More Brain Points

Make Sleep a Priority

One of the most important effects on our behavior and physiological health is sleep. Sleep is known to be under control of homeostatic and circadian systems. The two systems are related but still work independently. The homeostatic system is known for the duration and depth of sleep while the circadian system is known for the timing of sleep. The circadian system is made of clock cells, input pathways from the environment, and output pathways to the behavior and physiological outputs. However, the mechanisms of the circadian system are still unknown.

            The talk given by Daniel J. Cavanaugh about his research on fruit flies’ circadian clock and sleep-promoting neurons explored the unknown mechanisms of the circadian system. According to his research, the circadian system is time-of-day dependent. This means that it regulates the sleep-promoting brain regions by inhibiting sleep at specific times, especially the day-night transitions. This inhibitory influence helps prevent premature sleep at night when the homeostatic sleep drive is high. Therefore, the circadian system has a rhythm that fluctuates with a 24-hour cycle. When there is sleep deprivation, the homeostatic system has the buildup of sleep pressure while the circadian system continues to fluctuate as well as our inclination to sleep. However, the homeostatic sleep pressure continues to build up until we go to sleep. This leads to a concept of sleep debt. The recommended amount of sleep is 8 hours but every night you don’t complete all the hours, the hours are added to your sleep debt. These days where we are sleep deprived is when we are impaired cognitively, behaviorally, and physically.

            A perfect example is found in the current research done by Christopher M. Barnes on how “Sleep-Deprived Judges Dole Out Harsher Punishments”. He hypothesized that sleep-deprived people will have more trouble regulating negative emotions which leads to responding harshly to people who engage in any infraction. Dr. Barnes and his colleagues knew how much each judge slept by looking at cases handled after the change to daylight saving time. His research found that the cases lasted 5% longer than any other cases and there was impairment in ethical judgment and errors in decision making from just 40 minutes less of sleep. In general, sleep deprivation leads to behavior changes in most people and usually results in agitation and negativity.  

Works Cited

Cavanaugh, Daniel J., Abigail S. Vigderman, Terry Dean, David S. Garbe, and Amita Sehgal. "The Drosophila Circadian Clock Gates Sleep through Time-of-Day Dependent Modulation of Sleep-Promoting Neurons." Sleep 39.2 (2016): 345-56. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26350473>.

Barnes, Christopher M. "Sleep-Deprived Judges Dole Out Harsher Punishments." Harvard Business Review. N.p., 15 Feb. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. <https://hbr.org/2017/02/sleep-deprived-judges-dole-out-harsher-punishments>.

Figure:

"Homeostatic and circadian processes underlying the sleep-wake cycle." NeuroSomnia. N.p., 14 July 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. <https://smoens.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/homeostatic-and-circadian-processes-underlying-the-sleep-wake-cycle-1/>.