The objective of this course is to give students the most up-to-date information on the biological, personal, and societal relevance of sleep. Personal relevance is emphasized by the fact that the single best predictor of daytime performance is the quality of the previous night's sleep. The brain actively generates sleep, and the first section of the course is an overview of the neurobiological basis of sleep control. The course provides cellular-level understanding of how sleep deprivation, jet lag, and substances such as alcohol, ,caffeine, and nicotine alter sleep and wakefulness. The second section of the course covers sleep-dependent changes in physiology and sleep disorders medicine. Particular emphasis will be placed on disorders of excessive sleepiness, insomnia, and sleep-dependent changes in autonomic control. Chronic sleep deprivation impairs immune function and may promote obesity. Deaths due to all causes are most frequent between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m., and this second section of the class highlights the relevance of sleep for preventive medicine. The societal relevance of sleep will be considered in the final section of the class. In an increasingly complex and technologically oriented society, operator-error by one individual can have a disastrous negative impact on public health and safety. Fatigue-related performance decrements are known to have contributed as causal factors to nuclear power plant failures, transportation disasters, and medical errors.
Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society
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Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society
Instructors: Ralph Lydic, Ph.D.
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Beginner level
No prior experience required
2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
What you'll learn
Understand how sleep and the brain are connected.
Become familiar with major sleep disorders that impact daily life.
Explore the long-term negative health consequences of inadequate sleep.
Skills you'll gain
- Pharmacology
- Cardiology
- Injury Prevention
- Internal Medicine
- Accident Prevention
- Public Health
- Respiration
- Mental Health Diseases and Disorders
- Substance Abuse
- Life Sciences
- Neurology
- Molecular Biology
- Economics, Policy, and Social Studies
- General Medicine
- Patient Safety
- Physiology
- Mental Health
- Mathematical Modeling
- Psychiatry
- Public Health and Disease Prevention
Details to know
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Assessments
15 assignments
Taught in English
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There are 12 modules in this course
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