Why is sleep important? Is all sleep created equal? What are circadian rhythms? How are they related to sleep and the biological clock? How do your sleep patterns change over the course of your life?

Everyone has their own internal biological clock that controls many bodily functions, such as telling you when you need to sleep. Some people are naturally morning people while others may be night owls, but everyone needs to sleep.

As you learned previously, there are both genetic and environmental factors that play a role in your life—these genetic and environmental factors also affect your sleep patterns. To this end, there are many biological influences and individual choices that you make that influence your ability to sleep.

Do some research to learn more about sleep and circadian rhythms through the following link:

Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (n.d.). Circadian rhythms fact sheet. http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Publications/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.htm Conduct some additional research on your own about sleep patterns and find at least one reputable source to cite in a post.

During the week address the following questions:

Assess your own sleep habits and patterns. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you getting too much sleep? Is your sleep restful, quality sleep? What would you change about your sleep habits/patterns if you could? Why? Why is sleep important? Is all sleep created equal? What are circadian rhythms? How are they related to sleep and the biological clock? How do your sleep patterns change over the course of your life? Later in the week, compare your personal sleep assessment to a classmate who appears to have different sleep habits and patterns than you. What steps can you recommend to help improve their sleep? Be sure to provide a reputable source to support your recommendations. Be sure to review the Discussion Board Grading Rubric provided in the Course Syllabus.

For help with citations, refer to the APA Quick Reference Guide.

Use this reference when referring to your text:

Trefil, J., & Hazen, R.M. (2013). The sciences: An integrated approach. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.