Biological - NIH Office of Science Education - National Institutes of ...

Introduction to Sleep,
Sleep Disorders, and
Biological Rhythms
Sleep is an essential life process. It is as important
to our well-being as the food we eat, the water we
drink, and the air we breathe. Unfortunately, it is
easy to take sleep for granted. Busy people sometimes
regard sleep as a waste of time. They take
time away from sleep to tend to affairs of the day.
Sleep deprivation is a common feature of our society,
affecting children and adults alike. As a nation,
we are increasingly a sleep-deprived people, and
we pay a price for it.
Lack of sleep reduces our alertness, impairs our
judgment, and affects our moods. Impairments to
alertness and judgment due to sleep deprivation
not only lead to a loss of productivity at school or
work, but also contribute to increased accident
rates. It is especially important that young people
preparing to drive recognize the dangers of
drowsy driving. To be credible, such educational
messages must be based on science.
What Are the Objectives of the Module?
Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms has
four objectives. The first is to help students
understand the importance of sleep to our health
and to understand the consequences of poor sleep
or lack of sleep. By focusing on the biology of
sleep, the module seeks to help students understand
why good sleep hygiene is important to
their lives.
The second objective is to use sleep as a way of
understanding important scientific concepts.
Lessons in this module help students sharpen
their skills in observation, critical thinking, experimental
design, and data analysis. They also make
connections to other disciplines such as English,
mathematics, and social science.
The third objective is to convey to students the
purpose of scientific research. Ongoing research
affects how we understand the world around us
and gives us the foundation for improving our
choices about our personal health and the health
of our community. In this module, students experience
how science provides evidence that can be
used to understand and treat human disease.
Because the mission of the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute includes helping the public
understand the importance of sleep to their
health, the Institute believes that education is an
important venue for accomplishing this mission.
The lessons in this module encourage students to
think about the relationships among knowledge,
choice, behavior, and human health in this way:
Knowledge (what is known and not known) +
Choice = Power
Power + Behavior = Enhanced Human Health
The final objective of this module is to encourage
students to think in terms of these relationships
now and as they grow older.
Why Teach the Module?
High school biology classes offer an ideal setting to
integrate many areas of student interest. In this
module, students participate in activities that integrate
inquiry science, human health, mathematics,
and science-technology-society relationships. The
real-life context of the module’s classroom lessons
is engaging for students, and the knowledge gained
can be applied immediately to students’ lives.
“I overheard a student say, ‘Boy, did I learn a lot—
and it was fun! I learned about EEGs, EMGs,
and it was painless.’” – Field-Test Teacher
1