Every semester I have a conversation with my students. The conversation goes something like this…. “You have a prefrontal cortex and it helps regulate your emotions. It therefore keeps you in emotional control throughout your day. The prefrontal cortex is the only part of your brain that needs sleep during the night. Since it’s the goal keeper of your emotions this is why you have wild dreams that make little sense. Have you ever been falling asleep and you ate a twizzler earlier in the day, then all of the sudden right before you fall asleep, you have the thought that you’re driving a twizzler down the freeway and running over puppy dogs?” My students usually laugh. Then I say, “That’s because your prefrontal cortex is going to sleep and the rest of your brain decides to let all the regulated thoughts go at once.” My students begin to understand. Then I ask, “What about days where you don’t get enough sleep. Are you good at controlling your emotions those days? Do you cry more on those days?” They typically respond with a “Yes.” I then say, “This is why the iPad, iPhone, and tablet need to be in the kitchen when you go to bed. These devices over time will rob years from your life if they are constantly disrupting your sleep patterns. It could also cost you relationships overtime.” They are always understanding of what I’m saying. It’s a shock to me. Then I yell at them for not singing in tune but they still realize how much I care. Ha ha ha!
markatt83 t1_j6o6u1z wrote
Reply to Study finds that poor sleep quality increases aggression, possibly by affecting emotional cognition by chrisdh79
Every semester I have a conversation with my students. The conversation goes something like this…. “You have a prefrontal cortex and it helps regulate your emotions. It therefore keeps you in emotional control throughout your day. The prefrontal cortex is the only part of your brain that needs sleep during the night. Since it’s the goal keeper of your emotions this is why you have wild dreams that make little sense. Have you ever been falling asleep and you ate a twizzler earlier in the day, then all of the sudden right before you fall asleep, you have the thought that you’re driving a twizzler down the freeway and running over puppy dogs?” My students usually laugh. Then I say, “That’s because your prefrontal cortex is going to sleep and the rest of your brain decides to let all the regulated thoughts go at once.” My students begin to understand. Then I ask, “What about days where you don’t get enough sleep. Are you good at controlling your emotions those days? Do you cry more on those days?” They typically respond with a “Yes.” I then say, “This is why the iPad, iPhone, and tablet need to be in the kitchen when you go to bed. These devices over time will rob years from your life if they are constantly disrupting your sleep patterns. It could also cost you relationships overtime.” They are always understanding of what I’m saying. It’s a shock to me. Then I yell at them for not singing in tune but they still realize how much I care. Ha ha ha!