Post on 09-Apr-2018
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Sleeping Matters 1
Sleeping MattersByColvinChan(4),VanessaLaw(16),ChunHeiLi(20)
Content
1.Introduction P.1
2.Surveyresults P.2-5
3.Implicationsfromtheresults P.5
4.Importanceofsleeping P.6-9
5.Methodstograspmoretimetosleep P.10
6.ConclusionandReflections P.11
1.Introduction
Everydaywesleep.Actuallyresearchersstatethatwewouldspendaboutone
thirdofourlifetimesleeping.Butwhysleepingisthatessential?Whatwouldbethe
consequencesifwedon'tsleepenougheverynight?
HongKongisawell-knowndynamicmetropolis.Peoplelivinghereare
particularaboutefficiency.Itiscommontoseeemployeessacrificingtheirlunch
hoursorevensleepingtimeforpaperworks,orstudentsstayinguplatetoprepare
forexamsorfinishingassignments.Asaresultofthefastpace,citizensareoften
sufferingfromthelackofsleep.
WetitledourprojectSleepingMattersandweaimatexploringmoreabout
sleepingmatterssleepingbehaviorsofpeople,theimportanceofsleeping,the
mechanismofsleeping,andmore
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2.Surveyresults
Wehosteda10-questioned-surveyonlineatsurveymonkey.com.Fromthesurvey,wehopetogatherinformationonintervieweessleepingpatternandwhethertheythink
theysleepenoughornot.Wereceived82responsesfromthesurvey.Herearethe
results:
1. Whatisyourgender?
60%oftheintervieweesaremale;
while40%arefemale.
2.Whatisyourage?
Mostoftheintervieweesageliesbetween14-17
and18-25,whoarequiteyoung.Weguessthisis
becausethesearetheoneswhosurfsInternetthe
most.
3. Howmanyhoursdoyousleepeverynight(onaverage)?
Mostpeoplesleep6to7hourseverynight,whichisabout2hourslessthanthe
optimum8-9hoursofsleepeverynight.
Thereareabout10%oftheinterviewees
whogetlessthan5hoursofsleepeveryday.
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4. Whendoyouusuallygotobed?
Almosthalfoftheintervieweesgotobedat
12am,while11pmand1amcomesasthe
secondpopularoption.
5. Doyouthinkyougetenoughsleep?(1=absolutelynotenough,10=absolutelyenough)
Thisquestionaskspeopletoratewhether
theysleepenoughornot.
Aswecouldsee,peopledontreallythink
theygetenoughsleep.Thereareeven12
peoplechose1,whichmeanstheythink
theygetreallyinsufficientsleep.
6. Whatis/arethereasonsfornothavingenoughsleep?
Weaskedtheintervieweestoidentifythe
reasonsoftheirlackofsleep.
Studying,working,web-surfingand
chattingwithfriendswerepopular
choices,andarethemainreasons
resultinginthelackofsleep.
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7. Doyouknowtheoptimumnumberofhoursofsleeping?
Mostoftheintervieweescouldidentify8-
9hoursastheoptimumnumberofhours
forsleeping.
8.Howwouldyouratethequalityofsleep?
(1=extremelypoor,10=justperfect)
Itissurprisingthatquiteanumberofpeople
thinktheyenjoygoodqualityofsleep,
with7asthemostpopularoption.
9. Doyoufeelenergeticwhenyouwakeupeverymorning?(1=stronglydisagree,10=stronglyagree)
Theresultsarequiteaverage.5wasthemost
popularchoice.
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10.Couldyouidentifythehealthproblemsassociatedwiththelackofsleep?
Itisapitythatmostintervieweescouldnotidentifythehealthproblemscaused
bythelackofsleep.Withinthe6options,onlyheartdiseaseisadirectproblem
associatedwithhavingnotenoughsleep.Yet44peoplechoselowbackpain,
while14ofthemevenchoseshortsight!
3.ImplicationsfromtheresultsFromthesurvey,thefollowingimplicationscouldbederived:
1. Mostpeopleknowtheoptimumnumberofsleepinghours,butmostofthemdonotsleepenough. Itisgreatthatabout74%ofintervieweesknowthat8-9hoursofsleep
isneededeveryday,butmostofthemfailedtodoso.
2. Themainreasonsforthelackofsleeparethingsrelatedtostudy,work,websurfingandchattingwithfriends.
Itisunderstandablethatpeoplesacrificestheirtimeinthingsrelatedto
studyandwork;yetitisnotencouragedtousesleepinghoursinsurfingthe
weborchattingwithfriends.Itisbadforourhealth.
3. Peopleenjoygoodqualityofsleep.
4. Peopledonotfeelrejuvenatedinthemorningwhentheywakeup.Probablybecausetheydontsleepenough,althoughmostofthe
intervieweesenjoygoodqualityofsleep,itisevenmoretohave
enoughsleepeverynight.
5. Peoplelackknowledgeonthehealthproblemsassociatedwiththelackofsleep.
Sleepingisimportantinkeepingourbodyhealthy.Peoplecouldread
moreaboutimpactsonhealthcausedbythelackofsleep.
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4.ImportanceofsleepingBeforeweinvestigatethebadimpactsonsleepingdeprivation(thelackofsleep),lets
haveabrieflookonourbodyssleepingmechanism.
A. TheFiveSleepStages
Inmammalsandbirds,sleepisdividedintotwobroadtypes:rapideye
movement(REM)andnon-rapideyemovement(NREMornon-REM)sleep.Each
typehasadistinctsetofassociatedphysiological,neurological,andpsychological
features.TheAmericanAcademyofSleepMedicine(AASM)furtherdividesNREM
intothreestages:N1,N2,andN3.
SleepproceedsincyclesofREMandNREM,andtheordernormallybeing
NREM:Therearedistinctelectroencephalographicandothercharacteristics
seenineachstage.Thereisusuallylittleornoeyemovementduringthisstage.
DreamingisrareduringNREMsleep,andmusclesarenotparalyzed.Inaddition,
thereisaparasympatheticdominanceduringNREM.
REM:Thisstageaccountsfor2025%oftotalsleeptimeinmosthumanadults.
Mostmemorabledreamingoccursinthisstage.Atleastinmammals,a
descendingmuscularatoniaisseen.Suchparalysismaybenecessarytoprotect
organismsfromself-damagethroughphysicallyactingoutscenesfromtheoften-
vividdreamsthatoccurduringthisstage.
B. OptimalSleepingHours
Age and condition Average amount of sleep per day
Newborn upto18hours
112months 1418hours
13years 1215hours
35years 1113hours
512years 911hours
Adolescents 910hours
Adults,includingelderly 78(+)hours
Pregnantwomen 8(+)hours
N1->N2->N3->N2->REM
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Hereisagraphillustratingthebadimpactsofsleepdeprivationonourhealth.
Fromthegraph,wecouldseethatsleepdeprivationisresponsibleforquiteanumber
ofhealthproblems.
Wearegoingtoinvestigatethesomeoftheproblemsabove.
A) ObesityB) WeakerimmunityC)
Memorylapsesandloses
D) Depression
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A)Obesity
Prolonged,completesleepdeprivationincreasesbothfoodintakeandenergy
expenditure,howeverahormoneimbalanceisobserved,leadingtoweightgainand
ultimatelydeath.
Severallargestudiesusingnationallyrepresentativesamplessuggestthatthe
obesityproblemintheUnitedStatesmighthaveasoneofitscausesacorresponding
decreaseintheaveragenumberofhoursthatpeoplearesleeping.Thefindings
suggestthatthismightbehappeningbecausesleepdeprivationcouldbedisrupting
hormonesthatregulateglucosemetabolismandappetite.
Theassociationbetweensleepdeprivationandobesityappearstobe
strongestinyoungandmiddle-ageadults.Otherscientistsholdthatthephysical
discomfortofobesityandrelatedproblems,suchassleepapnea,reducean
individual'schancesofgettingagoodnight's
sleep
Acomparisonofamouseresultinginobesity(left)
andanormalmouse(right)
B)WeakerImmunity
Sleepdeprivationaffectstheimmunesystem.InastudybyZageretal.in2007,
ratsweredeprivedofsleepfor24hours.Whencomparedwithacontrolgroup,the
sleep-deprivedrats'bloodtestsindicateda20%decreaseinwhitebloodcellcount,a
significantchangeintheimmunesystem.Itisnowpossibletostatethat"sleeploss
impairsimmunefunctionandimmunechallengealterssleep,"andithasbeen
suggestedthatmammalianspecieswhichinvestinlongersleeptimesareinvestingin
theimmunesystem,asspecieswiththelongersleeptimeshavehigherwhiteblood
cellcounts
Sleepservestorestorewhatislostinthebodywhileweareawake.When
wesleep,differentkindsofanabolichormones(growthhormones)release,protein
synthesiscarriesonandisparticularlyactive.Theseproceduresfacilitateourmuscle
growthandtissuerepairwhichhelpustorestoreandrecover.
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C)Memorylapsesandloss
Scientistshaveshownnumerouswaysinwhichsleepisrelatedtomemory.InastudyconductedbyTurner,Drummond,Salamat,andBrown,workingmemorywas
showntobeaffectedbysleepdeprivation.Workingmemoryisimportantbecauseit
keepsinformationactiveforfurtherprocessingandsupportshigher-levelcognitive
functionssuchasdecisionmaking,reasoning,andepisodicmemory.Thestudy
allowed18womenand22mentosleeponly26minutespernightoverafour-day
period.Subjectsweregiveninitialcognitivetestswhilewell-rested,andthenwere
testedagaintwiceadayduringthefourdaysofsleepdeprivation.Onthefinaltest,
theaverageworkingmemoryspanofthesleep-deprivedgrouphaddroppedby38%
incomparisontothecontrolgroup.
MomoriesseemstobeaffectedbystagesofsleepsuchasREM.Duringsleep,
memoriesandknowledgearesolidifiedandorganized.Noexternalinformationis
presentedtodendrites*,theneurotransmitters.Thesedendritesareresponsiblefor
presentingandtransmittingmessages.Whenwesleep,thesenervecellscanbe
reorganizedintoneuronalconnections,improvingandrefreshingourmemoryand
learningability.
*Adendrite
D)DepressionRecentstudiesshowsleepdeprivationhassomepotentialinthetreatmentof
depression.60%ofpatients,whensleep-deprived,showimmediaterecovery,with
mostrelapsingthefollowingnight.Theincidenceofrelapsecanbedecreasedby
combiningsleepdeprivationwithmedication.Incidentally,manytricyclic
antidepressantshappentosuppressREMsleep,providingadditionalevidencefora
linkbetweenmoodandsleep.
Duetophysicaloverexertion,sleepdeprivationwillcauseimpairmentofability.Such
impairmentofability,ifnotimprovedpromptly,stresswillbeaccumulatedtoa
higherlevel,andthuscausinganxietyanddepression.
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5.Methodstograspmoretimetosleep
1.Tohavearegularlifestyle
YoungpeopleinHongKongoftenhaveanirregularlifestyle.Forexample,they
staytill2or3atnight,chattingwithfriendsorsurfingthenet,andthenextdaythey
havetogetupat6.Moreover,atweekends,theywillmostlikelyspendthewhole
nightandsleepattheverylatehours.Asaresult,theyalwayssufferfromalackof
sufficientsleepingandcannotconcentrateinschoolnextMonday.
Tosolvethisproblem,amoreregularlifestyleshouldbeformedamongthese
HongKongteenagers.Forexample,theyshouldsleepbefore12everydaytoensure
theycanhaveasleepofatleast7to8hours.Attheveryfirst,theymaynotgetused
tothissleepingpatternandcantgetintosleepeasily.Yet,withtheeverydaypractice
ofthissleepingpattern,itishealthierandmorebeneficialtotheteenagersasthey
canbemoreattentiveatschool.Throughthisregularlifestyle,teenagersare
guaranteedtohaveenoughsleepeveryday.Inaddition,itiswisernottosleeptill
afternoonduringweekends.Sleepingtilllatehourscanmostprobablycause
sleeplessnessinthefollowingnight,provokingalackofsufficientandhealthy
sleeping.Then,studentswouldeasilyfallasleepinschoolandcannotconcentrate.
Therefore,itishighlyadvisedtoattainaregularbalanceofsleeping,especiallyto
sleepearlyatnightsandwakeupearlyinnon-schooldays.
2.Tohaveabettermanagementofwork
StudentsinHongKongalwayspointoutthattheheavyworkloadstheyare
facingoftencausethemtohavenotenoughtimetosleep.Theythinkthatthe
homeworkfromschoolorothertutorscausethemtosparesometimefromsleeping.
Also,studyingforconstanttestsandexaminationsalsocausethemtohavealackof
sufficientsleep.
Toovercomethisproblem,itishighlyadvisedthataclearworkschedule
shouldbeformulated.Inotherwords,workshouldbedividedtomanyparts.
Everydaysworkshouldbefinishedwithinthesameday.Asaresult,weneednotto
facetheheavyandaccumulatedworkloadeverySundaynight.Withthisschedule,it
canhelpusmakeuseofourtimemoreefficientlyandearnmoretimeforsleeping.In
addition,theymayhavetosacrificesometimeforleisureiftheycannotattaina
balancebetweenschoolworkloadandsleeping.Forexample,theteenagerscan
sacrificetheirtimespentonshopping,playingsports,etc.Then,theycanmakegood
useoftheirtimeonstudyingandenjoysufficientsleeping.
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6.Conclusionandreflections
Atthebeginningoftheproject,wefiguredoutthattherearesome
misunderstandingsaboutsleepingamongourclassmatesandfriends.Becauseofthis,
wedecidedtoexploremoreaboutsleepingmattersthroughtheproject.
Afterthisproject,wereallyhaveathoroughunderstandingaboutsleeping.
Wenowunderstandthefundamentalimportanceofhavingsufficientsleepingof8-9
hoursandrealizethepotentialhealthrisksasaresultofinadequatesleeping.We
understandtheurgentneedoftwistingourlifestylealittlebitsowedeveloped
measurestograspmoretimetosleep.
Asteenagers,wemaynotrealizehowourhealthisthreatenedbythelackof
sleepingandstillliveanunhealthylifestyle.Yet,aftertheproject,weareenlightened
thatitisourbodytobearthesevereconsequencesofthelackofsleeping.Inorderto
maintainourbodyfitnessandtopreventanyseriousillness,itisanessenceforusto
improveourlifestylebyallowingmorehoursofsleep.
Asstudents,wemayfaceheavypressurefromacademicfieldsandveryoften
sufferfromsleeplessness.Normally,wewouldoptfortheoptionofforgoingour
sleepingtimetofinishourundoneassignmentsortohaverevision.But,afterthis
project,weacquiretheknowledgethattheresnoreasonforustosacrificeoutprecioussleepingtime.Ontheotherhand,weshouldremindourselvestheutmost
importanceofsleepingandmanageouttimewellinordertoattainabalance
betweensleepingandstudying.Onlybydoingsocanwelearnefficientlyandhealthily.
Allinall,wereallythinkthatthisprojectisveryrewardingandfruitful.We
learnmuchaboutsleepingandcanreallybenefitourselves.
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