PROJECT SLEEP

This is extra credit - so remember no one is obligated to work on this assignment!

You have a choice to work on one of the following extra credit projects listed below. You must email me to get permission for the project only because I do not want you all to do the same project!

MJOHNSON@STJOHNSPREPSCHOOL.ORG

You may work as an individual or with one other person on some of these projects. The project will not be accepted after Friday, October 18. It is worth up to 40 points this marking period). I will be putting them on display at Open House! SO THEY WILL HAVE TO BE GOOD!

PROJECT I: Working in Shifts and Sleep (need 3 individuals to survey) The survey can be a video, audio, or written interview.

(TWO STUDENTS CAN WORK TOGETHER ON THIS)

• Survey family members or go to your local hospital, firehouse or police station. Interview those who have non-traditional hours and discover how shift work can impact on cognition, emotion, and behavior. In this interview be sure to identify the number of hours they work, shift timings, how often shifts rotate, hours of sleep he/or she gets in 24 hours, quality of sleep, if he/she feels drowsy at work, number of occasions when this happened in the past month, best shift to work and if his or her sleep pattern affects him physically or emotionally. Look for a connection between sleep quality, time and sleep duration. Correlate lack of sleep with physical strain, emotional stress and work performance.

• Present your project findings on a visual display board.

(Nurses, firefighters, maintenance, police officers, doctors, health care practioners, etc….)

PROJECT Ii: ARE DREAMS DIFFERENT FOR THE YOUNG AND OLD? MALE AND FEMALE? (1-3 students can work on this)

In this project you will identify whether age and/or gender play a role in people's ability to remember dreams.

Research Questions:

• Does age affect ability to remember dreams?

• Does gender affect ability to remember dreams?

Most people over the age of 10 dream at least 4 to 6 times per night. Some people are able to easily remember the dreams they have each night, while others rarely recall dreaming at all. Interestingly, it is still not clear why some remember these nightly subconscious events and some do not. This project will explore this question by evaluating the role of gender and age in a person’s ability to remember dreams.

You need to survey 6 males and females between the age of 10 and 20 and (6) older adults either between the ages of 25-50) and (6) older adults 55+ - If you have access to little kids that would be awesome to include as well!

Procedure:

1.Identify male and female test subjects from the groups listed above.

2.Ask participants

How long they sleep on average each night?

Do they suffer from a sleep disorder?

Do they take medication to help them sleep?

Do they remember their dreams?

If they do what are some common or recurring themes?

If they do not, is that a recent phenomenon or has this been a problem all the time

Visual Display Board (be sure to include the scientific findings on the role of male and female and age and compare to what your survey results)

Present your Findings

Do you observe differences in the number of recorded dreams among the different age groups? When you divide your data into male and female test subjects, do you notice any differences? Which gender or age group appears to recall dreams most vividly?

PROJECT III: (only one person can work on this project)

OUTREACH PROJECT TO STUDENTS: THE DANGER OF NOT ENOUGH SLEEP – IS CAFFEINE DANGEROUS???

Have your sleeping patterns ever disturbed your social life? Do you stay up late at night and find it hard to wake up for your classes in the morning? Do you get tired early in the evening and wake up unusually early? Have you been experiencing difficulty getting your work done or unexplained depression? What impact does caffeine play in sleep disorders? How does medication, alcohol, shift work etc… play) Need this to be presented in a creative and pleasing visual display

CREATE A VISUAL DISPLAY BOARD WITH THE EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION (physically, emotionally and cognitively) – This should also include a brochure

1. Identifies the different circadian rhythm disorders

2. A set of survey questions to ask students to evaluate how they sleep

3. List of web sites that will direct students to more information

PROJECT IV: BLINDNESS AND ITS IMPACT ON SLEEP AND DREAMS

ONLY ONE PERSON MAY DO THIS PROJECT)

Do blind people dream? If blind people do dream, what do they dream about? Can they see in their dreams? How else do their dreams differ from sighted people? These questions and others is the focus of this project – Create a visual display board answering these and other questions creatively about blindness and sleep along with a power point to present to the class with your study. (No more than 10 slides)

Be sure to address the biological/physiological, emotional, behavioral and cognitive impact this has on a blind person’s sleep. In addition address the types of sleep disorders that blind people may suffer from and some of the ways to treat them.

How have researchers come up with their conclusion?

OR IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE YOU ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WORKING ON AND YOU SEND ME YOUR PROPOSAL IN REGARD TO SLEEP LET ME KNOW!!!