The End

My last blog talked about my research paper and how I was eager to finish it off. After finishing it all off I can honestly say I am going to miss listening to the discussions in this class. I learned so much throughout the class and from writing this research paper. I will definitely continue to learn more about sleep and its effects on us. I will also be sure to promote sleep and create a better awareness of how dangerous sleep deprivation is to us and the people around us. I always knew that sleep was important I just never knew the details behind it. For now, I am going to catch up on all of the sleep I lost the past week and hopefully start fresh in the coming semester. Thanks for everything Dr. Strovas.

Finals Week!

Thanksgiving break was amazing and much needed. I was able to catch up on sleep and prepare myself for this upcoming week. Thankfully all of my finals except this class is an online final. This is allowing me to leave as early as Tuesday! I am excited for the week to end but I also hope it lasts long so I can get my grades straight. This week is going to be packed with very late nights, stressful days, and loads of caffeine. I guess this is a typical end of the semester for every student, so there isn't much complaining I can do. I am excited to finalize my research paper and to see the final product. I normally do not like any of my writing, but I have really come to love the topic I have chosen. I have learned so much about athletes and sleep and cannot wait to put it all on paper.

Caffeine and the Coming of the Enlightenment

Roger Schmidt's Caffeine and the Coming of the Enlightenment is very thought provoking. Hid argument on the evolution of sleep and where it all beginning is very convincing Schmidt believed that the evolution of caffeine and the age of enlightenment were the causes to humans depriving themselves of sleep. He stated that the caffeine, books, and mechanical clocks are the main causes to our quality f sleep being disrupted. He believed that these three things caused us to lose sleep by keeping us up later than we ever had. Schmidt even presents a counter argument to Ekrich's beliefs in segmented sleep and how the evolution of sleep slowly evolved. Schmidt dismisses this argument and argues that sleep was evolved abruptly after the age of enlightenment. If I had decide who argued best I would have to agree with Schmidt. He presents very logical thoughts on how the age of enlightenment caused the evolution of sleep.

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. (first half for today, pgs. 343-363) <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2651611>

Last Week Before Break!

We are finally in the last week before thanksgiving break! Before you know it, winter break will be in full session. This week is a big week in itself though. This weekend the swim team will be undergoing the biggest meet scheduled for this semester. With that being said, school is no longer the only thing I am stressed about. I will have to be more aware of the times I fall asleep and wake up, because I will need to the rest coming into this meet. Although I will enjoy the time competing at the meet, it just is poorly placed in relation to school and the amount of work that is being put on us around this time. The time after this meet will definitely be focused more on school and finishing strong.

Two More Weeks

One week down two more to go. Thanksgiving is creeping up on us and that means Christmas is next! My sleep debt is increasing every day and the only thing that keeps me going is the approach of the upcoming breaks. I am slowly preparing myself for the long nights that I will be enduring during the last week of school and the week of finals. This semester has to be my worst semester in terms of sleep. I think that the lack of sleep has also taken a toll on my grades. I am way more forgetful of things especially when it comes to tests. I will definitely be taking what I have learned in this class and do a better job of applying it every day starting from the beginning of the semester. Until then I will have to continue to dig myself out of the hole I have put myself into.

Insomnia

This weeks topic of insomnia was very interesting. I have always been interested in sleeping disorders and I even considered writing my research paper on sleep disorders. Insomnia is a freighting disorder to look at because of all of the ways the disorder can harm you or another person. After being forced awake for so long, insomnia can cause serious sleep deprivation that can end up in serious problems. In William Dement's The Promise of Sleep, he recounts a time when an extended family member was undergoing lots of stress. Helen sought help from a clinic but did not receive much but common advice. After several days of sleep deprivation, Helen's body could not take the stress any longer and gave out on her at the worst possible time. Helen got into a car accident after suddenly falling asleep on the wheel. This is just one account of injury induced by insomnia. Insomnia is a rising problem in our society especially with the fact that the later you can stay up working, the better you look as a hard worker. I believe that awareness of insomnia and other sleep disorders should be more prevalent, so that people like Helen are not put in a situation of high danger like she was.

Dement, The Promise of Sleep, part of ch. 6  (pgs. 131-139)

Three Week Countdown

Two weeks following fall break and I have already started thinking about thanksgiving break. We are in the middle of the semester and things are starting to get intense. With essays and big tests that may decide how rough finals week will be coming up, we are on this upward slope of stress build up. Now all I can think about is the next big break, Thanksgiving. As of right now, the only disappointing thing about this break is that I will not be going home for the break, but I have made arrangements with a friend to visit him in Oklahoma instead. I am mostly just looking forward to the nice long break before finals. My sleep is taking a toll and after discussing sleeping pills in class, trying them out again has definitely crossed my mind. I can't convince myself that they will actually help though, so for now I am stuck with the every day yawns and random zone outs from sleep deprivation.