raiol005: October 2011 Archives

In Chapter 6 of our book we learn about narcolepsy, the disorder characterized by the rapid and often unexpected onset of sleep. While reading about it, I saw the picture of a dog that had narcolepsy and I was interested to see if their was any differences in people and dogs that are narcoleptic. I watched a couple of YouTube videos of dogs with narcolepsy and this one interested me the most: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbmbQkX7czo&feature=related

This narcoleptic poodle has similar episodes as humans, for example, being excited or surprised make them both fall asleep for a short few seconds. However, when watching this video it brought to my attention that most dogs are constantly going through excitement no matter what they are doing. I never thought about the fact that unlike humans, a dogs excitement goes through the roof when they are about to eat. This poodle has to be pet constantly so he is somewhat distracted from his excitement just so he can't eat. I would assume that many narcoleptic people can get through eating a meal, however some people do get excited about food!

The video also says that narcolepsy is very rare in dogs and that very little is known about dog narcolepsy. In fact, they are giving this dog human antidepressants. Fortunately for dogs the only negative is that they can live a normal dog life. Humans on the other hand have many disadvantages to live a normal life. Some narcoleptic people are forbidden from driving, it's hard for them to maintain a job, and other daily activities that affect what these people can do.

In discussion when we explored whether we were getting enough sleep or not I was shocked to see how many "true's" I had and how much sleep I wasn't getting. I usually only stay up really late when I have a test or quiz I need to study for, which seems to be too often. Whenever I am about to take a test I always hear people say "I stayed up all night studying" or "I slept until 3 or 4am and woke up to start studying." Like many other students, I have always done the same. I always stay up late and wake up early to study. After reading an article in USA Today I've decided to change my ways. Students who study through the night or become sleep deprived from studying are actually doing the opposite of what their intentions are. Think- if a student is decreasing their amount of time doing something else- like sleeping- they think they will have more time to study and therefore do better. Wrong! After reading this article I am going to find a way to get my sleep! Colleges are finding that students who are sleep deprived during their tests actually do worse than if they would have slept. Students who don't get enough sleep due to studying actually lower their GPA which is the opposite of what they want. Not only does it effect ones GPA, but it effects athletes performance as well. The article says that "Short term side effects of sleep deprivation include delayed reactions and tendencies to make mistakes." I'm glad that the article stated this because I always assumed that if I studied as much as possible the night before and the morning/day of that I would remember everything because it would be fresh. It actually does the exact opposite!! If you are a student who doesn't get enough sleep (basically all of you!) you should read this article :).

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-09-16-sleep-deprivation_N.htm

We've recently learned about inattentional blindness. Inattentional blindness is when our brain fails to comprehend or see something that is in clear focus. After watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7LuvAM6XLg I was shocked to find how much in life I am actually not seeing. The three changes I didn't see were the red hankerchief changing to a green one, the magicians white shirt changed, and the assistant was actually a completely different person.
I read on a previous classmates post that they believe inattentional blindness could have something to do with having a "frantic lifestyle", and I would agree. Everyday people have so much going on in their life whether it is from going to school or work, what directions they need to take, and anything you could possibly imagine. One story that I would like to share about inattentional blindness is when I was going to take a math test. Whenever I am about to take a test I get really bad anxiety and start stressing out big time and I just want it to be over with. As I was about to take my math test my teacher was giving the instructions and specifically said "read the instructions before you begin." After she passed them out, of course I skimmed over the instructions and tried to finish quickly before I forgot anything. I started stressing out when kids were bringing their tests up in less then 10 minutes and laughing. After finishing the whole test and 50 minutes later I brought my test to my teacher. She just starred at me like an idiot and finally said, "I specifcally said read the directions. Did you not see where it said 'If you are reading this put your name on the top and hand this is. You do not need to take this test. You can leave after you see this'? I was so worried about doing well on the test that I completely blew off reading the instructions. I literally skimmed them over and somehow failed to see "YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THIS TEST." -- I truly believe when you have so much going on you don't realize half of the stuff going on because you are so focused on what you think you should be focused on. I was so focused on doing well and remembering equations I didn't focus on the instructions right in my face. I never forget to read the instructions now :)