Outline (I think...)

Lydia Sedy

English 102 - T/TH 1:00pm

Prof. Sonia Apgar Begert

1 June 15

Outline

I) Introduction: Brief overview of topic; exposing current sleep problem and defining sleep amount, followed by my thesis statement:

1. Does America have a sleep problem?
1. Poor sleep causes loss in productivity, as well as issues in the workforce. (Wells and Vaughn)
2. It is reported that 65% of Americans express having sleep problems. (National Sleep Foundation)
3. More than half of the poll responders report building up sleep debt. (NSF and consequences explored by Taillard, Philip, and Bioulac)
2. Has America been sleeping less and less over the years?
1. The prevalence of short sleep has gone down since 1985. (Bin, Marshall, Glozier).
2. The idea that we have been sleeping less is derived from the fact that people sleep less as they get older. (Bin, Marshall, Glozier, NSF)
3. This suggests that when it comes to sleep, it’s important to consider consistency and quality, not just quantity.
3. Thesis Statement: Poor sleep habits have many negative effects on learning/memory, academic performance, behavioral functioning, and overall body health, and should be a major concern for students, teachers, and parents.

II) There is a connection between sleep and learning and memory.

1. Multiple studies reveal that sleep is involved with brain plasticity.
1. Sleep is necessary for brain development. (Dang-vu et al.)
2. Sleep affects neurotransmitter levels. (Dang-vu et al. )
3. Sleep is involved in consolidation of memories. (Dang-vu et al. )
2. Sleep’s involvement with consolidation of memories has been studied recently.
1. When some brain activities were tracked during sleep, they were found to match the activity recorded while awake. This suggests memories are repossessed during sleep. (Marquet)
2. Subjects who were allowed to sleep after visual perceptual learning performed significantly better on later tests. (Marquet)
3. Sleep interruptions negatively affect memory.
1. Mice who got interrupted sleep could not remember objects they had seen before, and treated them just like new objects. (Saey)
4. Students who sleep less have been reported to not perform as well on tests, specifically on more complex tasks that involve manipulating information. (Gratisar et al.)

III) There is a notable correlation between sleep and academic performance.

1. Out of 31 different variables tested, sleep habits--such as wake up time, bedtime, and total sleep time--had the most significant positive correlation with GPA. (Trockel, Barnes, and Egget)
2. Trouble falling asleep has been found to have a negative effect on GPA. (Chiang et al.)
3. Sleep length has a significant correlation with GPA:
1. GPAs have been significantly correlated with the amount of sleep students receive. (Gaultney)
2. In another similar study, students who slept longer had a higher GPAs on average. (Kelly, Kelly, and Clanton)
3. In one study, student’s reporting B’s or better had more total sleep time and generally went to bed earlier, whereas students reporting C’s or worse reportedly slept less and went to bed later. (Wolfson and Carskadon)

IV) Many studies expose that sleep has a role in behavioral functioning.

1. Students with both short sleep and irregular sleep schedules have been found to have more daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, and problems with sleep/wake behaviors. (Wolfson and Carskadon)
2. There are significant correlations between sleep quality and problems with attention, reaction, and behavior regulation. (Sadeh, Gruber and Raviv, 2002 study)
1. Extending sleep leads to improved memory function and improved performance on the same complex reaction tests. (Sadeh, Gruber and Raviv, 2003 study)
3. Daytime sleepiness (caused by less total sleep time or fragmented sleep) has negative effects on performance and cognitive abilities. (Millman)
4. Children who sleep less have even been found to be involved in more property delinquency. (Clickinbeard et al.)

V) Sleep is important for health.

1. Women who have poor quality sleep have more daytime fatigue and worse depressive and physical symptoms than adequate sleepers. (Lee et al.)
2. Insufficient sleep has many significant consequences.
1. Sleep impacts performance and productivity, stress, and health and mortality. (Wells and Vaughn)
2. Insufficient sleep is also correlated with many chronic issues such as heart disease, stroke, depression, and diabetes. (Wells and Vaughn)

VI) Conclusion: Sleep is important. We must take our sleep schedules seriously, as it has many broad effects on our lives. Practice and teach good sleep hygiene (NSF and/or Wells).