Sleep deprivation and sleep hygiene

What is sleep deprivation?

•sleep deprivation is a condition in which an individual achieves a poor quality of, or insufficient sleep to sustain normal functioning

What is sleep debt?

•As nights go on when optimum hours are not met, a sleep debt of your missed hours is accumulated.

What are the causes of sleep deprivation?

Shift work

Drugs

Sleep environment

Stressoras

What is shift work?

Shift work involves working hours outside of the traditional 9-5 schedule including night shifts, early morning shifts and rotating shifts.

What is the impact of shift work on sleep?

Humans have hormones such aa s melatonin that regulate sleep wake cycle to people feel awake during the dya and feel tired at night

Shift work alters the sleep-wake cycle, consequently reducing the quality and amount of sleep they get, distrupting sleep patterns

People who work night shifts may have trouble sleeping during the day because exposure tot he light at night and the dark during the day affects their circadian rhythm

Results in increased risk

What are drugs?

A medicine or other substance that can have physiological and psychological effects when ingested or introduced into the body. Can impact the sleep stage progression, reducing the NREM or affecting the REM sleep.

What is the impacts of drugs on sleep?

Affects the progression of sleep stages such as reducing the amount of NREM sleep or altering rem sleep.

Caffeine (stimulant drug that increases activity in the central nervous system, commonly found in coffee, soft drinks, and tea) → delays the onset of sleep and reduces total sleep time

Alcohol (depressant) → when sedative effects wear off, can cause nighttime awakenings, relaxing muscles throughout the body, including those in the throat, which can narrow the airway during sleep and increases the risk of snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea in susceptible individuals

What is sleep environment?

The physical and sensory characteristics of the sleeping area, including light, noise, temperature and comfort.

What is the impact of sleep environment on sleep?

•Being in brightly lit environments may reduce melatonin, disrupting the sleep-wake cycle. 

•Environmental noise inside or outside of the home can cause people to wake up and decrease intensity of sleep

• Room temp and air quality play a role, as conditions that are too hot, too cold or poorly ventilated can make it harder to fall and stay asleep

Chronic sleep deprivation due to an inadequate sleep environment can lead to daytime sleepiness, irritability, and decrease cognitive performance. Long-term effects may include increased risk of mental health disorders and weakened immune function.

What is the impact of stressors on sleep?

•Marital or family difficulties, problems at work/school, major illness or death of a loved one can make it more difficult to sleep and stay asleep; feelings of anxiety. 

•Stressors may impact on sleep routines and result in less sleep

Increased sleep latency (possible)

Exacerbated mental health issues and impaired emotional regulation, reduced ability to cope with stress and increased risk of chronic health conditions.

What is sleep latency?

time taken to fall asleep

What are the types of sleep deprivation?

Acute sleep deprivation

Chronic sleep deprivation

What is acute sleep deprivation?

•the severe reduction or complete lack of sleep over a short period of time.

·Acute sleep deprivation, occurs because of a short-term lack of sleep over a 24-hour period or up to a few consecutive nights.

·Common causes include staying up late, illness, jetlag and stress. The immediate effects can typically be reversed with adequate sleep.

What are the effects of acute sleep deprivation?

psychological: changes to mood and attention

physiological: reflex speed and vision

What is the impact of acute sleep deprivation on attention?

Reduced overall attention span, increase in lapses of attention where focus is temporarily lost

occur because cognitive processing slows and brain struggles to take in new information, making it harder to concentrate and learn effectively

What is the impact of acute sleep deprivation on mood

Can be significantly altered by sleep deprivation, reducing positive emotions and increasing negative meotional responses to stressors.

If ioften leads to iritability, frustration and feelings of anger

What is reflex speed vs. reaction time

Reflex speed: the time it takes for signals to travel between neurons

Reaction time → incorporates the reflex speed in addition to cognitive processing (e.g. noticing a traffic light turning red and deciding to press the brake pedal)

What is the impact of acute sleep deprivation on reflex speed?

slows both reaction time and reflex speed, leading to longer reaction times and delayed responses to stimuli

This is especially dangerous when driving while drowsy, which can be as risky as driving under the influence of alcohol

Both sleep loss and alcohol impair the brains ability to process information and slows down reflexes

What is the impact of acute sleep deprivation on vision?

Eyes also repair themselves during sleep

without sleep, eyes become itchy, dry bloodshot

tear production increases, raising risk of eye infections

blurry vision, involuntsary eye twitches, increased sensitivity to light

What is chronic sleep deprivation?

•the persistent reduction of sleep over a long period of time.

• Chronic sleep deprivation is characterised by inadequate sleep that persists for an extended period of time (weeks to years).

• Sleep disorders like insomnia, can cause chronic sleep deprivation, as can continual disturbances to sleep – work hours or lifestyle choices.

• The consequences on overall health are more detrimental than those causes by partial sleep deprivation, with outcomes becoming difficult to reverse.

What are the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation?

Psychological: anxiety, insomnia

Physiological: heart disease, obesity

What are the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation anxiety?

Chronic sleep deprivation is a t=risk factor for anxiety disorders because sleep plays an essential role in regulating emotions

Sleep constantly disrupted → regulation impaired, heightened feelings of anxiety

deprivation of REM sleep overstimulates the limbic brain structures involved in regulating emotion, memory, behaviour and motivation , such as the hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus and amygdala → heightened activity contributes to increased emotional irritability and reactivity.

Individuals who already experience anxiety disorders, insufficient sleep can worsen existing symptoms

What are the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation on heart disease

Chronic sleep deprivation elevates stress hormones such as cortisol, increases blood pressure and cholesterol levels,

These physiological changes place pressure on the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of developing heart disease

What are the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation on obesity

Sleep deprivation distrupts the balance of hormones that regulate appetite.

Grelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger increases when sleep deprived

leptin, a hormone that signals fullness, decreases

hormonal imbalance can cause individuals to consume more high energy goods in increase overall food intake, which may contribute to weight gain and obesity

What are the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation on insomnia

Sleep disorder characterised by difficulties falling asleep (onset insomnia) or difficulties staying asleep (maintenance insomnia)

It is also common to wake up not feeling well rested, while anxiety, heart disease, and obesity are consequences of chronic sleep deprivation, insomnia differs as it is a disorder with both psychological and physiological components which can in turn results in sleep deprivation

What is sleep hygiene

The behaviour and sleep environment that results in healthy sleep

Why do we need sleep hygiene?

What are the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation

What are types of sleep hygiene?

Management of electronic devices, consistent sleep patterns, creation of healthy sleep environment. 

How do management of electronic device help with sleep hygiene

To maintain the sleep wake cycle, it is a recommended to stop looking at electronic screens at aleast one hour before bed time

electronic devices emit blue light which inhibits melatonin production, disrupting the circadian rhythm and making it difficult to fall asleep

Brain stimulation results from electronic device use, especially browsing on social media or playing games

Heightened cognitive alterness and arousal increases sleep latency and may reduce sleep duration and quality

How do consistent sleep patterns help with sleep hygiene

Critical aspect of good sleep hygiene as it aids in regulating the circadian rhythm (internal body clock)

Consistent sleep patterns can increase the amoutn of seleep and duration of sleep

This can be done by setting a bedtime that allows for the recommended amount of sleep accoding to the age of the individual

Can help prevent sleep deprivation

How does creation of a healthy sleep environment help with sleep hygiene?

Circadian rhythms can be disrupted by uncomfortable sleeping environments, therefore it is recommended that the bedroom be dark, quiet and free from distractions, including electronic devices

bed should be used only for sleep or intimacy, as this helps strengthen the cognitive link between the bed and sleep

Good airflow and ventilation are also important, as a cool and well ventilated room can improve comfort and promote more restful sleep

Optimal range for sleep is between 16-20 degrees, this is because the circadian rhythm regulates changes in body temperature across the day, promooting higher core temp during day and lower core temp at night

cool room supports this natural nighttime temperature decline and therefore helps individual fall asleep more quickly

What is the name of the sleep study?

Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

What is the background of Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

Researchers in Shanghai, China, conducted a randomised pilot trial with students, who are the largest gorup of internet users in the country

What is the aim of Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

To determine how limiting the use of mobile phones before bedtime affects mood, working memory, presleep arousal, sleep quality and sleep habits

Who were the participants in Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

38 university students from the Second Military Medical University (Shanghai, China) who had the habit of using their mobile phone before bed and experienced poor sleep quality

What were the materials in Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

Positive and Negative Affect Schedule

n-back task

Pre Sleep Arousal Scale

Pittsburgh sleep quality INDEX

Online Sleep Diary

What is the PANAS → positive and negative affect schedule?

– self report measure consisting of 20 statements each requiring the completion of a 5-point Likert scale. Positive and negative emotions over the past week were assessed.

What is the n-back task?

working memory test using a computer program where participants are presented with a series of numbers and are required to response when a specific number is presented, when two identical numbers are presented one after each other and when a number is identical to the one that appeared two numbers ago

What is the pre-sleep arousal scale (PSAS)?

– self-report 5-point Likert scale for 16 statements that pertain to cognitive and somatic arousal.

What is the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index? (PSQI)

·self-report measure with 19 items that assess sleep quality and disturbances over the past month where a high score of 21 indicates poor sleep quality.

What is the Online Sleep diary?

daily record including bedtime, time taken to fall asleep, wake up time, time arisen from bed, sleep duration, length of time on phone during day and phone use between 9pm and bedtime.

What was the design?

IV: use of mobile phones during bedtime versus no mobile phone use for 30 minutes before bedtime

DV: mood, working memory, presleep arousal, sleep quality and sleep habits measured using the PANAS, n-back task, PSAS, PSQI and online diary respectively

What was the procedure of Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

Researchers obtained ethics approval from the Ethial Committee of the Second Military Medical University

Students from the university repsonded to details posted on social emdia and provided written informed consent to participate in th study

All participants completed beforementioned tests measuring mood, working memory, presleep arousal, sleep quality, additionally they recorded their sleep habits via an online diary for a week

Participants randommly assigned into EG and CG with 19 participants each

participants in experimental groups

• abstained from using phone 30 mins before they planned to

participants in control group

• continued to use their phones per uual

at the end of 4 weeka, participants completed the same test as sat during the pretesting and these were compared

What were the findings of Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

Participants who avoided mobile phone use for 30 minutes before bedtime fell asleep faster (reduced sleep latency), slept for longer, experienced better sleep quality, reported lower presleep arousal, greater positive affect, less negative affect and showed improved working memory

What were the contribution of Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020) to society?

Relatively recent study using well established measures, such as the PSQI, increasing the potential for other researchers to replcate the study

replication allows researvhers to assses reliability of the study

What are the limitations of Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)

Small sample size, limiting ability to generlaise results to the population the sample was tkane from.

4 week intervention period was also short, preventing the examination of long term effects of restricing mobile phone use before bedtime

Aside from n-back test, all the measures were self report subjective data

ideally, subjective methods hsould be combined with physiological measures to provide more objective and less biased data

Ways to improve the study Effect of Restricting Bedtime Mobile Phone Use on Sleep, Arousal, Mood and Working Memory (He et al., 2020)?

• incorporate objective measures (1) to reduce bias (1)

•increase the intervention time (1) to develop a better understanding of the impact of pre-sleep mobile phone usage (1)

•use a longitudinal study (1) to see if the improvements last for a long time (1)

(Accept other relevant answers).