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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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