blog post #4

Teens and Sleep
Sleep experts talked about how and why teens aren't getting enough sleep, and why parents could be part of it. I learned that parents are not aware of how much sleep their teens are getting. The teachers are the ones who see the results of the teens not getting enough sleep. Now a days parents go to bed before their children so they really don't know how much sleep teens are getting.

We as teens seem to be in a constant state of jet lag. In a way this feels accurate because I myself feel tired and like there isn't enough time in the day to sleep. Almost like the time just slips away.

Sleep also has a effect on grades. According to their survey, the students who went to bed early and got the minimum 8 hours of sleep got better grades. The students who don't get enough sleep tended to get B's and C's.

It was also discussed how bedrooms have become entertainment centers. Most students have some kind of electronic device in their rooms so they want to stay up and use these things instead of going to bed.

Over all this radio show was really eye opening. It made me look at how much sleep I get and how I spend my time when I get home from school. It also discussed the aspect of one's health and driving while drowsy.

I also learned about selective attention. It's focussing on one thing at a time. Most people can't focus on two things at the same time. A good example for this would be, can you have a conversation with someone on the phone while also watching a tv show and following the plot behind it? Most people can't. This affects me because when i try ot focus on two different things i get stressed and can't even focus on one of the tasks.

One thing that really surprised me was a side note on page 92 that stated. "Dolphins, porpoises, and whales sleep with one side of their brain at a time." This is an interesting fact that intrigued me.

I agree with dual processing. Perception, memory, thinking, language, adn attitudes all operate on two levels. a conscious, deliberate "high road" adn an unconscious, automatic "low road". We knoe more than we know we know. This is interesting because we do alot without even thinking about it. However we have to think of other things in order to do them.