The research summarizes and provides basic information on sleep stages. It shows the biological effects and human behavior at each stage, using Saladin’s (2017) research. However, sleep science is a developing field with discoveries and answers to the existing questions appearing consistently. One such study is the review research by Eban-Rothschild et al. (2018). They review the current knowledge on the neurology of sleep stages and explore the model of the Integrator Circuit as the alternative to the traditional “flip/flop” binary model. It allows for predicting the times for waking up more accurately. It also shows that the animal body operates on a more complex level rather than a simple switch. In other words, “‘integrator’ neurons continuously integrate information from multiple variables and decide whether to fire and wake up the animal” (Eban-Rothschild et al., 2018). This discovery clarifies the established sleep stages research, explaining the decision-making process for waking up more.
This piece raises the question of sleep deprivation and its effects. It explores more of the mental and physical health side of the issue. However, it is equally important to consider other risks, including reduced academic performance in students, increased possibility of road accidents, and other factors (Barone, 2019). Moreover, different solutions to the issue are possible more on a social scale rather than personally. One example of this could be college students who are, on average, extremely sleep deprived, especially during the examination period. According to Wise (2018), they are prone to engage in road accidents, “A person who has averaged four hours of sleep a night for several days is as impaired cognitively as having been awake for 24 hours, equating to being legally drunk, the equivalent of a.1% blood alcohol level” (p. 197). One social solution they prose is a napping station at the academic libraries. It shows a new dimension to the issue.
References
Barone, I., Hawks-Mayer, H., & Lipton, J. O. (2019). Mechanisms of sleep and circadian ontogeny through the lens of neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 160, 160-172.
Eban-Rothschild, A., Appelbaum, L., & de Lecea, L. (2018). Neuronal mechanisms for sleep/wake regulation and modulatory drive. Neuropsychopharmacology, 43(5), 937-952.
Saladin, K (2017). Anatomy & physiology: The unity of form and function (9th ed.) McGraw Hill.
Wise, M. J. (2018). Naps and sleep deprivation: Why academic libraries should consider adding nap stations to their services for students. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 24(2), 192-210.