Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Special Guest Seminar This Week!!!
We are pleased to have Dr. Alicia Prieto Langarica from YSU's Department of Mathematics and
Statistics with us this Friday. Her topic is A Mathematical
Model of the Effects of Temperature on Human Sleep Patterns. This certainly will be a new and different perspective for we biologists. Be sure to welcome our guest and ask some great in-depth questions.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I ran into Dr. Prieto this morning. She is very excited to be giving a presentation to us today. Please be sure to give her a rousing welcome!!!
ReplyDeleteDr. Prieto Langarica’s presentation on the modeling effects of temperature on sleep patterns was undoubtedly interesting (and not as terrifying as I expected it to be considering math is not exactly something I’m good at). She not only made the presentation easy to understand, but she kept the audience engaged which is always appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation centered around the understanding of different sleep stages and the importance that sleep has on our overall health. It then went on to address thermoregulation in both non-REM and REM sleep stages and focused in on a mathematical model to show how temperature and temperature regulation affects sleep patterns.
The main points suggested that the more a person deviates from thermoneutrality, there is an increase in wakefulness and a decrease in REM sleep. Deviation from temperature may also cause the individual to wake up during REM sleep in order to thermoregulate, having negative effects on sleep patterns and potentially overall health.
I had read a paper on the potential effects that climate change could have on sleep (thanks, Kayla) and they had also reported that as nighttime temperatures warmed, there was a self-reported disturbance in sleep patterns by individual subjects.
Knowing more now about the importance of REM cycles and the role thermoregulation plays on our sleep patterns, what possible applications could/would you guys like to see this type of research be applied to? Or do you think that being able to create the “perfect” sleeping condition could help us combat disorders such as depression, autoimmune, anxiety, etc.?
Paper: Nighttime temperature and human sleep loss in a changing climate (Obradovich, 2017)
I really enjoyed Dr. Prieto’s presentation last week. It was really intriguing and she really kept the audience engaged like Jamielynn mentioned. I think this kind of research can be applied to just that – combating disorders. I do not think that temperature though is the only way to create a “perfect” sleeping condition. There are many other factors at hand, like taking into consideration that we wear pajamas and have bed covers (the mathematical models do not factor this in), noise/sound when sleeping, and the more recent popular topic, artificial light at night, which Dr. Prieto touched on a bit at the end. However, I think having a “perfect” ambient temperature to sleep at can certainly help with disorders like insomnia and autoimmune diseases. In the Energy Allocation paper by Schmidt it briefly mentions how human studies have identified chronic sleep loss as a significant risk factor for numerous diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke and cancer. Therefore, I think adjusting one part of our sleep behavior, the temperature, can aid in getting an overall better nights sleep with less waking bouts and enough NREM/REM cycles to help combat these diseases.
ReplyDeleteI found Dr. Prieto’s talk last Friday on the effects of temperature on sleep and the corresponding mathematical model that was utilized to be very engaging and informative. As Dr. Prieto mentioned, we do not know as much as we would like to, scientifically speaking, about sleep and certain effects varying conditions can have. I agree with Marissa in saying that not only temperature is related to a “perfect” night of sleep, but the results that were shown in the presentation show that it is a very important factor to consider. As far as Jamielynn’s question regarding the application of Dr. Prieto’s research, I think that it could be applied to combating a variety of disorders as Marissa said, but more specifically it could be applied to studies of adolescents and the role of thermoregulation during sleep with regard to cognition and general development. I believe all of the data in Dr. Prieto’s work came from adults, so it would be interesting to see if similar results could be obtained from children as well.
ReplyDeleteLast weeks seminar with Dr. Prieto’s was awesome. I highly enjoyed her enthusiasm while presenting her research. Her presentation being informative and interesting gave me a better understand on sleeps cycles and thermoregulation.
ReplyDeleteApplying Dr. Prieto’s research to the effect screen time with tablets and cellphones has on sleep would be interesting. I even think that Dr. Prieto’s mentioned this topic at the end of her presentation for future studies. I have read multiple articles about how not to stare at your phone screen before bed, but of course I still do it! I would like to see this type of research be applied more towards sleep disorders to focus on what aspects of the cycles being altered in people who suffer from sleep disorders. John made a great point about using this research on adolescents and I would have to agree with him. Using this research could help learn more about sleep and cognitive development with children and teens.
I thought Dr. Prieto’s talk was excellent. It seemed well organized and engaging, as well as entertaining. I had been familiar with the stages of the the sleep cycle and the importance of REM sleep, but I was unaware that temperature had such an impact on sleep quality. I suppose what I found most surprising was how quickly the internal body temperature can change in the absence of the homeostatic mechanisms for thermoregulation. It also appears that that the internal temperature of the brain significantly increases during REM sleep, regardless of the ambient temperature, probably due to the increased metabolic activity.
ReplyDeleteI think Marissa and John hit the nail on the head in presuming that ambient temperature is not the only factor that contributes to the quality of a night’s sleep. I’d agree that ambient noise and light are also major contributors. I would say that I make conscious efforts to eliminate both noise and ambient light, even going as far as covering the little “standby” lights on my TV and other electronics in my room. However, I put very little thought into assuring that the temperature in my room is ideal. I think most of us would agree that temperature gets the least attention, and for that reason, temperature may actually be the major factor to consider in dreaming up the ideal sleeping environment.
I would ask this of the group though:
Between noise, light, and temperature, which of these do you consider least when preparing your prospective sleep environment?
As far as Jamielynn’s question goes, I agree with Marissa in that we should pursue any efforts that can reduce sleep deprivation to help combat these various pathologies, and that temperature is the way to go right now. As I mentioned above, I believe temperature currently receives the last attention in our sleep environments, and for that reason it is more likely to deviate from the ideal temperature. Taking all of this into account, I think more research should go into modeling how temperature affects sleep patterns, and then the research should turn to elucidating the mechanisms by which people can easily control their ambient temperature at night.
I had a friend at my undergrad institution that used to say that if you're not sleep deprived, you're not doing science right. She mostly said it jokingly to me because she knew that I always make sure I get at least 7 hours of sleep a night, and usually I end up getting a full 8 hours. As Dr. Prieto's presentation stated, sleep quality and duration are monumentally important to our health and so I've never really felt the urge to jeopardize my sleep.
ReplyDeleteI think the most practical application for this knowledge that temperature deviations affect the quality of REM sleep in particular could be used to engineer a system that keeps ambient temperature favorable for sleep. Perhaps some sort of watch you wear to bed that tracks your approximate internal temperature and sends a signal to the thermostat to adjust the temperature accordingly to minimize nightly wakings and maximize sleep quality. Having some sort of system like this could help with a number of diseases for which sleep deprivation is a significant risk factor, such as insomnia and depression, as previously mentioned by Marissa.
In regards to Erich's question: I consider noise least and even prefer some kind of ambient noise, usually in the form of my ceiling fan motor. I consider light the most. I also block out the standby lights on my electronics because I like complete darkness. I also like the room to be colder so I can snuggle in a bunch of blankets without waking throughout the night due to overheating.
Dr. Prieto seminar was highly engaging. I found her to be very organized and presented material in a way that kept the crowd interested. Her personality really came through while delivering an outstanding informational seminar.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite bits she shared was how our alarms wake us up and we feel sluggish due to being woken up during the wrong sleep cycle. Her research made me think more of temperature and how it impacts our sleep. Responding to Erich's question, I would consider temperature the least when preparing to go to sleep. I prefer total darkness and a bit of noise I'm used to. I think Kayla had a great idea about a system that monitors temperature throughout sleep. That type of system could have a huge impact on those that have a sleep disorder. I'd like to do a mini experiment in my own house with temperature and just see if I feel more rested on different days with different temperatures. I would enjoy following Dr. Prieto's research and seeing the next steps she takes in applying her findings.
Dr. Prieto's presentation was very enthusiastic and interactive. I learnt how thermoregulation influence the sleep patterns in relation to REM cycles.
ReplyDeleteIn my views, I think, apart from temperature, there are other major factors that can contribute to a "comfort sleep" such as diet, circumstances and emotions. Taking a well balanced diet before sleeping may create a better and a satisfying condition for the body system to break down the food hence cooling the body system that eventually lead to a relaxation of the muscles. Peace of mind may also play a great role. for instance, Insomnia is primarily induced by emotions such as stress and overthinking that do interfere with the sleep rhythm.
I think Dr. Prieto's presentation was very informative and future research should consider diet choice, because this is daily and timely activity we do, to confirm how the uptakes triggers the sleep pattern
First off, Dr. Prieto's presentation was a very good presentation in which I learned a lot. To answer your question I would like to see a study done on perfect sleeping conditions vs none and how it effects patients that have autoimmune diseases, depression, and migraines. Also, adding in sleep walkers and insomnia patients would be interesting to learn as well. It was interesting to see the different temperatures and the role they play on sleep. Rem and non rem sleeping is interesting as well and to see the sluggishness vs non sluggishness when waking up from a non-Rem vs a Rem sleep. Good luck tomorrow with your two presentations.
ReplyDeleteI love sleep! And I love to sleep in a cold room buried under blankets. Perhaps Dr. Prietto’s maths modeling of sleep and thermoregulation explains my sleep behavior. Her model shows that thermoregulation ceases during the REM stage of sleep, and this sets up the sleep cycle. My takeaway was that sleeping in colder ambient temperatures produces fewer REM cycles that last longer, resulting in higher quality sleep compared to lots of short REM cycles. I would like to see the model applied to a study on the use of alarm clocks. Early on in the presentation, Dr. Prietto said that it is ideal to wake up in the REM stage instead of Non-REM stages because it is easier and you feel less groggy. An alarm clock cannot sense stages of the sleep cycle, so the owner may be rudely awakened from stage 4, and wake up on the wrong side of the bed (if you know what I mean). I’d personally like to wake up when I feel ready to wake up, but society unfortunately doesn’t always permit this. How cool would it be if alarm clocks could sense brain waves and “know” that the owner is in REM sleep for days when you absolutely have to get up for class, work, and such?! Lastly, I echo everyone else’s sentiments about Dr. Prietto’s presentation. I appreciated her enthusiasm, and also her hand-waving explanation mathematical modeling.
ReplyDeleteSleep is such a wonderful thing (in my opinion), and I was really excited when I heard that someone was giving a presentation on sleep and thermoregulation. I honestly didn't think that the quality of sleep was that associated with the ideal temperature. It would be interesting to apply this type of research to different animals. I'd like to not only see the differences and similarities of ideal temperatures that result in good-quality sleep, but also see how differences in metabolism, environment, and ability to produce body heat can overall impact their thermoregulation as well as sleep quality. As for Jamielynn's second question, I think creating the "perfect" sleeping condition (which will obviously vary from person to person) will help alleviate the disorders that she listed. Good-quality sleep can help boost one's immune system and function, which could be associated with combating these conditions. In addition to temperature for creating an ideal sleeping condition, I think environment and comfort are also essential, as Marissa mentioned.
ReplyDeleteDr. Prietto is so funny - she’s such a good speaker. I bet she is really inspiring for a lot of younger people who want to pursue fields of science. I think optimal sleep patterns can combat psychological and physiological sickness, but I also think there are many more variable than temperature that contribute to that optimization. Eric, it depends on the time of the day for me. When I nap, I like the light on (I’m not sure why), but at night I can’t stand it. I think mostly, I consider noise the least, and I sleep in very cold temperatures. According to these models, maybe I should warm it up a bit!
ReplyDeleteDr. Prietto's presentation was very interesting and she did a really good job in keeping her audience engaged. She talked about the relationship of sleep and thermoregulation. She used mathematical models to determine that 29C is an ideal temperature for human beings to have complete 4-5 REM/NREM cycles. I was thinking how material of our bedding and our clothing would effect our sleep? As most of the fabrics available in market are polyester which is known for retaining the heat, can it warm it us up a bit too much?
ReplyDeleteDr. Prietto did an amazing job presenting. She really knows how to captivate her audience. I was genuinely interested in her presentation; I found it relatable as I am sure most did. Sleep is so important and a really interesting topic. It was funny when she said that we literally need to sleep in order to grow because my mother used to tell us that as kids when we didn't want to sleep! Little did I know how right she is. I agree with Floyd that sleep can significantly impact psychological illness. In response to Erich's question, for me, noise does not bother me when I sleep. I just prefer a warm, cozy blanket and dim lighting. In terms of napping, I always try to take a 20 minute nap because I think it is the perfect nap to prevent waking up grumpy, but is still long enough to feel refreshed! I guess this makes sense in terms of Dr. Prietto's presentation.
ReplyDelete