Neuroscience of Sleep Course Investigates the Impact of Sleep
Less than聽聽get eight hours of sleep per night.聽Healthy sleep schedules聽are a huge concern for college students. So,聽Irene Kan, PhD,聽associate聽professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences,聽created the course, 鈥淣euroscience of Sleep,鈥� to delve聽into the many facets of sleep and how it impacts聽our聽behaviors.聽
In the course, students debunk prior misconceptions about sleep聽and聽learn about the聽impact of sleep on cognition, physical and mental health.聽Kan created聽鈥淣euroscience of Sleep,鈥� a Mendel Science Experience course,聽alongside聽post-doctoral fellow Meghan Caulfield, PhD, with student interests in mind.聽
鈥淪leep is something that a lot of students think they know a lot about. But they don't necessarily know as much about it as they think they do,鈥澛爏ays聽Caulfield.
Part of Kan鈥檚 thinking in creating the course was that in order聽to change people's behavior, it's good to start with something that everybody cares about.
鈥淥n聽some level everyone cares about sleep and sleep deprivation is certainly very common, especially in college students as they try to balance their academic and social commitments,鈥� Kan added.
With relevant real-life applications, the material allows students to relate the course content to their sleep schedules and environments.聽
鈥淭his聽class聽has been so applicable to my current life because we talk so much about聽the neuroscience behind sleep and聽why聽it's an important part of how we function, but also聽how it affects college students聽and聽how it affects your study habits,鈥� said Annie Direnzo,聽CLAS聽鈥�22.聽鈥淪leep is a topic聽everybody should learn about. It's useful information,聽very important聽and concerns the wellbeing of people, which I'm very passionate about.鈥澛�
Running聽concurrent聽to the聽lecture聽is a lab component,聽which聽allows students聽to apply what they are learning.聽For instance, in one project students look聽at cortisol聽levels聽and use that as an index of a stress response and how that relates to sleep function.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e getting a lot聽of hands-on experience. We have labs where we'll use聽fNIRS聽and EEG machines to look at the brain,鈥� said Bob Holmes VSB 鈥�22.聽
While giving students access to a broad range of lab experience in the lab, students also use聽functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which measures blood flow changes of your brain as you are engaging in a certain task.聽
Projects in the course聽are designed to聽use the interdisciplinary skills of each student and聽apply the course material in real-world scenarios. A 鈥淪leep and Environment鈥� project asks students to design a sleep-friendly campus.聽For聽example,聽students might consider聽aspects of dorms聽in creating an environment that may聽help or hinder healthy sleep. A 鈥淪leep Infographic鈥� assignment gives students an opportunity to share what they鈥檝e learned in an accessible format. Students choose聽an aspect of their lives聽that sleep influences to educate others on the benefits of sleep and聽the聽consequences of sleep loss.聽
The students have also been able to change their own behaviors and sleep habits from what they鈥檝e learned throughout the course.聽
鈥淭he class material is very applied,鈥� said Holmes. 鈥淣ow聽I'm really working on not using my phone before I go to bed and聽making an effort聽not聽to聽have my phone within an arm鈥檚 reach when I go to sleep."