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Sleep: Tell me, what’s that for?

Sleep: Tell me, what’s that for?. Jennifer Durst, Ph.D., ABPP SGU Psychological Services Center. 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?. So, does that lack of sleep matter?.

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Sleep: Tell me, what’s that for?

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  1. Sleep: Tell me, what’s that for? Jennifer Durst, Ph.D., ABPP SGU Psychological Services Center

  2. Goals for today • Understand the impact of sleep on cognition, learning, and mood • Learn ways to sleep better

  3. How many times has this happened to you?

  4. So, does that lack of sleep matter? (hint: YES!)

  5. 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

  6. 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 50thpercentile = sleep deprived person @ <1st percentile • That’s a 55 IQ or severely 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Academic Performance • Less sleep correlated with lower GPA6 • Cognitive slowing on self-paced tasks, and time pressure increases errors3

  10. 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

  11. How much do you need? • CDC – 7-9 hours • 7 per night is recommended minimum • Need to be consistent

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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)

  15. 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

  16. 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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