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Module 1.5c

TABLE 1.5-2 How to Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

• Exercise regularly but not in the late evening ( Lowe et al., 2019 ). (Late afternoon is best.)

• Avoid caffeine after early afternoon, and avoid food and drink near bedtime. The exception
would be a glass of milk, which provides raw materials for the manufacture of serotonin, a
neurotransmitter that facilitates sleep.
• Relax before bedtime, using dimmer light.

• Set an alarm for when you intend to get ready for bed each night — a reminder of your plan.

• Sleep on a consistent schedule (rise at the same time even after a restless night) and avoid

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long naps ( Jansson-Fröjmark et al., 2019 ).

• Hide time displays so you aren’t tempted to check repeatedly.

• Reassure yourself that temporary sleep loss happens, and it’s normal to struggle to sleep sometimes.

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Try not to overthink your sleep, and just try to do your best each day ( Baron et al., 2017 ).

• Focus your mind on nonarousing, engaging thoughts, such as song lyrics or vacation travel
( Gellis et al., 2013 ). (Thinking about falling asleep may keep you awake.)

• Manage stress. Realize that for any stressed organism, being vigilant is natural and adaptive.

Less stress = better sleep.
®
AP Science Practice Check Your Understanding
Examine the Concept Apply the Concept
▶ A well-rested person would be more likely to have ▶ Explain some of the effects sleep loss has on you.
____________ (trouble concentrating/quick reaction times) and ▶ What have you learned about sleep hygiene that you could

a sleep-deprived person would be more likely to ____________ apply to yourself?

(gain weight/fight off a cold).

Answers to the Examine the Concept questions can be found in Appendix C at the end of the book.

Major Sleep Disorders
insomnia recurring problems in
1.5-9 What ar e the major sleep disor falling or staying asleep.
1.5-9 What are the major sleep disorders? ders?

narcolepsy a sleep disorder
An occasional loss of sleep is nothing to worry about. But for those who have a major characterized by uncontrollable
,
,

,
sleep disorder — insomnia narcolepsy sleep apnea sleepwalking ( somnambulism ), or sleep attacks. The affected person

REM sleep behavior disorder— trying to sleep can be a nightmare. ( Table 1.5-3 sum- may lapse directly into REM

marizes these disorders.) sleep, often at inopportune times.
Approximately 1 in every 5 adults has insomnia — persistent problems in either fall- sleep apnea a sleep disorder
characterized by temporary
ing or staying asleep ( Irwin et al., 2006 ; Sivertsen et al., 2020 ). The result is tiredness and cessations of breathing during
increased risk of depression ( Baglioni et al., 2016 ). Sleep researcher Wilse Webb (1992) lik- sleep and repeated momentary
ened sleep to love or happiness: “If you pursue it too ardently, it will elude you.” But from awakenings.
middle age on, awakening occasionally during the night becomes the norm, not something REM sleep behavior disorder
to fret over or treat with medication ( Vitiello, 2009 ). Ironically, insomnia becomes worse a sleep disorder in which normal
when we fret about it. In laboratory studies, people with insomnia do sleep less than others. REM paralysis does not occur;
But even they typically overestimate how long it takes them to fall asleep and underestimate instead, twitching, talking, or
how long they actually have slept ( te Lindert et al., 2020 ). Even if we have been awake for even kicking or punching may
occur, often acting out one’s

only an hour or two, we may think we have had very little sleep because it’s the waking part dream.
we remember.
Sleep: Sleep Loss, Sleep Disorders, and Dreams Module 1.5c 107

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