Slow: Three Seconds

I thought this was a great animated gif to help you ponder the power of slooooow breathing: blue is breathe in... green is breathe out...

How Long to Nap

(How Long to Nap)

10-20 minutes. The power nap is ideal for a boost in alertness and energy, experts say. This length usually limits you to the lighter stages of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, making it easier to hit the ground running after waking up.

30 minutes. Some studies show that sleeping this long may cause sleep inertia, a hangover-like groggy feeling that lasts for up to 30 minutes after waking up, before the nap's restorative benefits become apparent.

60 minutes. This nape is best for improvements in remembering facts, faces, and names. It includes slow-wave sleep, the deepest time. The downside: some grogginess upon waking up.

90 minutes. This is a full cycle of sleep, meaning the lighter and deeper stages, including REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, typically likened to the dreaming stage. This leads to improved emotional and procedural memory (i.e. riding a bike, playing the piano) and creativity. A nap of this length typically avoids sleep inertia, making it easier to wake up.

What would happen if you didn’t sleep?

Here's a TED-Ed video by Claudia Aguirre about the effects of sleep deprivation; find out more at the TED-Ed Lesson page.

What would happen if you didn’t sleep?

When Your Brain Doesn't Sleep

I thought this was a fantastic infographic about sleep and sleep deprivation; I've transcribed the text below the graphic, and you can click here for a larger view of the graphic at BrainConnection.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR BRAIN DOESN'T SLEEP? 

LOST MEMORIES
The hippocampus, a rnoon-shaped structure in the ternporal lobe, exhibits a distinct pattern of neural activity when the waking mind encodes (learns) new information. Scientists believe our brain later "replays" the sarne activity pattern while we're sleeping to help the info stick. Lose sleep, lose long-term memories.

ANGER
Sleep loss primes us to focus on negative experiences, misinterpret facial expressions and pick fights. Emotional volatility may partly be a product of interrupted communication between brain regions. FMRI of the well-rested brain shows connectivity between the amygdala, a limbic system structure critical to emotional processing, and the medial prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate feelings (i.e., tells us to chill). Sleep deprivation cuts this connection, letting your revved-up arnygdala (and your mood) run wild.

IMPAIRED WIT
When you skimp on sleep, the clever commentary rnay not flow so easily. Sleep loss affects cognitive processes like divergent thinking, which helps us switch topics nimbly during conversation. Scientists found that activity in theinferior frontal gyus increases when sleep-deprived people tried to list uses for different objects, suggesting the brain draws on divergent thinking to compensate for strained cognitive functioning.

HALLUCINATIONS
The well-rested brain filters stimuli (noise, light, smell, etc.) to separate what matters from what doesn't and prevent sensory overload. When the brain can't filter the information corning in, chaos ensues. After pulling an all-nighter, people may begin to anticipate things that aren't there, including objects.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
We all lose focus now and then, but brain activity linked to attention lapses changes when people sacrifice sleep. After a good night's rest, these lapses correspond to altered thalamus function and less-active frontal and parietal networks, which basically means we tune out when we're bored. But when sleep-deprived people space out, they also exhibit impaired visual sensory processing, suggesting a whole other level of disengagement with the world. In short: Losing sleep turns you into Phoebe from Friends.

FALSE MEMORIES
The sleep-starved brain may fail to encode memories successfully in the first place, thanks to altered function in the as well as prefrontal cortex and regions. One study found that people are more likely to incorporate misinformation into memories of events observed after a night without sleep.

CEREBRAL SHRINKAGE
Healthy adults getting poor sleep lose volume in the and lobes, one study showed. Researchers don't yet understand if sleep loss causes shrinkage or vice versa.



SLURRED SPEECH
The temporal lobe, the brain region associated with language processing, is highly active in well-rested people but inactive in their exhausted and enunciation-challenged counterparts.

CRONUT BINGES
Sleep loss corresponds with decreased activity in the frontal lobe, which controls decision-making, and more activity in the amygdala, a key player in fear detection. Together, these neural changes create a brain mechanism that dulls judgment and ratchets up desire — the ideal mind-state for scarfing down fistfuls of bacon.

RISKY DECISIONS
When sleep-deprived people prepare to make economic decisions, the brain's reward center in the prefrontal cortex lights up, suggesting they expect to win (e.g., make money). But when risky choices don't pan out, people's brain activity decreases in the region related to punishment and aversion (the anterior insula), suggesting they don't care about losing money as much as they would on a good night's sleep.

BRAIN DAMAGE
Add all-nighters to the list of things that kill brain cells — in this case, in the brain stem. The damage may be irreparable, making "catching up on lost sleep" a poor excuse for snoozing till noon on the weekends.

Improve Your Sleep

This is a fantastic article about sleep... not just for teachers! See the infographic below for a summary, and read the article for details about each item: 10 proven ways teachers can improve their sleep.

find your optimal bedtime

get into a routine

beware of cold feet

embrace the darkness

lose the laptop

use the 90-minute rule

avoid caffeine before bedtim

exercise in the morning

de-clutter your bedroom

try a bit of meditation

Cat Lessons

I really like this cartoon from IntrovertDoodles. Napping and soaking up the sun are both very good for your health, for example!

Too tired to exercise

This great cartoon from PhDcomics.com captures the vicious cycle perfectly:

Caffeine Causality Loop

As the semester gets busier and busier, beware the Caffeine Causality Loop! (The cartoon is by John Atkinson who blogs at WrongHands.)

A Therapist's Prescription for Better Mental Health

I liked this graphic from SharonMartinCounseling.com. There is lots of good advice here. Maybe something here will suit whatever situation you are in!

Treat yourself with kindness. • Say "no" when you need to. • Step out of your comfort zone. • Don't compare yourself to others. • Embrace your mistakes; they don't define you. • Be truly present. • Get outside. • Cut yourself some slack. • Make rest a priority. • Make fun a priority, too. • Savor good memories. • Make new friends. • Laugh often. • Create something. • Anticipate joy. • Appreciate what you have. • Learn from your mistakes. • Write down your successes. • Clear out physical and emotional clutter. • Move your body more. • Pursue a hobby. • Put your phone down and connect with the people you're with. • Confide in trustworthy people. • Treat your mental health with the same importance as your physical health. • Slow down. • Ask for help when you need it. • You don't have to do it all; prioritize what matters most.

OU Student JD Baker on depression, stigma in mental illness, and finding strength

You can read the article at the OU Daily here: OU Student JD Baker on depression, stigma in mental illness, and finding strength.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.

OU Student Audra Brulc on generalized anxiety disorder, ending mental illness stigma

You can read the OU Daily article here: OU Student Audra Brulc on generalized anxiety disorder, ending mental illness stigma.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.

OU Student Jeremiah Stinnett on social anxiety, getting better

You can read the OU Daily article here: OU Student Jeremiah Stinnett on social anxiety, getting better.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.

OU Student on Mental Health: Ivey Dyson talking about Anxiety

You can read the OU Daily article here: OU Student on Mental Health: Ivey Dyson talking about Anxiety.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.