Science NIE ACTIVITY Science Matters!

is a series presented in

MATTERS!
collaboration with the Connecticut Academy of
Science and Engineering.
For more information, visit www.ctcase.org
or call 860.571.7143.
… IN CONNECTICUT
Mark L. Metersky, MD. Professor of Medicine, UConn School of Medicine

THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP Words to Know

It’s a little embarrassing, but it must be acknowledged that sleep experts don’t fully Apnea: temporary cessation of breathing
understand why humans need sleep! Throughout most of human existence, sleep may
have made us more vulnerable to predators and took up time that could have been used
Hallucination: experience in which a person can see, hear,
smell, taste, or feel something that is not there
to obtain food; yet we never evolved the ability to do without sleep, which demonstrates
how important it is. Narcolepsy: chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming day-
time drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep
Several theories have been proposed to explain the need for sleep. One was that sleep
allowed us to rest our bodies after physical exertion. This was easily disproved; if it were Cataplexy: a medical condition in which strong emotion or
true, athletes would need more sleep than couch potatoes, but they don’t. More recent laughter causes a person to suffer sudden physical collapse though
evidence suggests that at least one function of sleep is to help with memory creation remaining conscious
and organization. An indisputable (and unsatisfying) explanation for why we sleep is Rapid eye movement sleep: a stage of sleep that most
that it prevents sleepiness. people experience nightly – characterized by quick, random
One common sleep disorder demonstrates the importance of sleep. Obstructive sleep movements of the eyes and paralysis of the muscles
apnea results when the muscles that hold the airway open in the throat flop shut, briefly
blocking air movement repeatedly during the night. These brief periods of apnea are
usually not remembered; however, patients with this problem often suffer the ill effects
of excessive sleepiness, including decreased ability to concentrate and an increased risk
of automobile accidents. The most common treatment is the use of a continuous positive
airway pressure (CPAP) machine during sleep. This machine blows air through the Meet the Scientist
patient’s nose to hold the airway open. While growing up, I wanted to do medical research. I worked in research laboratories
during college and medical school but eventually realized that I liked taking care
Narcolepsy is a disease that causes severe sleepiness and intrusion of rapid eye movement of patients even more than working in laboratories. Fortunately, I have had many
(REM) sleep or dream sleep into wakefulness. Narcolepsy patients can experience opportunities during my career to do research that involved working with patients.
dream-like hallucinations while they are waking up or falling asleep. They can be When not in the hospital, I have pursued various activities. I was a competitive swimmer
paralyzed for a period of time after they wake up, or they can experience cataplexy; the during high school and college and competed in Masters swimming until my 40s. More
sudden development of muscle weakness causing them to fall to the ground, even though recently, I took up fencing and must admit that it’s much more fun.
they are wide awake. Fortunately, these manifestations of narcolepsy can usually be
prevented with medications.
An even rarer disorder occurs in some patients who do not have the normal muscle
paralysis that they should have when they are dreaming. This can be dangerous. For
Hyperlinks:
example, one of my patients with this disorder fought for the US during World War II. http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/06/17/stanford-sleep-researcher-mourns-the-loss-of-narcoleptic-dog/
His wife learned to quickly leave the bed when he starting speaking German in his sleep. https://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/upshot/the-evidence-points-to-a-better-way-to-fight-insomnia.html?_r=0

Skills and Knowledge:

Doctors who care for patients with sleep disorders have a long road. After college, comes
Common Core State Standards (CCSS): Mathematics
•CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
four years of medical school, followed by three to four years of training (usually in internal •CCSS.Math.Practice.MP3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
medicine or neurology), often three years of training in pulmonary diseases and finally, •CCSS.Math.Practice.MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically
a year of training in sleep disorders. During their sleep training, sleep specialists learn
how to diagnose and treat a large number of different sleep disorders. Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE): Science Framework
•Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE): Science Framework
45602-01

•Scientific inquiry is a thoughtful and coordinated attempt to search out, describe, explain and predict natural phenomena
•Scientific inquiry progresses through a continuous process of questioning, data collection, analysis and interpretation
•Scientific inquiry requires the sharing of findings and ideas for critical review by colleagues and other scientists