Insomnia’s Effects on Nervous SystemInsomnia’s Effects on Nervous System

Tassa MarkmanTassa Markman

Megan LagapaMegan Lagapa

Tyler V. Schiller

Tyler V. Schiller

Richard Guanzon

Richard Guanzon

44THTH PERIOD BIOLOGY PERIOD BIOLOGY

What is Insomnia? • Insomnia: not a

disease, but a symptom

• The difficulty to fall and/or stay asleep at night, or at all

• The person is unable to stay fully awake, concentrate or accomplish daily tasks

WTF does it do to the Nervous System?

• Sleep = regeneration of brain and body

• In certain states of rest, neuron regeneration happens within cerebral cortex and new memories, synaptic connections formed

• Without sleep, neurons might start to malfunction => brain is unable to receive and send new messages easily => body experiences cognitive (mental) difficulties

Symptoms and affected parts of brain

• Insomnia mainly affects central nervous system

• Temporal lobe: slurred speech

• Prefrontal lobe: Irritability, difficulty concentrating and focusing on daily tasks

• Parietal lobe: body begins to slow itself down to be in a state of rest (ex.: falling asleep in class)

• Losing 12 straight hours of sleep has same effect on the body as one to two alcoholic beverages

BIBLIOGRAPHYIMAGES

“A Woman Unable to Sleep.” Cartoon. Fotosearch. 2 May 2009 <http://www.fotosearch.com/illustration/insomnia.html>.“Insomnia." Cartoon. Educational Coloring Pictures. 2 May 2009 <http://www.edupics.com/en-coloring-pictures-pages-photo-insomnia-i11767.html>. "Insomnia Cartoon." Cartoon. The Cartoon Blog. 2 May 2009 <http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/category/household- hints/>."Labeled Diagram of Brain." Online Image. Wellsphere.  2 May 2009

<http://www.wellsphere.com/brain-health-article/brain-teasers- spot-the-difference/31948>.

RESEARCHSerendip's Exchange. 2 May 2009 <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1690>.WebMD. 2 May 2009 <http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia>.