Skinheads

Introduction:

The intended purpose of this study is to motivate myself into developing a change in my sleep schedule. By doing this, the task has given me the motivation to get up to go to work on time more efficiently. This study took place over a six week period. During those six weeks I noticed certain behaviors and things when I tried to get my full nights sleep. In this document I have tried several things to get me to go to sleep in a more efficient way and at the end I discuss what my conclusions are. These are based on the best remedies I decided to use and some of the ones that were not as effective.

Week of February 4th 2006

This week was extremely hectic for me between me going to school and tackling a heavy workload. Since I work in an office I decided to try and make up for lost sleep by taking little naps in between. I had two of them twice during the day for the whole week. When this was done I had my office door locked and the nap lasted for an hour to an hour and a half. I find that with this method, "the industrial revolution had forced us into a sleep cycle that is not consistent with our history as human beings. In many cultures, the afternoon siesta is common; it allows people to get up early and party late." (Franken, 158)

This motivational behavior has allowed me to stay up longer than I need to especially in the evenings. I go to school in the evenings at night during the week and take the time to complete homework. In addition this allows me to maintain and social and family obligations. Further I find myself as a statistic of this category where "it has been shown that older people who find it difficult to sleep for 8 hours straight can benefit greatly from catnaps." (Franken, 158) I am a person that is constantly on the go and is pressed for time. Unfortunately I go through the occasional burn out and have arrived to work late so trying this method has been an experience altogether.

Week of February 11, 2006

I decided to try a different approach in improving my sleep pattern and schedule. I went to my doctor's and explained to him that I had trouble falling asleep. He had given me a prescription for Ambien, which were sleeping pills. I was leading my team with some projects I felt could be completed ahead of time. So I had some trials of insomnia going on. However what I found was that project revolved in my head constantly and could not sleep straight without being woken up and worrying about it. Underneath the initial motivation to use the drug, it was too allow me to fall asleep faster at a time that I set for myself at night. I decided to go to sleep around 10 pm instead of my 12 am - 1 am regimen. I developed the attitude that certain things can wait. I did notice that I was knocked out for quite some time but I wounded up waking the third day I took it in the middle of the night. It seems like I became one of those people who "could initially go to sleep with barbiturates but had difficulty staying asleep. I found that my REM in Stages 3 and 4 were suppressed as I kept taking the drug. The many bursts of cortical arousal that was observed were attempts to enter Stages 3 and 4 REM." (Franken, 170)

I took the drug for three days out of the week before going to bed and then I decided to get off of it.

Week of February 18, 2006

There is one theory in the book that really interested me and that was becoming a lucid dreamer. It sounded like just floating on water to me in my sleep with no worries. There are times I fell asleep and did have dreams some were pleasant and others were not. According to the book, "in lucid dreaming we can engage in extraordinary physical and psychological feats because we are not bound by the laws of physics. In lucid dreaming, people, situations, and things seem less threatening. As a result we can confront threatening people, situations, and things and learn how to deal with them." (Franken, 168) The most important thing I had to do was planning this ahead of time and what I intended to so when I did go into a lucid state. I went into my lucid state during the siestas I encountered during the day in my office. I then went further into the lucid state when I went to bed at night. It was a positive effect that allowed me to step out of the box and with my eyes closed and look deeper into my goals and dreams. "Lucid dreaming appears to have great potential as a vehicle to improve health. It has been linked to improved self-confidence, feelings of control, and optimism, all of which is linked to good health." (Franken, 168)

Week of February 25th, 2006

This week became a time to use my instincts. Aside from taking my usual siesta naps during the day, I decided to trust my instincts with my body language. When I was tired during bedtime I dropped things that I would take time out to do such as work around the house and just go straight to bed. According to John B. Watson who founded the school of behaviorism, his learning theories taught me a thing or two to incorporate into my new sleep cycle. Watson concluded that "behavior can largely be explained by the principles of classical conditioning or instrumental learning." (Franken, 17) In addition it breaks out into one theory that I considered putting myself through which is the Hull theory and it suggests that Behavior=Drives X Habit. My behavior had to be the drive to get to bed early and wake up on time. My behavior also had to include the habit of going to bed when my body told me it was time for sleep. "His explanation