Blog 23

This weeks reading's talked about the view of "too much" and being "sloth-like" or in sin previously in what I believe to be the 17th century. The argument presented by Schmidit was vaguely familiar to some reading's we did earlier in the semester talking about "trading sleep to get ahead in society" and the pressure society puts on us and previously put on those in the 17th century are very closely related. In the 17th century people who slept too much or stayed idle for too long where viewed as sinful, but now we look at those who sleep too much as "behind in society" or simply lazy.

Sleep Blog

Sleep this week has been much better than last week and I didn't toss or turn as much as I usually do. Also, I vaguely remember hearing the girls across the hall talking, which usually disrupts my sleep, but because I was so sleep deprived I jumped into sleep much quicker than I usually do. Stress accounts for much of my loss of sleep, too stressed to go to sleep, too stressed to stay asleep, or sometimes stressing about stuff I should get done before I allow myself to fall asleep. This week that was not the case, I decided to put aside everything else and focus on much needed sleep.

Thursday's Class - Blog

As I read the second half of "Sleep We Have Lost", the question was asked, "How does Ekirch link religion and segmented sleep", it is said that " By the High Middle Ages, the Catholic Church actively encouraged early morning prayer among Christians as a means of appealing to God during the still hours of darkness" (366). According to Ekirch the early Catholic Church popularized the idea of early morning prayer but did not "create" segmented sleep so to say. It was believed by the Christian church at the time that praying during the dark hours were a time to talk and pray to the Lord as a way of sacrifice. I personally like the quote on page 371 that says "A parent instructed his daughter that "the most profitable hour for you and us might be in the middle of the night after going to sleep, after digesting the meat, when the labors of the world are cast off ... and no one will look at you except for God."

Ekirch, A. Roger.  “Sleep We Have Lost:  Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles.” The
      American Historical Review 106, no. 2 (2001): 343-386.  JSTOR.
      <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2651611>.

Blog Twenty One

As I read "Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles" the article talks about the fact that the difference among those in different social classes was farther greater than what was to be assumed at first. The higher class had the ability to buy better bedding and beds, and didn't stay up all night worrying about financial matters and other problems like the lower class did. This huge gap in those who rank different in societal classes ultimately affected the way of life and probably the mental and physical health of the lower class more severely, due to their inability to afford a doctor and provide adequate health services to themselves, they were put at a disadvantage before they even began.



Ekirch, A. Roger.  “Sleep We Have Lost:  Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles.” The American Historical Review 106, no. 2 (2001): 343-386.  JSTOR.  <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2651611>.

Lets Talk: Sleep Deprivation

Lets be real here... I'm the world's worst at being unprepared and then freaking out about it. All week long, and I do mean ALL WEEK LONG, I averaged about 5 hours of sleep due to the amount of homework I had. I know that this seems sufficient enough sleep to preform my daily tasks and then "catch up" on the weekend. What about when you have a Speech and Debate tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma that weekend? "Sleep on the ride" was an answer I received very often, but I get horribly motion sick and prefer to stay awake. On the first night of our stay, I slept remarkably well, woke up early and then managed to place last in our competition for duo. That night, we stayed up till almost 3 in the morning working on our duo piece thanks to four cups of coffee. With each sip of coffee I thought to myself "Oh boy, this half life is going to kill me in a few hours when I try to go to sleep. What have I done?" as I continued to drink coffee. Day two of competition was better, but we didn't get back to Plainview until 1am, went to sleep and then I turned around and went to my 8am class. Dr.O'Connell was generous enough to allow me to grab a quick cup of coffee before class (right next door). From now on I think I refer to coffee as "Liquid Life" because on weeks like this, its the only thing that gives me life that early in the morning.

Blog 19

As I read Sleep: A Very Short Introduction, I found it interesting that there is a term used to describe the act of waking up in the middle of the night and going to the bathroom. Although nocturia affects roughly 1/3 of older adults, it still effects some younger adults and "when chronic, is associated with poor health outcomes and increased mortality." I think its crazy that this is considered insomnia, because probably like most other Americans, I thought this what just something that happened to all of us.

Source: Sleep: A Very Short Introduction by Steven W. Locksley & Russell G. Foster

Blog 18

Thursday night, my roommate tragically procrastinated and wanted to carve out her pumpkin so she volunteered me to help since I'm the more artistic one of us. We stayed up till two in the morning pulling out pumpkin guts before I finally said "that's it, I'm done." I woke up the next morning at 6:45 so I could shower and get ready for my 8am class. Later that day, Friday night, was the Boo Bash and after it ended, I went out with some friends to eat at ihop. Bad choice. Today (Saturday), I had to judge speech and debate starting at 7:30. Caffeine has become a staple in order for me to survive today and the same will probably go for tomorrow as well.

Sleeping

Sleeping peacefully seems to be a thing of the past recently... The girls across the hall always seem to know right when I'm trying to fall asleep. Because they are so loud at night, I often wake up, turn over and try to go back to sleep. Maybe I can convince them to be quieter tonight?

Paper Topic-- College, Sleep and Stress.

Being a college student who is often under tremendous amounts of stress, caused me to become more interested in studying the effects college and stress has on sleep. Not only my sleep, but the others around me as well. Because I am already taking a class on sleep, I am constantly aware of how much sleep I receive at night, and whether my circadian rhythm is at a high or low. But I want to study more on how stress and college effects those other students who are not as blessed with certain access to understanding their sleep, like I am. I believe if everyone had the same opportunities that I do, maybe they would receive better sleep, suffer less stress, and enjoy their college experience more then they would have initially.


Works Cited:

Doane, Leah D., Jenna L. Gress-Smith, and Reagan S. Breitenstein. "Multi-Method Assessments Of
   Sleep Over The Transition To College And The Associations With Depression And Anxiety
   Symptoms." Journal Of Youth And Adolescence 44.2 (2015): 389-404. PsycINFO. Web. 27 Oct.
   2015.

Lee, Shih-Yu, et al. "Stress And Sleep Disturbances In Female College Students." American Journal
   Of Health Behavior 37.6 (2013): 851-858 8p. CINAHL Complete. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

The Wonderful World of Sleep

Sleep. I've noticed that mostly every time the sun rises, I wake up at that moment or moments later. I know this could be easily linked to the fact that Melatonin leaves/reduces in the presence of light... but I found it interesting that it also happens even whenever I drape my windows with a dark piece of fabric. I tested it this weekend, but sadly my tracker needed a replacement battery, again. So I wasn't able to collect data from that nights sleep.

When Dreams Are the Enemy

In the article "When Dreams Are the Enemy" by Russell Lockhart, (which you can read here.) Lockhart describes the soldiers thoughts of sleep during and after combat by compiling evidence from various articles and interviews to create a small paragraph that draws the readers in. This small paragraph explains the views of sleep. Sleep is not so much the enemy, but rather dreams and reoccurring nightmares triggered by the extremely stressful situations that the soldiers have personally experienced. The author goes on to explain that we essentially are "robbing ourselves of sleep and dreams" which are causing many side effects physically and emotionally. If only everyone had background knowledge on sleep, the world could possibly be a better place.


Lockhart, Russell Arthur. "When Dreams Are the Enemy." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 20 Oct. 2015

Manhole 69

As I read "Manhole 69" by J.G. Ballard, I was reminded of the first week of class and how we were asked if we would trade in our sleep and under what conditions. At the beginning of school I had agreed that if the option was available I would surrender my need for sleep as long as I could keep my ability to sleep. Today, I would like to rescind what I said back then. "Manhole 69" changed my mind on how I view the effects of that choice. I think the author had a point when he wrote "Maybe you need eight hours off a day just to get over the shock of being yourself."

Saturday's Sleep: Stress or Sick Zzz's ? (Blog 12)

    This has been one heck of a week. I'm guessing my body needed more sleep this week than what I was allowing it to receive, which may be why I got sick just before this weekend. As you can see by my sleep chart, I spent a good portion of my day asleep. While sleeping, I spent most of my time in deep sleep and didn't wake up as often as I usually do. This was probably the best sleep I've received all semester. It was just what I needed to push past what little sickness I had left.

What I've Learned... (blog 11)

     I'd love to type out all the things I've learned in class, but I also go blank when my computer is in front of me. I can honestly say I've learned so many different things about sleep. Holli and I know the struggle of being in University Life class together and fighting the urge to pull out notes from class to correct those who say they "feel much more energized with less sleep." As Holli said today "No. I will show you statistics about sleep." I personally want to pull out notes and then begin giving a lecture on sleep and fill the room with jargon like "sleep debt, REM, circadian rhythms, dips, light sleep and deep sleep" and so much more. If only they could all take an Honors class over sleep, they would see their lack of sleep is really not benefiting them at all. That's the biggest thing fighting against college students, is our lack of access to the truthful information about sleep for those around our ages. Most college students believe as long as they receive roughly 8 hours of sleep each night, they are okay, simply because its considered the national average.

Sleep Cycles During A Super Blood Moon

Living in a dorm consisting of mostly athletic girls, my sleep cycle is usually interrupted more than once. Maybe it has something to do with the super blood moon that occurred last night, but those girls were crazy. Every time I turned around, there was something being dropped, a girl laughing or yelling, or someone talking about their love life loud enough to wake me up. The walls are paper thin and talking about why your mom made you mad at 1 in the morning is something I advise against, mainly because my 8am class demands I be there and preferably in a happy, ready-to-seize-the-day type of mood. Which rarely happens anyways. Hopefully tonight everyone will have calmed down and I can get some decent sleep without being interrupted.

Living The American Dream

I found the article titled "Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?: America’s Misguided Culture of Overwork."  to be quite fascinating. (Link here.) When reading this, I was again reminded of the busy American lifestyle of "Go! Go! Go!" and how European countries preform at a relatively slower pace than us. The author compared the United States to Germany and there were some pretty surprising results. The United States works an average of nine extra 40-hour work weeks compared to Germany, but Germany beats us at productivity rates. Many believe it is the mandatory vacation that Germany provides, and also the free education and childcare. Mandated vacation means mandated sleep and social time. (I'm all for free education and will gladly accept!) However, the truth behind living the American dream, white picket fence included, may also come with a fine print: a 40-hour work week, less time with family and friends, more stress and definitely less sleep. Is this something America can change before its too late?


Jung, Alex. "“Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?”: America’s Misguided Culture of
        Overwork." Saloncom RSS. Salon.com, 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.

Blog Eight

My favorite article this week was "Keeping up is getting us down" (Link Here). Considering I've had my fair share of work experience, especially in fast food, I know the burden that lack of sick days can cause. Even more so now that I can see the relation between lack of sleep and the effect it has on my personal ability to relax and sleep. In the article it talks about how America is the "only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation." Take notice of that word "only." " I was shocked, but also expected it. I have family who have traveled across the globe in various countries and one thing they told me was that in other countries, especially European countries, everything is a much slower paced compared to that in the United States. Our idea of "Go, go, go!" is why we can't relax, why we can't sleep, and why we can't take care of ourselves.


Citation: 15, July. "Keeping up Is Getting Us down." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 15 July
                         2007. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.

Coveted Zzz's (Blog Seven)

My roommate and I recently rearranged our room, and the past few days I've been trying to adjust to the new location of my bed. This may or may not be the reason I haven't slept much lately. Maybe its the amount of stress I'm under due to the fact that I failed my World Civ exam this past week (Tutors anyone?). I usually cannot sleep with any kind of sounds or light, however, last night I was so tired I fell asleep while listening to my favorite Pandora station. Sleep debt kicked my butt. But as you can tell by the following sleep tracking for last night, even though my music relaxed me enough to sleep, it couldn't keep me asleep. I'm reminded of the video we watched where the Sleep Study Group played noises just in time to keep the young man being studied in a constant light sleep cycle. Now, I know the feeling, except I had to wake up and attend an 8am class and preform educationally, which is not a great combination.

Blog Six

{NOTE: Citation will be provided for the article- check back for update}

The article that discussed shrinking brains striked my interest. Find that link here. The article says: "Studies have shown poor sleep can cause protein buildup in the brain that attacks brain cells. So we're still trying to put the puzzle together," (Poor Sleep Pattern). The fact that our body will begin to "attack" our own brain cells is an intense thing to consider. I immediately think of college students attempting to prepare for an exam or studying to learn, but when they receive poor sleep, their brain attacks itself and ultimately it's pointless considering the type of war going on inside their head.

Citation:

"Poor Sleep Pattern May Shrink Brain: Study." Presstv.com. Press Tv, 07 Sept. 2014. Web. 15
         Sept. 2015.

Blog Five

This weekend was peaceful and full of sleep. I left early Friday and headed for Dallas. I fell asleep twice during the road trip (don't worry I wasn't driving) which I believe was due to my lack of sleep this previous week. I stayed at my aunt Rosie's house and climbed into to bed, but soon realized because I was in a different environment that it was difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Here's a chart of my sleep Saturday night in Dallas. Ignore the little icon for the alarm. Jawbone UP Move assumes when I suddenly jerk out of my sleep cycle it's due to an alarm, however this was not the case.

Stress Behind the Textbook & How It May Prevent Sleep (Blog Four)

   In an article by the Daily Messenger, titled "Our view: Our students need more sleep for health, safety, academics" (Here's that link). The author talks of how the CDC is attempting to convince schools to start school anytime after 8:30am since most students' natural body clocks may prevent them from falling asleep before 11pm the night before, even without a cell phone or any other distraction keeping them up at night. According to our studies in class, adolescents should receive about 11hours of sleep and if their body clocks aren't allowing them to fall asleep before 11pm, and they are waking up on average around 6 or 7 in the morning for classes, that means many of these students are only receiving 7 hours of sleep. Imagine how much better the kids would preform in school given the chance to receive the amount of sleep their brains/bodies actually need.

"Our View: Our Students Need More Sleep for Health, Safety, Academics." Daily Messenger. N.p., 16 Aug. 2015. Web. 7 Sept. 2015.

Sleeping 101 (Blog Three)

Last night's sleep was kind of amazing. I didn't fall asleep until 1am and I woke up at 9am, but I woke up feeling energetic and amped up. I have found that only 7-8 hours of sleep does wonders for me. Maybe my quality of sleep also had something to do with the fact that I've been using a lot more energy throughout the day than I have been previously. Is there a possible link between sleep and how active you are during the day? Just to give you a good idea of what my day looked like in terms of sleep, here's a chart & some supporting numbers. As you can see, the light blue stands for the time I spend in light sleep, dark blue is time I spend in deep sleep, orange is the time I spend awake and hopefully you can see the small sun-like symbol that represents the time of the sunrise.

(Credit to: Jawbone UP Move & it's app for helping provide me with my stats for the night. You can find the app in the App Store if you search "Jawbone", however, you'll need a Jawbone tracker to login to the app itself.) 

-Keep dreaming, Audriana Matsler.

Blog Two -- restructuring memories & more

On Page 52 of Steven W. Lockley & Russell G. Foster's book, Sleep: A Very Short Introduction, there is a very short paragraph on animal and human studies on what is now called "sleep-dependent memory processing." The paragraph explains that if animals or humans are sleep deprived we are less likely to remember being shown a new task or learning something new. Our brains during sleep reconstruct our memories and allow us to remember them longer. "The chance of gaining insight is almost three times higher if the individual is allowed to sleep, and some tasks are never learned if sleep is restricted the night after learning" (Sleep, 52). I found this important because it's going to highly discourage me from pulling an all-nighter during exam week...maybe.

Until next time, 

Audri Matsler.

Blog One

Hello,

    Today I decided to write about my quality/amount of sleep I received. I climbed into bed around 10:30pm, but considering I have recently been feeling sick, my cough kept disrupting my ability to relax. I, like any college student would, grabbed my phone and scrolled through my social media newsfeed. Of course I now know this is actually bad in preparing my brain for sleep. I didn't actually fall asleep until 11 and when I did, 30 minutes later, my roommate trudged in and turned on the lights, which woke me up again. I fell back asleep around 11:30 and didn't wake up until 8:30. I don't recall any dreams, but my roommate said I talked in my sleep a few times.

Sleep Study/Blog Introduction

Just a little humor to start off this wonderful sleep journey. Enjoy. (: