sleep: tell me, what’s that for?
Post on 04-Jan-2016
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JENNIFER DURST, PH.D., ABPPSGU PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES CENTER
Sleep: Tell me, what’s that for?
Goals for today
Understand the impact of sleep on cognition, learning, and mood
Learn ways to sleep better
How many times has this happened to you?
(HINT: YES!)
So, does that lack of sleep matter?
Lack of sleep* has negative effects on…
Higher cognitive functions Attention and concentration Learning and memory Problem solving, decision making, creativity
Academic performance
Mood
* we’ll focus mainly on chronic partial sleep deprivation = < 5-7 hours per night
Overall Cognitive Function
Across cognitive tasks, performance of partially sleep deprived persons fell 3 standard deviations below that of non-sleep deprived1
Non-sleep deprived person @ the 50th percentile = sleep deprived person @ <1st percentile That’s a 55 IQ or severely impairedseverely impaired
Pre-frontal cortex (PFC) involved in executive processes susceptible to sleep deprivation2, 3
w/chronic partial deprivation = deficits accumulate, even when you don’t feel sleepy
Attention
Day time sleepiness and “microsleeps”3 Failure to respond during cognitive demands Instability in cognitive performance, i.e., errors of
omission and commission, which increases with time on task
Vigilance (sustained attention) reduced by almost 1 standard deviation4 (that’s 15 IQ points!)
PFC is critical structure in attention control
Memory
Failure to retain new information2, 3
Sleep is needed to consolidate both procedural (skill) and declarative (knowledge) memories
There is also data showing the importance of sleep in the integration of new information into existing networks5
Decline in short-term recall and working memory3
Academic Performance
Less sleep correlated with lower GPA6
Cognitive slowing on self-paced tasks, and time pressure increases errors3
Mood
Mood ratings 3 standard deviations below non-sleep deprived1
More emotional reactivity7
Without sleep the brain's emotional centers were more reactive
Stress, depression, irritability increase
How much do you need?
CDC – 7-9 hours
7 per night is recommended minimum
Need to be consistent
How to get better sleep
Make it a priority – VALUE IT! Treat it like food and water
Understand it doesn’t require effort – don’t need to fight for it
Bed = sleep and sex only Avoid reading, studying, watching TV, etc. in bed
How to get better sleep
Consistent bed and wake up times NO ALL NIGHTERS!
All nighters = ↑ confusion, ↓ attention and working memory for days
Bed time routine
If can’t sleep after 30 minutes, get up and redo bed time routine Don’t associate bed with tossing and turning Keep lights low
No screens for half an hour before sleep
No naps
How to get better sleep
Address anxiety Breathe! Mindfulness Apps
Get some headspace.com Breathe2Relax, Mindshift, Bellybio (iphone only) E.g., Sleep well with Glenn Harrold (hypnosis)
If you need more help…
Psychological Services Center (PSC) 439-2277 Campeche Building (behind Bourne, above Accounts
department) www.sgu.edu/psc
Department of Educational Service (DES) 444-5008 Below Pensick Hall Individual Learning Strategist, Seminars, Handouts, etc. My SGU – Student Services – DES Student Resource
References
1. Pilcher, J.J. & Huffcutt, A.I. (1996). Effects of sleep deprivation on performance: A meta-analysis. Sleep, 19, 318-26.
2. Curcio, G., Ferrara, M., & De Gennaro, L. (2006). Sleep loss, learning capacity and academic performance. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 10, 323-37.
3. Durmer, J.S. & Dinges, D.F. (2005). Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. Seminars in Neurology, 25(1), 117-129.
4. Philibert I. (2005). Sleep loss and performance in residents and nonphysicians: a meta-analytic examination. Sleep, 28(11), 1392-1402.
5. Walker MP. Sleep-dependent memory integration. (2009). Frontiers in Neuroscience, 3(3), 418-19.
6. Lowry, M., Dean, K., & Manders, K. (2010). The link between sleep quantity and academic performance for the college student. Sentience: The University of Minnesota Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, 3, 16-19.
7. Yoo, S.S., Gujar, N., Hu, P., Jolesz, F.A . & Walker, M.P. (2007). The human emotional brain without sleep: A prefrontal-amygdala disconnect. Current Biology, 17(20), 877-878.
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