Most of us at one time or another have experienced a change in schedule that has contributed to both sleep deprivation and an upsetting of our circadian rhythms. In this discussion we will explore the effects of such changes. After watching the videoRhythm and Snooze – Circadian Genes, respond to the listed questions:

1. How were you affected the last time you experienced multiple instances of having to get up unusually early, stay up much later than you are accustomed to or experienced some other change in sleeping patterns?

2. Are you an “owl” or a “lark”? Have you always been owl-ish or lark-ish or were you different in prior periods of your life?

3. How well does your owl-ness or lark-ness match the wake/sleep schedule you are currently experiencing, which can vary widely between individuals and be governed by a number of daily life demands, from non-optional work shifts, to being a new parent with an infant not concerned with your desire to sleep through the night, to your choice of leisure activities? What do this week’s readings tell you about the potential positive or negative impacts of your particular matching or non-matching wake/sleep schedule? How well do the impacts, for better or worse, suggested in the readings align with your actual experience (e.g. if you are a lark whose schedule requires you to work a late evening shift or an owl who has to rise very early to get children to school, do you find yourself running low on energy during times of the day or night when you normally don’t or having trouble concentrating)?

Minimum 300 words answer.

Classmate#1:

Good Day Class,

The Following are Questions and Answers after watching the Video, and Reading the Lesson this Week.

1. How were you affected the last time you experienced multiple instances of having to get up unusually early, stay up much later than you are accustomed to or experienced some other change in sleeping patterns?

The last time I woke Up too Early, I felt full of Energy, and Ready to accomplish the Goals of My Day. However, after around 5 hours I began to Feel Sleepy Again. My Sleeping Pattern changed during this time because I had to Sleep for a Good Part of the day to Feel Rested again. Sleeping during the Day Kept Me Awake Longer throughout the Night, Leading to Early Morning hours.

2. Are you an “owl” or a “lark”? Have you always been owl-ish or lark-ish or were you different in prior periods of your life?

I would consider Myself to be more of a Lark because I tend to wake up Early just to get My Day Started, and I enjoy My Day Better if I Have a Head start by Waking Up Early. I usually get out of Bed around 4:30-5-00am in order to Read, Take Notes, and Complete a Few Chores before My Children Wake Up around 8:00am. I have always been more Larkish, however, there have been Occasions when I had to be a Hummingbird. For example: When I know an Assignment is Due, I stay Up throughout the Night Longer, but still wake up Early to be Awake for the Remainder of the Day, and try to take a Nap or Two when I Feel Extremely Tired.

3. How well does your owl-ness or lark-ness match the wake/sleep schedule you are currently experiencing, which can vary widely between individuals and be governed by a number of daily life demands, from non-optional work shifts, to being a new parent with an infant not concerned with your desire to sleep through the night, to your choice of leisure activities? What do this week’s readings tell you about the potential positive or negative impacts of your particular matching or non-matching wake/sleep schedule? How well do the impacts, for better or worse, suggested in the readings align with your actual experience (e.g. if you are a lark whose schedule requires you to work a late evening shift or an owl who has to rise very early to get children to school, do you find yourself running low on energy during times of the day or night when you normally don’t or having trouble concentrating)?

I Believe that my Sleep Pattern is Similar to my current Sleep Experience. In effort to get any thing Accomplished, I need to Be the First Person in my Household who is Awake. If my Children Wake up before I do, I Feel “ Sluggish” when I need to get out of Bed. The Reading this Week tells Us that Sleeping helps Improve Memory, and Retention, but not getting enough Sleep is linked to Increased Mortality (APUS, 2020). A Positive Impact of being a Lark is that I am able to get a few Tasks Done before My Daughter wakes for School. She has a Digital Learning Platform for Elementary School, so I am able to Be Better Prepared for Her Learning Experience as well.

Crystal Thomas

Have a Great Week Everyone!
References

APUS, (2020). Introduction: Sleep and Circadian Rhythm. Retrieved from https://myclassroom.apus.edu/d2l/le/enhancedSequenceViewer/17512?url=https%3A%2F%2Ff54cbe36-23a9-4505-85fe-e251f80ec34d.sequences.api.brightspace.com%2F17512%2Factivity%2F754288%3FfilterOnDatesAndDepth%3D1

Classmate #2:

Hello Class,

Let me start off by saying that I currently work swing shifts where I switch from day shift to night shift every two weeks, so my answers to the questions may vary based on the week that I work nights or days, I have been working this schedule for the last eight years and have grown pretty used to it.

1. How were you affected the last time you experienced multiple instances of having to get up unusually early, stay up much later than you are accustomed to or experienced some other change in sleeping patterns?

When I work a dayshift I am usually awake at 3:30am so I have time to get ready for work, from showering to getting my lunches packed for the day. When I first started this job, I could stay awake until 10:30pm-11:00pm and I would be perfectly fine with that amount of sleep. For the last year and a half though when I work a dayshift day, I have to be in bed no later than 9:00pm, if I go to bed later than that I am miserable during the work day. When I work a night shift, I am usually up for 19-22 hours the night before so I can get my body used to the night shift mode, and having to sleep during the daylight hours. I feel as though on night shift I am able to get more sleep than I am when I work days, because I go to bed right as I get home. Even if I do not go to bed right when I get home from a night shift, I feel as though I get more sleep though than I do when I am on day shift.

2. Are you an “owl” or a “lark”? Have you always been owl-ish or lark-ish or were you different in prior periods of your life?

I would have to say that I have aspects of both owl and lark because of my job. If I can get an adequate amount of sleep I am a lark. I get up sometimes before my alarm goes off, or right as my alarm goes off and I get read for the day with no issues. I think I have hit the snooze button maybe 3 times in my 34 years of existence. I have no issues staying awake late, so I would have to say I am an owl in that respect. I have finished a lot of projects around my house in the middle of the night because I can not sleep sometimes or I am getting ready for a night shift rotation.

3. How well does your owl-ness or lark-ness match the wake/sleep schedule you are currently experiencing, which can vary widely between individuals and be governed by a number of daily life demands, from non-optional work shifts, to being a new parent with an infant not concerned with your desire to sleep through the night, to your choice of leisure activities? What do this week’s readings tell you about the potential positive or negative impacts of your particular matching or non-matching wake/sleep schedule? How well do the impacts, for better or worse, suggested in the readings align with your actual experience (e.g. if you are a lark whose schedule requires you to work a late evening shift or an owl who has to rise very early to get children to school, do you find yourself running low on energy during times of the day or night when you normally don’t or having trouble concentrating)?

Working swing shifts for as long as I have is not the most ideal of scenarios with a family, or eventually my well-being. There have been a few times where I would have less than 24 hours from the time getting off of night shift and having to be back for a day shift, or I get off a night shift and have to get my youngest on he bus in the morning before school, which has caused low energy through the day until I have an energy drink or a cup of coffee. Swing shifts tend to mess up any idea of a set sleep schedule, as once my body is used to working one schedule, I am switching to another.

Minimum #3:

1. How were you affected the last time you experienced multiple instances of having to get up unusually early, stay up much later than you are accustomed to or experienced some other change in sleeping patterns?
   • The last time I had to will myself into messing up my sleep schedule was when my family and I were taking the red-eye flight to California for a family event. Somehow, I managed be awake at midnight, thanks to my parents, stay awake past 0300 to be sure we were past security at the airport and I fell asleep at maybe around 0600. I woke up at 0800 that day and was bright as a daisy. If I weren’t on a plane, I would probably have been sleeping in, all snuggled up in my bed with my stuffed bunny.
2. Are you an “owl” or a “lark”? Have you always been owl-ish or lark-ish or were you different in prior periods of your life?
   • I love my sleep, I have always loved my sleep and will always love my sleep. I sleep early so that I won’t have too much trouble waking up when Mom and Dad tell me to wake up in the morning. I’ve been reasonably conditioned to be a morning person, but that only seems to work that way when my body knows that my parents need me to be awake. When my body knows that no one will be waking me up early, I wake up when the sun gets in my face and tells me to get up. I am a lark because my parents said so, as much as I hated mornings as a young one, I don’t mind them as much.
3. How well does your owl-ness or lark-ness match the wake/sleep schedule you are currently experiencing, which can vary widely between individuals and be governed by a number of daily life demands, from non-optional work shifts, to being a new parent with an infant not concerned with your desire to sleep through the night, to your choice of leisure activities? What do this week’s readings tell you about the potential positive or negative impacts of your particular matching or non-matching wake/sleep schedule? How well do the impacts, for better or worse, suggested in the readings align with your actual experience (e.g. if you are a lark whose schedule requires you to work a late evening shift or an owl who has to rise very early to get children to school, do you find yourself running low on energy during times of the day or night when you normally don’t or having trouble concentrating)?
   • Considering the fact that my mother has been through at least every single one of those situations, I count myself lucky for now; I don’t have to deal with that. I don’t do much at home besides, work, homework, gaming, or whatever Mom says, so my circadian rhythm has been reasonably just fine. I would sometimes feel oddly sleepy in the mornings even after having slept for a good 12 to 14 hours, but I think maybe that was just because I was on a new dosage for one of my medicines (side effect: makes you sleepy). The good news is, I’m a morning person where a lot of people are not and will never be, but the bad news is, I cannot stay up late. The latest I’ve stayed up is maybe around 2415 but my average bed time is 2100 on a good day (if I’m lucky, 2000). My mother has been through her fair share of late nights studying, working, partying with friends and being my mom, in fact, there was one point where she had to take my dad to the hospital because his ankle was half shattered and she managed to get from one day to the next with 30 minutes of sleep. I didn’t get any of those abilities unfortunately. All I know is, if I have a late night, I burn the midnight oil with coffee and then wake up groggy the next morning.

   Minimum 200 words to each