Masters 1

Grace Masters
English Composition
Buz Ecker
14 April 2019

Online Casebook

1) Scott, Alexander J, et al. “Does Improving Sleep Lead to Better Mental Health? A
Protocol for a Meta-Analytic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.” ​US National
Library of Medicine ​, BMJ Publishing Group, 18 Sept. 2017,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5623526/​.

Summary:​ ​ There have been many studies that indicate mental health affecting sleep, and can
even cause new mental health issues to arise as a direct cause of sleep deprivation. This article
follows studies that support the evidence of sleep affecting mental health. The studies on sleep
“measured associations between variables at a single time point (ie, cross-sectional designs),
measured associations between variables at multiple time points (ie, longitudinal designs) or
compared the typical sleep profiles of those with mental health difficulties to those without”.
One study by Baglioni found that people who suffer from insomnia have twice the risk of
developing depression. There are also possibilities that difficulties in sleep and mental illness
could be from a third party such as a young child. In conclusion, there needs to be more scientific
studies to prove a direct correlation linking difficulties in sleep to mental health illnesses.
Analysis:​ ​ This article is part of a medical journal purely for assessing medical issues, topics,
studies and more. It was written by professional doctors with Phds. The audience is clinicians,
researchers and members of the public.
Credibility:​ This source is reliable because the website is government owned, and it is also the
US National Library of Medicine.
Relevance: ​I will use the Baglioni study in my paper to provide evidence for an example of how
sleep can affect your health, including mental and physical.
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2) Krishnan, Harini C, et al. “Acute Sleep Deprivation Blocks Short- and Long-Term Operant
Memory in ​Aplysia​.” ​Sleep,​ Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC, 1 Dec. 2016,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5103805/.

Summary: ​This was a study concluded in order to understand the effects of acute sleep
deprivation in relation to short and long term memory. Acute sleep deprivation and chronic
sleep restriction cause significant decreases in short and long term memories in both human and
animal models. Using a marine mollusk aplysia californica, researchers were able to study the
effects of 9 hour sleep deprivation on the model system. ​A. californica​ were housed on a “12-h
light/12-h dark (LD) cycle in individual boxes within chilled 110-gallon tanks maintained at
15°C with circulating artificial seawater”. Sleep deprivation experiments in the dark were
performed using dim red light and handled 2-5 times per half hour throughout the night. The
control in this experiment was handling different mollusks the same amount of times during the
day to compare the effects of memory of those with adequate sleep to those deprived for 9 hours.
As a result researchers found that sleep deprivation leading to decrements in cognitive
performance and memory impairments. Sleep also has other important contributions in the body,
including cell repair, energy restoration, metabolic regulation, and immune functions.
​ his article is part of a medical journal purely for assessing medical issues, topics,
Analysis: T
studies and more. It was written by professional doctors with Ph.D’s. The audience is clinicians,
researchers and members of the public.
Credibility: ​ This source is reliable because the website is government owned, and it is also the
US National Library of Medicine.
Relevance: ​I will use this in my paper to show how sleep deprivation has an affect on cognitive
performances and memory impairments.
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3) “Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency.” National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2017,
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency​.

​ here many factors that play a role in preparing our bodies to fall asleep and also
Summary : T
wake up. We have an internal clock that controls when we’re awake and when we’re ready to
sleep for the night. The body clock is run by a 24 hour circadian rhythm. A compound called
adenosine is another factor in our drive to fall asleep. There is a pressure to sleep that builds for
every hour you’re awake for. While adenosine builds up during the day, when you fall asleep
your body works to break down the adenosine. Other factors such as light, darkness can make
you feel awake or drowsy. When you view light, your brain believes its daytime. This area of the
brain helps your block clock adjust to day and night. When the sun sets your body releases
melatonin that signals your body to sleep, giving that drowsy effect. Although if exposed to
bright lights in the evenings can disrupt your body clock causing difficulties in sleep. This is a
reason why doctors recommend staying off your electronics 2 hours before it’s your time to
sleep. As we age less sleep is needed whereas the younger you are the more sleep you need to
grow. While asleep your body is working to support healthy brain functions and maintain
physical health. Ongoing sleep deficiency can harm your health if deprived for long periods of
time. It can also affect how well you can think, react, work, learn and get along with others.
While asleep your brain forms new pathways to help you learn and recall information. Studies on
students show that with adequate sleep it improves ability to learn, pay attention, make decisions
and be creative. Being sleep deficient can make someone have difficulties making decisions,
solve problems, controlling emotions or behaviors and coping with change. Many studies even
link sleep deficiency with depression, suicide and risk taking behavior. Not only does sleep
affect your mental capabilities but also your physical health. Sleep is a huge reason why we can
heal and repair damage to our hearts and blood vessels. Without good quality sleep individuals
increase the risk for heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and strokes. One
study showed teenagers with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese rose. Sleep
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helps regulate your hormones causing more hunger when levels of ghrelin increases due to loss
of sleep.
​ his website is meant for students, researchers and the public for general knowledge
Analysis: T
purposes.
Credibility: ​This website is a well known national heart, lung and blood institute which makes
their source credible. The website is also government owned.
Relevance: I​ will use this in my introduction as general knowledge to include in my research
paper. I will also use this information to form my thesis and base my paper off of proving how
sleep can affect your health.
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4) Zara Khormizi, Hasan, et al. “Sleep-Deprivation and Autobiographical Memory: Evidence

from Sleep-Deprived Nurses.” ​Journal of Sleep Research,​ U.S. National Library of Medicine,
Feb. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29624749.

​ his is a study to investigate the performances on autobiographical memory. In this

Summary: T
study they investigated sleep deprived and well rested nurses. Using 100 participants, the sleep
deprived nurses had 8-12 hours of sleep deprivation while the rested nurses had usual amount of
sleep before they took a autobiographical memory test assessment. All participants completed
depression and anxiety assessments as well. As a result the sleep deprived nurses scored higher
in depression scores, as well as poorer autobiographical memory. The sleep deprived group
couldn’t recall special memories as much as the well rested group. They also found that sleep
deprived nurses remembered less positive and more negative memories. Sleep deprivation has
detrimental effects on memory specificity and valance as well as mood dysregulation.
​ his article is part of a medical journal purely for assessing medical issues, topics,
Analysis: T
studies and more. It was written by professional doctors with Ph.D’s. The audience is clinicians,
researchers and members of the public.
Credibility:​ This source is reliable because the website is government owned, and it is also the
US National Library of Medicine. This study was completed in 2018 making it a recent reliable
source for a research paper.
Relevance: I​ will use this to support my theory that sleep affects deficits in memory recall and
depression.
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​ llenbogen, JM, et al. “Sleep, Learning, and Memory.” Sleep, Learning, and Memory |
5) E
Healthy Sleep, 2007,
healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning-memory.

​ sleep deprived person cannot focus attention optimally and cannot learn efficiently.
Summary: A
Learning and memory have 3 functions. Acquisition, the introduction of new information into
the brain. Consolidation represents the processes by which a memory becomes stable. Recall is
the ability to access conscious or unconscious information after it’s been stored in the brain. Two
of these functions, acquisition and recall can only occur while awake but research states that
memory consolidation takes place while sleeping when our brain forms new pathways to form
our memories. When people are sleep deprived focus, and attention become increasingly
difficult.
​ his page is meant for the public, researchers, educators, students or people who have
Analysis: T
sleeping issues to learn more information.
Credibility: ​The article was posted on a medical harvard website. Harvard is well known and
credible to use as a source.
Relevance: I​ will use this information in my introduction when explaining how the brain
processes information.
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6)​ “Sleeping Tips & Tricks.” National Sleep Foundation,

www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/healthy-sleep-tips.

​ here are different ways you can improve your sleep quality. Sticking to a sleep
Summary: T
schedule even on weekends will help your internal clock to regulate it’s melatonin that helps us
fall asleep. Having a bedtime ritual that doesn’t include bright lights or can cause excitement.
Relax your body by reading a book or listening to music. Exercise daily and avoid napping.
Having your room a cooler temperature, free of noises, or even using white noise machine,
humidifiers and fans could help improve sleep quality. Alcohol, cigarettes and heavy meals in
the evening can disrupt sleep. Your body needs time to adjust and get ready to sleep. Avoiding
electronic devices before bed will help relax your body. The particular type of light used for
electronics activates your brain and makes it more difficult to get into sleep mode.
​ his article is made to help anyone who has issues sleeping.
Analysis: T
​ his article is written by the National Sleep Foundation where their mission is to
Credibility: T
educate others about sleep and how to improve sleep quality.
Relevance: I​ will use this information to give suggestions in my article to help improve sleep
qualities.
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7) ​“Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep.

​ here are 2 types of sleep: One type of sleep is rapid eye movement sleep and the
Summary: T
other, non-rem sleep. Non-REM sleep has 3 stages: Stage 1 non-REM sleep is the changeover
from wakefulness to sleep. During this short period (lasting several minutes) of relatively light
sleep, your heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements slow, and your muscles relax with
occasional twitches. Your brain waves begin to slow from their daytime wakefulness patterns.
Stage 2 non-REM sleep is a period of light sleep before you enter deeper sleep. Your heartbeat
and breathing slow, and muscles relax even further. Your body temperature drops and eye
movements stop. Brain wave activity slows but is marked by brief bursts of electrical activity.
You spend more of your repeated sleep cycles in stage 2 sleep than in other sleep stages. Stage 3
non-REM sleep is the period of deep sleep that you need to feel refreshed in the morning. It
occurs in longer periods during the first half of the night. Your heartbeat and breathing slow to
their lowest levels during sleep. Your muscles are relaxed and it may be difficult to awaken you.
Brain waves become even slower. REM sleep first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep.
Your eyes move rapidly from side to side behind closed eyelids.

​ his page is meant for the public, researchers, educators, students and the general
Analysis: T
public.
Credibility: I​ t’s a government owned website. It’s also the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and stroke which gives them credibility as they list their citations.
Relevance: I​ will put this in my introduction to sleep and why it’s important to your health. In
order to understand how it affects your health you need to know how sleep works in the brain.