Sleep Deprivation ...

Can You Ever  Catch-up on Sleep?

Sleeping in on the weekend and naps don't fully erase sleep debt.

Lack of sleep can be a major contributor to illness both physical and psychological, so don't underestimate its importance. 

 

 

It's one of the most common strategies for managing sleep: after a busy, sleep-deprived work week, many people use the weekend to catch up on their rest. Whether its sleeping in on the weekend mornings, or taking an afternoon nap, weekend are frequently a time when people try to bank extra sleep—to make up for not getting enough the week before and to prepare for sleep challenges of the week ahead. 

It’s a strategy that’s only partially successful. New research indicates that although some of the negative effects of a week of insufficient sleep can be remedied with extra sleep on the weekend, others cannot. Researchers at Penn State University College of Medicine studied the effects of weekend recovery sleep after a week of mild sleep deprivation. They found that make-up sleep on the weekends erased only some of the deficits associated with not sleeping enough the previous week. 

 

The study included 30 healthy adult men and women who participated in a 13-night sleep laboratory experiment designed to mimic a sleep-restricted workweek followed by a weekend of recovery sleep. Participants spent four nights sleeping 8 hours a night in order to establish a baseline. They then spent 6 consecutive nights sleeping 6 hours nightly, an amount similar to what many working adults might expect to sleep during a typical week. Finally, volunteers spent a final 3 nights in recovery sleep mode, sleeping 10 hours a night. At several points throughout the 13-day study period, researchers tested the volunteers’ health and performance using several measures, including:

* Daytime sleepiness levels

* Attention span

* Inflammation, as measured by levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a biomarker for inflammation in the body

* Levels of the stress hormone cortisol 

Their analysis showed weekend recovery sleep delivered mixed results. They found that 6 nights of restricted sleep led to significant deterioration across all but one measurement of health and performance. Two days of sleep recovery allowed for improvement to some, but not all, of those measurements:

* After 6 nights of sleep restriction, volunteers’ daytime sleepiness increased significantly. Two nights of recovery sleep brought levels of daytime sleepiness back to baseline measurements.

* IL-6, the marker for inflammation, also rose significantly during the 6-night sleep restriction period. Inflammation returned to baseline levels after recovery sleep.

* Cortisol levels did not rise or change during sleep restriction. However, after 2 nights of recovery sleep, cortisol levels dropped below measurements taken during the baseline phase of the experiment. Since cortisol levels are strongly linked to sleep duration, this finding suggests that the volunteers likely were already sleep deprived when the study began.

* Attention levels dropped significantly during the course of the mild sleep-deprivation period. Unlike the other measurements, attention performance did NOT rebound after a weekend’s worth of recovery sleep. 

Relying on weekends to make up sleep lost during the week won’t fully restore health and function. In particular, you should not expect your attention and focus to bounce back after a couple of days of extra sleep. It’s important to note that this study measures the effects of only a single cycle of work-week sleep deprivation and weekend sleep recovery. The effects of an extended pattern of sleep deprivation and recovery followed by more sleep deprivation are not yet known. The benefits seen here in this study may not be replicated over the long term. 

This isn’t to say that recovery sleep can’t be useful and effective. As this study shows, on a short-term basis catching up on sleep can reverse some of the problems associated with insufficient rest. Getting extra sleep on a weekend after a particularly busy, sleep-scarce week is one option. Naps are another. Studies show that napping after a single night of sleep deprivation also can reverse some of the adverse effects of sleep loss. Research also indicates that a combination of naps and overnight recovery sleep can be effective in counteracting some negative effects of sleep deprivation. 

Recovery sleep can be a useful short-term or occasional strategy. But the best sleep strategy is one that avoids sleep deprivation as a regular occurrence. It doesn’t take long for the adverse effects of insufficient sleep to appear. The health consequences of just a week of mild sleep deprivation can be seen in the current study and in other research, which shows insufficient sleep associated with diminished cognitive performance, reduced alertness, and mood problems. Modest sleep deprivation increases inflammation, interferes with healthy immune function, triggers metabolic changes and drives up the impulse to overeat. Even a single night of partial sleep deprivation can increase insulin resistance, disrupt hormone levels, and elevate blood pressure. 

None of us may be able to avoid the occasional night or period of insufficient sleep. But a healthy work-week sleep routine can and should leave you with nothing sleep-related to catch up on when the weekend arrives. 

 

Sleep tight :)

 

Marks of the True Christian

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,^[a] serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^[b] Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[c] to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans

There are, of course, very few of us who are Christians who live this to the letter. If we lived to this standard we would be saints indeed. Yet it is without doubt God's standard for the life we ought to lead and a character sketch of Jesus himself. Our love has to be genuine and given freely to all we are to live in hope and not moan about our aches and pains and problems, "challenges" in modern newspeak. Can we really care for those we loathe ? Well, God says we can and who knows us better ?

As a psychologist I know that most psychologists would say nobody could live to this standard we are a product of our inborn traits and acquired characteristics. To say this is to say we cannot change ? Yet, I have known Christian people in whose presence one senses all these things they radiate the love of God and one feels shamed and humiliated in their presence. One such was Prof H.A. Hodges who was professor of philosophy at Reading University when I was a young student. I remember his lectures on moral philosophy - one of the few people whose lectures were always crowded out. His books on the Christian life are well worth reading. I still have them close to my desk as I write this.

So, it IS possible to live the Christian life. I know I am far from it I harbour too much ill feeling towards those who squander riches upon themselves and ill treat the poor and needy. The hallmark of the life God wants us to live is that it is in radical opposition to all that we desire.

Happy New Year!

I have been absent a while as I have been unwell but the turning of the year prompts me to put pen to paper. It is traditional to sign Auld Lang Syne at the midnight hour on the final day of the year, Scots for 'old time's sake'. It's a beautiful tune and sentiment and one which has power to touch my heart like few others. As we grow older those relatives and friends of our youth become fewer and, although, we have new family and even friends we inevitably miss those who have gone before.

In the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College on Christmas Eve the bidding prayer speaks of those we are joined with who live on a different shore and in a greater light. I like to think at this time of year when we sing Auld Lang Syne that we are indeed linked to those who have gone before and live on a different shore and a light immeasurably brighter than our own.

May God be good to you all this year and bring great blessing upon you.

What is it to be good ?

We are coming to half term and a long half term it has been. Soon Christmas will be upon us with all its joys, excitement and promise of hope for the future. I have been thinking this week about what makes a good person and how we can try to achieve that. I learnt some twenty years ago when I had a nervous breakdown that money, position and power over others were worth nothing in themselves if we did not value our health, our family and the good we can do for others. This is why, when I got better I returned to teaching.

 Aristotle  lived in ancient times and wrote some of the greatest books on how people ought to live. He says of the good person:

“It  belongs to goodness to do good to the deserving and love the good and hate the wicked, and not to be eager to inflict punishment or take vengeance, but to be gracious and kindly. Goodness is accompanied by honesty, reasonableness, kindness, hopefulness, and also by such characteristics as love of home and of friends and of one's fellow-men, and love of what is noble..”

To me, as a psychologist, there is much wisdom in these words of over two thousand years ago. However, they will not necessarily serve you well in the world of wealth, competition and promotion. Nobody gives prizes for honesty, or kindness or for seeking justice for the poor and under-privileged. The prizes go to those who are most competitive in the human jungle, the industrialist who can make his workers unemployed without a thought, a politician who can cut nursery places for poor children, or ourselves ignoring the homeless on our streets.  So, we must behave well and do our best not because it will bring us praise or reward but because it is the right thing to do.

"Coffee! Because you can sleep when you're dead"

It’s no surprise that Costa in Northwood has had to double in size or that the coffee machine in Gwyer is almost always broken. It’s a fact that St Helen’s girls cannot seem to function on a Monday morning without their daily hit of caffeine, whether that be a latte or an espresso. We were intrigued to find out whether this habit is actually enhancing our learning and waking us up, or if it is just becoming an addiction that should be discouraged. 

We did a survey of 20 girls in Year 12 and found that 70% have a least one coffee a day. When these girls were asked whether their daily cup of coffee truly benefited them, or if it was simply more of an addiction, the majority responded in favour of it being beneficial. We were curious to find out if this was in fact true.

We found substantial evidence to show that caffeine has no power to transform us into an alert, energetic machine. Nor does it have the ability to enable us to storm through that 1000 word English essay that we’ve been procrastinating over until 2am on the deadline day. Instead, think of caffeine as some sort of placebo. The effect can often be almost imaginary, especially in the long run. Like nearly all things in life, the more you consume caffeine, the more resilient your body becomes towards it. Sure, your first cup of coffee probably left you feeling full of energy, but from experience that one cup later turns into three a day in order to have the same effects. This is what often leads to caffeine dependency and later a possible addiction. Like any drug addiction, withdrawal is going to be extremely uncomfortable for your body. It can lead to headaches, insomnia, stress and exhaustion – ironically, all the things coffee is meant to prevent in the first place. What coffee does do to you over the course of time is to stop your body from resting. So when you do decide to brave that essay with a coffee (which may seem like your only saviour) you are only damaging your body further. 

So take the morning after you’ve pulled an all-nighter to finish the English homework for example. The only thing you feel like doing is sleeping for eternity, but instead, your alarm rings and it’s time for breakfast. You opt for a coffee because you feel sorry for anyone that has the misfortune to cross you when you’re tired. However you might be interested to know that when you take that reassuring gulp at 7am, you’re actually stimulating your central nervous system. Adenosine (a neurotransmitter) binds to its receptors in the brain when it is created. This fusion causes you to feel drowsy by slowing down the nerve cell activity. Caffeine is, in simple terms, disguised to look like adenosine. It fools the receptors to allow itself to join onto it just as the adenosine would do.

Adenosine usually causes the blood vessels in the brain to dilate, meaning more oxygen can get into it during sleep, however the caffeine creates the opposite effect. This is why many headache medicines contain coffee, as the constriction of blood vessels can help to stop a headache. Caffeine also causes increased neuron (fancy word for brain cells) firing in the brain and the pituitary gland, which controls hormones, senses this and assumes an emergency is occurring. It releases hormones which tell the adrenal glands to release some adrenaline. We’re sure you’ve all experienced the release of adrenaline when you’ve spotted a huge spider whilst in the shower or watched a scary movie but here are its main effects: 
• Your pupils dilate
• Heart beats faster
• Blood pressure rises 
• Liver releases sugar into bloodstream for extra energy
• Blood vessels on surface of skin constrict 
• Muscles tighten

These are all explanations as to why, after your numerous hits of caffeine, you feel excited, your heart beats faster and your muscles are tensed. Although these effects seem rather dramatic for just a hot drink, none of these have any real detrimental impact on our bodies if you moderate your intake of caffeine.

Overall, our aim for this blog was not to run costa out of business, but instead to give light to the other side of coffee. In no way are we suggesting you give up on that treat every morning, but instead, think more carefully about why you are drinking it… and maybe next time, try opting for a decaf with your toast.

Hi Exciting News ! The blog will be edited by Y12 from now on!

Hi Exciting News ! The blog will be edited by Y12 from now on!

Maisy Tracey, Ellen Weerasekera and Melissa Clark will now be running the Tea & Toast Psychology blog. Ideas are welcome, so please get in touch via school emails if you want to contribute towards this blog!

A few ideas we have for upcoming posts are:
- The long term effect of caffeine, energy drinks and performance enhancing drugs on our bodies and brains
- How the Paralympics have altered the nation's views on disability
- Is it cool to get good grades?
- Should there be a stricter dress code for Sixth Formers? And would this increase concentration levels?
And more...

We're really excited to get working on this blog and we hope we can maintain Dr. Brown's standard!
Please feel free to email or come and find us with feedback or any ideas.

 

Try, Try and Try again...

 Your Potentiial is as Good as you Think it is…

 

 

I have been a teacher for forty years I believe in the power of learning and knowledge for good. I don’t believe that human potential is limited and neither does Carol Dweck who is Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, New York. She is a leader in the field of student motivation and her research is widely recognised. Over many years she has developed a highly influential theory of student motivation building on the work of others, notably on ‘attribution theory' – what we attribute for our failures and successes.

She divides students into two types, based on the student's own belief about their ability.

Fixed IQ theorists: These students believe that their ability is fixed, probably at birth, and there is very little if anything they can do to improve it. They believe ability comes from talent rather than from the slow development of skills through learning. “It's all in the genes”. Either you can do it with little effort, or you will never be able to do it, so you might as well give up in the face of difficulty. E.g. “ I can't do maths”.

Untapped Potential theorists : These students believe that ability and success are due to learning, and learning requires time and effort. In the case of difficulty one must try harder, try another approach, or seek help etc.

About 15% of students are in the middle, the rest are equally divided between the two theories. Surprisingly there is no correlation between success at school and the theory the student holds.

Differences in performance only show when the student is challenged or is facing difficulty , for example when a student moves from school to college. Then research has shown that the ‘Untapped Potential Theorists' do very much better, as one might expect.

It is possible to move students from the Fixed IQ theory to the Untapped Potential theory.

 It's a matter of persuasion of course.

Many teachers, myself included, thought that “it's obvious” that learning is worth the effort and can produce improvement. But almost half of students at every level, do not share this view. The challenge to change their view will be well rewarded.

Why bother with ? A recent review of research by Hattie, Biggs and Purdie into the effectiveness of teaching programmes found that the programmes that had the greatest effect focussed on the ‘attribution' by students of what affected their learning – this is precisely Dweck's focus. Whether students attribute their success to something they can change or to something they can't is immensely influential, and this attribution can be changed. The effect sizes found by Hattie et al showed that work on attribution can improve a student's performance by between two and three grades!

 

Hattie, J., Biggs, H. & Purdie, N. (1996) Effects of learning skills interventions on student learning: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66(2), 99-136.