Week 08 - Learning By HEART; Sleep!

The posts that interested me weren't readable without a subscription so I decided to do my own research on sleep!

(dog is squished between two pillows and has fallen asleep, helpguide.org)

Firstly,  I read an article with 22 interesting facts about sleep. I found a few facts that really struck me. Sleep deprivation can kill someone faster than food deprivation (Thomson, n.d.), which is something that made me think about how much more important sleep is than food and yet we talk more and see more about how important what we eat is. Sleep experts have discovered a direct link between people’s favourite sleeping positions and their personalities (Thomson, n.d.), which also made me think about how specific sleep is to every single person. What I find enough may not be enough for one person and may be too much for someone else.

The next article discussed why we need sleep. It says that there are several influences to why and how we get tired, but I was really interested by the idea of light, because I could sleep in the middle of the day right under the sun if I was tired enough so I'd definitely be interested in diving in to why I can do that but some others can't. 

"Some studies have shown sleep deprivation leaves people vulnerable to attention lapses, reduced cognition, delayed reactions, and mood shifts." (Suni, n.d.)

I think as we continue on with this working at home situation, sleep becomes more and more important. For a long time and until recently, I only had my bed to work on. All my assignments, lectures and labs were done from my bed. I had no desk and the kitchen was too loud. I also noticed I felt more tired more often and less motivated. I think it was because, like light and different hormones, our bed is a mental cue for us to sleep. Since moving to my own desk, I'm following a more normal sleeping schedule, I feel less tired and I feel more motivated.

With what the world is going through, I think there needs to be more education put into the world about sleep. Seminars and leaflets also mention sleep helps with stress, anxiety and other things college students often struggle with by they never explain why or how to go about it. I think it's incredibly important, especially now.

References:

Thomson, C., n.d. 22 Interesting Facts You Didn't Know About Sleep - The Sleep Matters Club. [online] The Sleep Matters Club. Available at: <https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/25-facts-about-sleep/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

Suni, E., n.d. Why Do We Need Sleep? - Sleep Foundation. [online] Sleep Foundation. Available at: <https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/why-do-we-need-sleep> [Accessed 16 November 2020].