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