SLEEP AND LEARNING

THE BODY CLOCK

LARKS AND OWLS The body clock varies between individuals. 20% are either: LARKS: morning type early riser at best in morning, life and soul of breakfast table OWLS grumpy in morning at best in evening go to bed later Most people fall between these

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO WE NEED? Python: 18 hours Tiger: 15.8 hours Cat: 12.1 hours Chimpanzee: 9.7 hours Human: 7-8 hours Sheep: 3.8 hours African Elephant: 3.3 hours Giraffe: 1.9 hours

SLEEP DEPRIVATION CAN LEADTO:

WORLD RECORD WITHOUT SLEEP: 264 HOURS Randy Gardner a 17 year old from San Diego did it by using cold showers, people to talk to and physical activity to keep him awake By Day 6 he daydreamed, speech slurred and incoherent By day 8 his thoughts were fragmented, he could not complete sentences and had blurred vision By day 11 he lost all facial expression and developed a hand tremor BUT he could still walk did not lose balance and hand co-ordination remained good

WHAT HAPPEN IF WE LOSE SLEEP? If you've ever been up an all night, you'll be familiar with the following after-effects: grumpiness, grogginess, irritability and forgetfulness. After just one night without sleep, concentration becomes more difficult and attention span shortens considerably. The part of the brain that controls, memory, language, planning and sense of time is severely affected, practically shutting down. In fact, 17 hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (two glasses of wine). This is the legal drink driving limit in the UK.

Research also shows that sleep-deprived individuals often have difficulty in responding to rapidly changing situations and making rational judgements. The consequences can be serious and lack of sleep is said to have been be a contributory factor to a number of international disasters such as Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the Challenger shuttle explosion. Research has also suggested that sleep loss may increase the risk of obesity because chemicals and hormones that play a key role in controlling appetite and weight gain are released during sleep.

SLEEP AND ACCIDENTS Driver sleepiness is thought to cause at least 10% of all road accidents and one in five accidents on motorways and trunk roads It is claims more lives on our roads than alcohol At least 40,000 serious injuries and nearly 3,500 deaths occurred on our roads last year, with drowsiness considered to be a major cause Most accidents happen between 2-6 am and mid afternoon between 2-4 pm, when the body’s natural clock is at its low points Young men aged 18-30 are most at risk, and account for around 50% of sleep related accidents

CAN YOU GET TOO MUCH SLEEP? Most people can sleep on for 9 hours But if you sleep much beyond this it is likely to lead to: Post sleep inertia Being worn-out Lethargic Heavy limbs Thick headedness This is a type of jet lag because the body clock has become confused This explains the state of at least 50% of the Sixth Form!!!!!!!!!

SLEEP AND MEMORY Learning is the acquisition knowledge while memory is the retention of what has been learned. Memory must be present in order for learning to occur. Memory is created by strengthening the networks among brain cells. Sleep is the brain’s way of handling the connections, boosting some while reducing others. With reduced sleep, the brain doesn’t have time to properly ‘housekeep’.

STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Subjects slept for 4-6 hours a night for fourteen consecutive nights Deficits in cognitive performance equivalent to three days without sleep Subjects reported not feeling sleepy Reduced ability to pay attention Slowed ability to think quickly and avoid mistakes Reduced ability to multi-task

STUDY BY CANADIAN RESEARCHERS A logic game was played by participants Half of group then got drunk before going to bed Those who drank did 40% worse than those sober when playing the game again the next day One explanation: alcohol suppresses REM sleep, of which a certain amount is needed for memory retention (Stickgold, 2004) Regular sleep and wake time also plays a key role in recalling material learned earlier in class periods (Trockel, 2000)

IMPROVING SLEEP PATTERNS Protect your need for sleep and set aside 7.5-8 hours set aside for sleep every day Keep regular sleep hours because an erratic sleep schedule messes up your biological clock Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning Avoid vigorous exercise before sleep Avoid late afternoon or evening naps

Avoid eating large meals before bed Avoid caffeine before bed Do not allow yourself to lie in bed and worry. Get up and do something to alleviate the worry Take a warm bath before bed if you have a particularly difficult time getting to sleep Listen to soothing music Do not read, watch tv, or study in bed - learn to associate your bed with relaxation

Ensure a dark, quiet, cool environment Avoid oversleeping or lying in bed for prolonged periods of time after your sleep is completed Try not to care whether you fall asleep or not - sometimes worrying about falling asleep is enough to keep you awake Do something relaxing to distract yourself from you inability to sleep