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

tions, medications, or drugs affect sleep. Such data can help the doctor
investigate whether the individual suffers from a sleep disorder or
from inadequate sleep due to a very busy schedule.
Sleep diaries rely on self-reporting, which may not always be accurate.
Also, some important symptoms of sleep disorders, such as
breathing problems, snoring, and excessive body movements, occur
during sleep and therefore aren’t reported by the individual.
Sleep specialists also use sleepiness scales in analyzing sleep issues,
but the one in this activity should not be used to assess your students’
health.
2. Give each student one copy of both Master 0.1, Sleep Diary, and
Master 0.2, Recording Bedtimes and Wake Times. Ask students to
first look at Master 0.1. Inform them that they will be recording
the times that they go to bed at night and wake up in the morning
for 10 days, beginning with bedtime on that night (the Friday they
receive their copies). Explain that they will record these times to
the nearest quarter hour. For example, if a student goes to bed at
10:25 p.m., he or she would say bedtime was 10:30 p.m. Also
explain that they will need to record the total number of hours
they slept each night, the number of times they remember waking
up during the night, and the number of caffeine-containing drinks
(coffee, tea, colas, or other caffeinated beverages) they consumed
during the day.
Make sure students understand that wake time refers to the time in
the morning when they awoke for the day. It does not refer to the
times during the night when they may have awakened for a brief
period. Also, remind students to record the number of caffeine-containing
drinks they consume each day.
3. Give each student one copy of Master 0.3, Sleepiness Scale. Explain
that scientists who study sleep use charts like this to gather information
about just how sleepy people are at different times of the day.
As with aspects of the Sleep Diary, this relies on self-reporting rather
than a completely objective measure. Encourage students to respond
as accurately as possible.
4. Instruct students to look at Master 0.3, Sleepiness Scale. Explain
that on day 4 (a Monday), day 7 (Thursday), and day 11 (the second
Monday), they will need to record how sleepy they are at different
times during the day. At the times listed on the chart on
Master 0.3, students will judge how sleepy they are and base their
responses on the information in the chart at the top of Master 0.3.
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Student Pre-lesson