Difference between revisions of "Junk Sleep"

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===Definition===
 
===Definition===
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Junk sleep is a term used to describe a physiological effect where proper REM is not achieved because one has been using consumer electronics right up until the moment of falling asleep (in addition to often leaving them on, which continues to disrupt the sleeping process). The term was popularized by a four undergraduate students at NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore.<ref>The Big Bedroom Bustup @ Zouk – Overcoming Junk Sleep. Nanyang Technological University. Published 17 Feb 2010. Accessed 03 July 2011. http://www.wkwsci.ntu.edu.sg/NewsMedia/Pages/NewsReleasesArchival.aspx</ref> Their main was the idea that using electronic devices right before bed would affect sleep in a negative way. They created an educational site called "Good in Bed" about the issues surrounding what they called "Junk Sleep".
  
A physiological effect where proper REM is not achieved because one has been using consumer electronics right up until the moment of falling asleep (in addition to often leaving them on, which continues to disrupt the sleeping process). 
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In order to avoid junk sleep, the graduate students suggest not touching cell phones or laptops a half hour before bed. They mention that junk sleep is a result of both the devices that carry the content and the content on the devices. The brightness of the screen, portability of the device, nature of the content on the devices, how the content is displayed and type of content that is consumed all play a role in connecting one's mind to certain activity flows.  
 
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The term was popularized by a group of graduate students in Singapore, who created the educational site [http://www.goodinbed.sg/ Good in Bed]. Their main thesis is the idea that using electronic devices right before bed would affect sleep in a negative way.
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It's both the devices themselves and the nature of the content on the devices, how the content is displayed and the type of content that is consumed, and how that content is structured. This is an important distinction to make. It is not the devices themselves, but what is on them, and the role they play in connecting one's mind to certain activity flows.  
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An example of the opposite would be something that's not an electronic device that's bad to use before bed. For instance, there are card games that are speed based, and they might also he a bad thing to do before bed.  
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Social networking sites structure and dump content into the brain at a compressed rate. They are comprised of a set of unrelated micro-narratives tied together by an interface that provides endless opportunities to interact with content. Unlike a book, these social sites are formatted for quick information absorption, whereas the narrative of a book unfolds slowly, ideas building up on each other over time. Using a social network or browsing through the Internet before bed tricks the brain into becoming more active instead of preparing for sleep. It can lead to a false sense of awareness.  
  
'''Avoiding Junk Sleep:'''
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"Reading from an iPad before bed not only makes it harder to fall asleep, but also impacts how sleepy and alert you are the next day, according to new research from [http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/pressreleases/PressRelease.aspx?sub=0&PageID=1962 Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts]."<ref>Beres, Damon. Reading On A Screen Before Bed Might Be Killing You. The Huffington Post. Posted 23 Dec 2014. Accessed 29 Dec 2014.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/reading-before-bed_n_6372828.html</ref>
*Don't touch your cell phone a half hour before bed.  
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*Don't interface with cellphone or any device which engages with someone.
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'''Is it okay to read a book via eReader before bed?'''
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==References==
*Looking at a screen is debatable because an eBook is a book. You could have that same amount of light aimed on a paper book. It is reflecting light the same way the screen is reflecting light.
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<references />
*The nature of a book, whether digital or analog, is that it is a piece of text that one can see a page of; one at a time. Vs, a highly interactive environment which invites motion such as Facebook.
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*Facebook structures and dumps content into the brain at a compressed rate.
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*Formatted for quick information absorption, where the narrative of a book unfolds slowly, ideas building up on each other over time. Facebook is a set of unrelated micro-narratives tied together by an interface that provides endless opportunities to interact with content.
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===Related Reading===
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__NOTOC__
*[[Physiological Effects of Computing]]
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[[Category:Book Pages]]
 
[[Category:Book Pages]]
[[Category:Marked for Editing]]
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[[Category:Finished]]
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[[Category:Illustrated]]

Latest revision as of 00:07, 29 December 2014

Junk-sleep-maggie-nichols.jpg

Definition

Junk sleep is a term used to describe a physiological effect where proper REM is not achieved because one has been using consumer electronics right up until the moment of falling asleep (in addition to often leaving them on, which continues to disrupt the sleeping process). The term was popularized by a four undergraduate students at NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore.[1] Their main was the idea that using electronic devices right before bed would affect sleep in a negative way. They created an educational site called "Good in Bed" about the issues surrounding what they called "Junk Sleep".

In order to avoid junk sleep, the graduate students suggest not touching cell phones or laptops a half hour before bed. They mention that junk sleep is a result of both the devices that carry the content and the content on the devices. The brightness of the screen, portability of the device, nature of the content on the devices, how the content is displayed and type of content that is consumed all play a role in connecting one's mind to certain activity flows.

Social networking sites structure and dump content into the brain at a compressed rate. They are comprised of a set of unrelated micro-narratives tied together by an interface that provides endless opportunities to interact with content. Unlike a book, these social sites are formatted for quick information absorption, whereas the narrative of a book unfolds slowly, ideas building up on each other over time. Using a social network or browsing through the Internet before bed tricks the brain into becoming more active instead of preparing for sleep. It can lead to a false sense of awareness.

"Reading from an iPad before bed not only makes it harder to fall asleep, but also impacts how sleepy and alert you are the next day, according to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts."[2]

References

  1. The Big Bedroom Bustup @ Zouk – Overcoming Junk Sleep. Nanyang Technological University. Published 17 Feb 2010. Accessed 03 July 2011. http://www.wkwsci.ntu.edu.sg/NewsMedia/Pages/NewsReleasesArchival.aspx
  2. Beres, Damon. Reading On A Screen Before Bed Might Be Killing You. The Huffington Post. Posted 23 Dec 2014. Accessed 29 Dec 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/reading-before-bed_n_6372828.html