JENNIFER DURST, PH.D., ABPPSGU PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES CENTER

Sleep: Tell me, what’s that for?

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?

(HINT: YES!)

So, does that lack of sleep matter?

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

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 50th percentile = sleep deprived person @ <1st percentile That’s a 55 IQ or severely impairedseverely 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

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

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

Academic Performance

Less sleep correlated with lower GPA6

Cognitive slowing on self-paced tasks, and time pressure increases errors3

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

How much do you need?

CDC – 7-9 hours

7 per night is recommended minimum

Need to be consistent

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

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

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)

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

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.