very many dreams, and if I was dreaming, they seemed to be pretty boring for the most part.  However, a few nights ago that all changed.  I had a dream that two of my friends basically tried to kill me (or so I thought).  In the context of the dream, my friends seemed like they were trying to play a prank on me by placing a black sackcloth type thing over my head, and then trying to put me into what looked like a body bag.  When this was taking place,  I was seeing all this happen from outside of my body like I was somebody else.  It wasn't until my friends started to put me in the body bag that I started to experience the dream from my own body.  Once that change occurred, I was panicking and begging my friends to stop and leave me alone, and finally they stopped and took the sackcloth off my face.  As soon as the cloth was removed and I could see, the dream was over.  Even though my friends' demeanor was a playful one throughout the dream, I clearly wasn't a fan of this prank!  Now that I understand nightmares are a way for our brain to attempt to prepare us for certain events in our lives, I wonder what the purpose of this dream was.  I didn't wake up extremely scared like most nightmares cause me to do, but I did feel weird that I thought my friends were going to kill me!

Past Time to Get Away (7)

It is becoming evident that people are starting to over work themselves.  As read in the articles "The Shame of Failure" and "Please Don't Make Me Go on Vacation," we're actually choosing to work a little too much.  If people do decide to go on vacation, their time off is still filled with electronics that bring never ending phone calls and emails, making it hard to actually relax and rejuvenate.  When thinking about this and relating it to our everyday living, it's interesting to think about the effect over working ourselves has on our home lives.  If we can't even relax on a nice beach for vacation, how are we going to allow ourselves to rest at home?  Not allowing ourselves to get away from the stressful things associated with work can potentially, and most likely does, have a negative effect on our sleep.  Laying awake at night thinking of all the things we didn't get done that day while dreading some of the things coming the next day can quickly spiral into serious sleep deprivation.  According to Alain De Botton, the author of "The Shame of Failure," our obsession with being successful at work stems from our fear of failure that relates to our general comparison of ourselves to others around us.  Even if we live comfortably and happily, the comparison between us and our neighbors still exists.  As a result, our fear of mediocrity causes us to skip vacation time to continue our long days at work.  In the article "Please Don't Make Me Go on Vacation" by Stephanie Rosenbloom, she states that, "A study released last year by the Families and Work Institute found that American workers have on average 16.6 paid vacation days but that more than one-third of employees (36 percent) did not plan to use their full vacation," revealing that it is becoming more and more  common for people to skip out on their earned vacation time.  Would we be happier if we actually took advantage of vacation time?  I believe that it would make a difference in some ways, but it wouldn't cure every problem.  Rest and rejuvenation, in my opinion, are very important when it comes to work.  I think it's important to allow ourselves a break every once in a while.  With that being said, there's no doubt that I'll be taking advantage of my vacation time in the future!

De Botton, Alain.  "The Shame of Failure."  NewStatesman.  NewStatesman, 1 January 2005.  Web.  22 September 2015.

Rosenbloom, Stephanie.  "Please Don't Make Me Go on Vacation."  New York Times.  New York Times, 10 August 2006.  Web.  22 September 2015.

Afternoon Naps (6)

Today has been one of those days where I really needed a nap.  I didn't have the best weekend, which resulted in a lack of sleep.  Needless to say, I'm already sleep deprived to start this week off!  Because of how exhausted I've felt, I decided to take a nap this afternoon.  Typically when I nap, I'll sleep for an hour or two at a time, and then continue my day.  When I do this, I don't always feel better, and sometimes I even feel worse.  Well when I decided to nap today, I planned on napping for an extended amount of time like I usually do.  However, because of certain outside factors, I ended up sleeping in a twenty minute segment, and then in another thirty minute segment.  At first, when I woke up after the first twenty minutes, I felt terrible.  I must have already been in a deeper sleep or something because of how hard it was for me to wake up fully.  After I slept for the second time, I woke up much easier and actually felt refreshed.  I've always heard that shorter naps are better than longer ones, and after today, I can now attest to that!  Maybe from now on I will only take shorter naps to see if I'll feel better.

Sleepless and Distressed (5)

The article titled "Lack of Sleep Linked to Distress in Young Adults" has stood out to me significantly.  The author discusses the statistics of certain young adults and their emotions/anxiety levels after they have had little sleep.  The study consisted of about 20,000 young Australian adults, and the results revealed that shorter sleep time has a linear relationship with psychological distress.  The study also showed that the amount of distress will continue to rise with every missed hour of sleep.  According to author Nancy Walsh, "Short sleep duration was associated with older age, having a job, using marijuana and alcohol, and recent self-harm (P<0.001 for each), while high psychological distress was associated with female sex, unemployment, drug and alcohol use, self-harm, and sensation seeking (P<0.001 for each)," explaining some of the serious effects of sleep deprivation in young adults.  After reading this article, I decided that this study is applicable in my life in many ways.  I haven't experienced the extremes listed, but I have noticed that when I'm sleep deprived, I feel more emotional and anxious throughout the day, starting with the minute I wake up.  The article also makes a disclaimer in regards to the population tested.  Since the sample only included Australians, the generalizations found in the study may or may not be applicable to all people groups.  However, I think this study reveals a lot about sleep deprivation and the effects it has on all young adults, regardless of culture or ethnicity.  

Walsh, Nancy.  "Lack of Sleep Linked to Distress in Young Adults."  Medpage.  Medpage, 11 June 2015.  Web.  14 September 2015.

Morning Nightmare (4)

A couple of nights ago, I woke up at about 6:00 am after having an odd nightmare.  Once I woke up and realized what time it was, I sort of "assessed" myself because I remembered our circadian rhythm is at a high point at that time in the morning. 
When I initially woke up, naturally my heart was pounding because I had suddenly woken up from a nightmare.  Once I got myself calmed down and started thinking about circadian rhythms, I began attempting to decide if I felt energized at all.  The answer was a definite no.  After learning that teenagers' circadian rhythms are off by about two hours, I assumed that that's why I still felt exhausted.  Another factor could include that I woke suddenly in the middle of REM sleep due to my nightmare, which results in the emotions to be effected negatively (hence the racing heart and fear/anxiety once I woke).  Still another factor to my drowsiness is simply because I was still sleep deprived at that point in the morning.  Needless to say, I eventually went back to sleep that morning.
Another interesting aspect to this particular night of sleep is the context of my nightmare.  In essence, I was trying to get away from a man who was chasing me and threatening to hurt me.  Now that I know our brains allow nightmares to try and prepare us for something in the real world, I'm curious as to why my brain processed that particular nightmare.  I have not felt threatened in any way, and I don't think that a random man is going to start chasing me around (at least I hope not).  Overall, I had a pretty evenful night in terms of dreams, and knew enough about the sleep cycle to process why I felt the way I did at 6:00 am.  Yay! 

Dreams (3)

The video titled What are Dreams? by PBS NOVA was very intriguing to me (here's a link to the video).  I find dreams extremely fascinating in general, so to watch a documentary that went into depth about dreams was great!  One of my favorite parts was the discussion about the difference between N-REM dreams and REM dreams.  According to the video, dreams during N-REM sleep are used to refine memories and learn by taking the past and then trying to relate them to the future.  On the other hand, dreams during REM sleep are different because the amygdala is involved.  This means our moods are effected negatively when woken during REM dreams.  Furthermore, REM dreams are our brain's way of trying to move into the future to gain experience.  Also, the topic of nightmares was very engaging as well.  I never knew that nightmares had a purpose, but according to the video they do.  It was explained that nightmares occur so that we will be prepared for threatening events that can happen while we're awake.  Knowing this now, it has totally changed how I interpret the nightmares I've had in the past!  Keeping this in mind, I plan to now evaluate my dreams and nightmares differently.  Overall, I find the topic of dreams as something I would love to learn more about them as this class continues.

Psychology, Everywhere.  "What are Dreams?."  Online video clip.
YouTube.  YouTube,  29 Aug. 2012.  Web.  7 Sept. 2015.

Endless Sheep or Endless Sleep? (2)

My sleep-filled nights are still very hit or miss as we enter into our fourth week of school.  Sometimes I fall right to sleep, and other times I lay wide awake for what feels like eternity.  I'm deciding that my thought process once I get into bed is what keeps me up or helps me fall asleep faster.  For example, if I lay down at night and my brain takes off thinking about what stresses me out or events during the day that effected me negatively, then it takes me longer to fall asleep.  Sometimes it doesn't even matter how exhausted I feel!  I'll still lay awake at night thinking about absolutely everything, even if my body is basically begging me to just relax and sleep.  I haven't ever come up with a solution to this, either.  However, last night as I got into bed I listened to music and laid on my back so I could stare at the ceiling, then let my thoughts wander until I started to feel tired.  Once that happened, I turned everything off and fell asleep right away.  I don't know if this is a remedy to my sleepless nights, but I plan to continue experimenting with this nightly ritual.  Other times I can't seem to get enough sleep though.  If I'm lucky, sometimes I can lay down and immediately fall asleep with no problem, and then continue sleeping all the way through the night.  When that happens, I usually have a harder time getting up in the mornings (which seems backwards to me).  Either way, I'm trying to find a happy medium between getting good sleep at night and waking up easier in the mornings.

On another note, I haven't been remembering as many of my dreams.  I vaguely remember my dream from last night, but I didn't recognize any people I knew.  It's said that the faces you see in your dreams cannot be conjured up by your brain, therefore I have seen those people in my dream at one time, I just don't personally know them.  Hopefully I'll begin to have more exciting dreams again.

Circadian Rhythms (1)

In class, one significant thing that has stuck out to me has been the topic of circadian rhythms.  I had never known that our body operates on a type of internal clock.  Knowing this now, it makes a lot of sense and explains a lot of things well.  After being in Wales for a month this summer, jet lag was a major problem once I got there and also when I came back to the states.  Knowing that my body went through an internal time change in regards to energy highs and lows and adjusted to when sunlight is visible helped me better understand the effects of jet lag, as well as the concept of circadian rhythms. The entire concept is fascinating to me, and I'm excited to continue learning about sleep and the things that accompany it. 

Sleep Starved

Sleep starved are the words I would use to describe myself as of late.  On top of staying out at night and waking up early for class, stress has taken its toll on my sleeping patterns.  I tend to lay down and immediately start thinking about everything that's a stress to me, which results in even later nights than I originally intended.  My constantly running mind doesn't allow me to slow down and rest very much!  Once I finally do sleep, I typically sleep straight through the night though, then wake up feeling disgruntled at my alarm clock for interrupting. 

My dreams have also been affected by said stress.  For example, dreaming about my teeth breaking and falling out has happened, as well as dreams that include strange encounters with people I know. 

Hopefully, my mind will start to slow down as I get use to the changes that are going on around me.