Self-Analysis on Challenge of Sleeping
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Assignment: Write a paper of 5-6 double-spaced pages in which you take a simple behavioral problem from your own life and discuss insights into the problem using concepts from at least 4 separate textbook chapters. First, very briefly explain the behavioral problem (if it needs more than one sentence to explain, you should pick a simpler problem or simplify it for the purpose of the paper). Then analyze the problem using theories, principles, and/or research findings that you learned about in this course. You may, for example, use the course material to address possible causes of the problem, possible complications, or possible solutions. Be sure that you apply concepts from at least 4 separate chapters of the textbook, and that you apply them in a sufficiently substantial and detailed way to make it clear that you understand them well. That is, actually define and explain the concepts and apply them to your problem in an explicit and detailed fashion, as if you were explaining to someone who didn’t take this class and isn’t familiar with these psychological concepts
Self-Analysis Paper
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Self-Analysis Paper
I have trouble sleeping. Consciousness can be used to explain the problem. The concept refers to an individual’s momentary awareness of experiencing sensations, thoughts, and feelings. In other words, consciousness indicates an awareness of self and the world around us. In particular, I look at the challenge from the perspective of sleep as a state of consciousness. Sleep is indeed a biological need. The failure to sleep well affects me negatively. Firstly, it reduced my functioning. I cannot operate optimally when I do not get enough sleep. Secondly, I have challenges remaining attentive or alert. The nights that I struggle to sleep reduce my ability to be attentive in class. Sometimes, I struggle to listen to lectures. Further, sleep deficit impairs my concentration. When I am doing important tasks in the morning, I cannot concentrate. As a result, I find it challenging to solve problems. Moreover, I become irritable and feel a sense of discomfort. It is common when I have sleep deficits to find it challenging to interact with family and family. Most of the time, I get irritable and can say words I regret later. When it becomes worse, I experience microsleeps. For instance, I can doze off for a few seconds without realizing it. Microsleep can occur while in the middle of an essential activity like a lecture or watching TV.
The challenge of sleeping adequately has affected my memory adversely. Memory is the ability to encode, record, store, and retrieve information. It is the ability to preserve and recover information. Memory creation starts when information changes to a usable form through encoding. Once the information has been encoded, it is stored in the memory for future use. Memory can be sensory, which tends to be momentary. It can also be short-term, often lasting 15 to 25 seconds. The other type of memory is long-term, which indicates relatively permanent information storage. Sleep is critical for the brain to process information from the day’s activities and form memories. The normal range of hours for sleep is between five and 11 hours. However, I usually sleep two to three hours, then wake up. From there, I am unable to get any sleep. As a result, I switch to my phone or TV and start watching videos online. It is possible to be on the phone for the better part of the night, hoping that sleep would come, which never happens. When I eventually fall asleep, I wake up within a short period, then struggle to fall back to sleep. This forces me to stay awake until morning comes.
During sleep, the brain is not in a state of dormancy. Electroencephalogram (EEG) shows that there is electrical activity in the brain when people are sleeping. The failure to have adequate sleep interferes with brain activity. The result is the loss of memory of important things. I normally study late into the night when I have a tight schedule. This happens mostly when I have exams around. However, I have discovered that I tend to forget most of the things I learned anytime I read late into the night. There was one time I spent the entire night revising for an exam. The following day, I had challenges remembering what I had read during the night. As a result, I performed poorly in the exam despite all the effort I had put in. Surprisingly, days after the exam, I could recall everything I had read that night. The main problem with failing to sleep well is that I make it problematic for my brain to consolidate memory. Sleep makes it easier for the brain to absorb and recall information. Because of my sleep problem, I make it challenging for the brain to encode information and store it on the brain. Hence, I am more vulnerable to forgetting things than someone who sleeps adequately. My friends accuse me of forgetting their birthdays, even when they have told me in advance. I have to overly on my calendar and mark their birthdays. At one point, I even forgot the birthday of a close friend!
I can explain the cause of my sleeplessness using learning and conditioning. Learning refers to the permanent change in behavior that takes place as a result of experience. The learning change can occur at the knowledge, attitude, and behavior level. Virtually everything humans do is influenc...