SLEEP PODCAST

The Risks of Sleep Deprivation

The Risks of Sleep Deprivation “Sleep”, the podcast identifies that sleep is much more significant than simply acting out a natural state of rest for our body and mind. Our mind works differently from our eyes. Our eyes are open for an estimate of sixteen hours of the day and rest for the remaining hours during sleep (Abumrad & Krulwich, 2010). Our minds are in constant action as we sleep. A known fact is that it is important for humans to be well rested. However, people lack knowledge of the effects of sleep deprivation. There are many theories on why it is important to sleep. On this podcast many scientists, doctors, and regular people have described their findings and experiences about the similarities of sleep with humans and other mammals. People can be deprived of sleep because they study all night, drive for very long hours, and other reasons (Abumrad & Krulwich, 2010). Chronic insomnia happens to thirty-five million Americans, where sleeping is difficult to achieve (King, 2013). I find this interesting because I would consider myself to be part of those thirty-five million who go through sleep deprivation. After a long night of work and constantly stuck in a traffic jam, my mood begins change.
Hannah Palin recorded her experience of sleep deprivation. She has an eighteenth month old son who constantly has sleepless nights, which consequently affected her deeply throughout the day. At her job she could barely articulate simple ideas. Her mood demonstrated a negative vibe of unhappiness and she became frustrated at her lack of sleep. However, when she finally experienced a good night of sleep, her life changed for the better. She was filled with energy, showed that she was a lot happier and just by listening to her, there was a very passionate emotion of relieve. Sleep deprivation can influence our moral judgment (King, 2013). There was a study done following 53 hours of wakefulness, where participants experienced more difficulties making moral decisions, and were more likely to agree with decisions that violated their personal standards (King, 2013). Hannah Palin was feeling so depressed and with low energy because she was tired from not being able to get a good nights rest. However, it has come to a complex situation towards how to define tired accurately and appropriately. Dr, Allan Pack, a “rabbit biologist” from the University of Pennsylvania looked at sleep and saw that when animals are sleep deprived, they lack proteins. The importance of proteins are that humans are basically made out of them. The proteins in Palin’s cells haven’t developed, therefore, she feels tiredness. These proteins are essential for us and it is another theory of why our bodies need rest and find time for sleep. A theory my father carries about the significance of sleeping is “El que reposa, descansa”. My father claims that sleep will keep me rested and filled with energy for the next day. Like wise for animals, sleeping large chunks of the day will help them conserve calories for times when food is especially scarce (King, 2013). Another explanation of why sleep is so important and needed in our daily lives is because sleep is restorative. Scientists have proposed that sleeping restores, replenishes and rebuilds the brain and body (King, 2013). Sleep is also needed for many other reasons. For example, deprivation of sleep can lead to loss of memory. Studying all night for a test can be in vain, since sleep enhances our memory (King, 2013).For example, I have experienced a sleepless night because of psychology exam and did not manage to keep my eyes open and have my brain concentrated on the exam. According to Dr. Tononi in the podcast, when sleep is occurring, it will help us make connections to our life. He says that people will train and train on an instrument, we will then sleep and wake up with a better learn. Sleep is what re lives our memory, and improves our skills. Sleep helps us remember by forgetting (Abumrad & Krulwich, 2010). Sleep is identified for being harmless and to have a peace state of mind from any type of danger (King, 2013). However, sleep must be taken with caution and can be very dangerous. For example, Dolphins are not fish, so they have to breathe air. Therefore, they have to manage to breath consciously or else they can drown. The interesting part is that the dolphin brain is cut in half like human brains, so that one half is asleep and the other is not. If a dolphin does not breathe air it can drown, this is a risk while they are asleep. Dolphins sleep by what is called “Logging”, a term that is used as a metaphor from a log that floats on the surface of the water. Ducks sleep in a line with one eye closed and one eye open. This happened because each eye was attached to the right or left hemisphere. This is true because the brain is divided into two hemispheres, and they are divided by what is called the corpus callosum (King, 2013). In conclusion, when these mammals and animals are asleep, they are risking themselves for severe consequences. Natural selection would have avoided the idea of even sleeping at all (Abumrad & Krulwich 2010). I have always speculated about the meaning of my dreams. From this podcast, it is to my knowledge that dreams have a significance of events or moments that occurred throughout the day. Matt Wilson is a neuroscientist who did an experiment using rats in a dream lab. Where monitors show the data of the brain. He uses a cable to identify what the rat says, and those are individual cells. He can decode what the animal is doing just by listening. However, when the animal was going into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the rat was running around in the same sequence it was during the day (King, 2013). However, when the rat ran two different mazes it created its own maze. In REM sleep the individual shows EEG patterns similar to those relaxed of wakefulness where most dreaming occurs (King, 2013). Both this experiment and what REM is itself comes together to explain that what we do during the day comes into action during REM sleep. It’s as if we write or take note of milestone moment and would probably have a good percent chance of dreaming about the milestone moment. There are many theories as to why we should sleep daily and not every once in a blue moon. Sleep deprivation is unhealthy for the human mind and body. While sleeping is a must, it also can lead to very bad consequences for animals and mammals. When I experience a lack of sleep I find it difficult to obtain common sense and even drive with precaution. Driving with sleep deprivation could be a danger to myself and to the community. A role of responsibility that every citizen should participate in should be a good sleep. A good sleep can provide the safety of many families and animals, in their daily living on the road. Sleep is an outgoing discussion with many disadvantages and advantages; but sleep is one of the most interesting topics because all mamals sleep in some way and in different ways.

References
Abumrad, J. & Krulwich, R. (Producers). (2007, May 27). Sleep [Episode 2, Season 3]. Radio Lab. Podcast retrieved from http://www.radiolab.org
King, 2 (2013) Experience Psychology (2nd edition)

References: Abumrad, J. & Krulwich, R. (Producers). (2007, May 27). Sleep [Episode 2, Season 3]. Radio Lab. Podcast retrieved from http://www.radiolab.org King, 2 (2013) Experience Psychology (2nd edition)