Month: October 2019

(For the purpose of this blog, I will address 15:35 to 17:09)

Professor Matt Walker is a world renowned expert on sleep and on the effects it has on the body. There is a reason why the message he conveys is so compelling: he speaks effectively through powerfully persuasive words, tone, and pace.

Walker uses strong diction that aligns his audience with his message about sleep being the “elixir” or life or “the swiss army knife of health.” His salient word choice captures the attention of his listeners and frames his points in compelling, comprehensible metaphors. The figures of speech used by Professor Walker emphasize the enormity of the issue at hand, thus forcing a broad audience to agree with his point of view. No person in their right mind would deny themselves “mother nature’s best effort yet at immortality.”

The speaker’s tone is solemn and severe, yet he lowers himself to his audience as well. It is fitting that Walker would speak in such a dignified matter. He is trying to elevate sleep to the status that it deserves. Thus, he leaves little room for jokes, little room for doubt. Instead, through his voice, he emphasizes the urgency with which our society should address the public health epidemic of sleep deprivation. However, he warms up to his audience at the end, wishing that they “sleep well” as a humorous goodbye that makes his message all the more appealing.

Walker also speaks at a very slow speed, hammering in the indispensability of change in our society’s sleep habits. He makes every point simple, poignant. Every sentence has a purpose. He waters down many of his arguments to simple, short sentences and takes brief pauses so that his audience can digest and process the important information he is relaying. Professor Walker’s pace is one of a stern father getting his children to understand the consequences of their actions and the changes they need to make.

 

In the age of instant information, it’s hard for us as members of society to consolidate the constant bombardment of research we receive. Kessler points out that “our world is inundated with the manipulation of flighty studies.” Diet and nutrition is a great example of this. One day, you’re inclined to go vegan or vegetarian to help the environment and your health. The next, you read a study about how soy products- usually used for protein among the plant-based population- are actually wrecking your body. And what do you know, that same day, a new study comes out telling you that soy actually extends your lifetime by X amount of years. What are you supposed to do? Who are you supposed to believe?

Very few people know how to read a study critically. It becomes less about finding the truth and more about finding the information that aligns with their pre-conceived notions and beliefs. This is known as the “Aha! I knew it!” effect or, in more scientific terms, confirmation bias. As humans, we also tend to fixate on the most salient information. If a new study shows that microwaves disrupt sleep we might ignore it and hold it to be untrue. But if a new study shows that microwaves will kill us within two years, we believe it and throw all our appliances out the window. Kessler writes about how easy it is to “write these conclusions off as trivial” yet “millions” take their results seriously, thus it is necessary to concern ourselves with the critical analysis of scientific research. Kessler also emphasizes the importance of staying skeptical and realizing that the world is “not binary,” though conclusions drawn from studies almost always are.

In writing my paradigm shift essay, I have to incorporate my own perspective into my topic because if I let studies drive my essay, I will reach contradicting conclusions without exploring the topic critically. I have to remember that there are studies that are better carried out than others. In the words of Kessler, most are “studies of college kids in psych labs.” I have to use a variety of different sources such as studies, articles, and experiments that provide different perspectives and methods. In this way, I will have a holistic perspective on my topic and provide an essay that- hopefully- isn’t bunk.

“You think you have a lot to do? Let me tell you about MY week.”

Does this sound familiar? As college students, we are constantly pushed to overachieve and be the best/most productive versions of ourselves. Hard classes on one side, six clubs on the other, volunteering, working part-time, doing research, getting internships, networking, spending time with friends and family, eating healthy, exercising– it all adds up. People are constantly expected to be busy working on something, running off somewhere to be productive. One time, as I was reading a book at a lounge in my residence hall, a person came up to me and said: “Must be nice to be a health major!” When did people decide we were no longer allowed to just… be?

Our society has become increasingly fat, sleep deprived, anxious, sick, and depressed over the years. The novel culture of stress has hugely contributed to these factors. We look at stress as a badge of honor. We over-glorify it, leading us to believe that if we do not run ourselves into the ground every single day, we will never be successful. However, it hasn’t always been like this. In the 14th century, the term “stress” was associated with poverty and hardship. However, things shifted after the Second Industrial Revolution. Work culture became more prevalent thanks to longer shifts and better infrastructure. Now, we can’t imagine disconnecting from our work because we have ready and instant access to the internet and other forms of technology. Our inability to separate ourselves from productivity has led us to feel constantly burdened by it.

The modern stress mentality is killing us. The top two leading causes of death in the U.S. are cardiovascular disease and cancer, both of which have been linked to excessive, chronic stress due to elevated blood pressure and reduced immune function. Both these causes of death are also related to obesity, which is more prevalent among people who experience high amounts of stress. When we get overwhelmed, we tend to crave high-fat, high-sugar comfort food and chuck the running shoes out the window. Stress is positively correlated with anxiety, depression, and telomere shortening, meaning our cells age much faster than they should. Furthermore, stress robs us of sleep, but time and time again it’s been shown that sleep deprivation can cause a myriad of issues, including diabetes, hormone dysregulation, and end in premature death. It is a grim reality for our generation.

We need to research and understand modern day stress to help us re-frame society’s perspective on it. This way, we may be able to better health outcomes, eradicate disease, and significantly decrease the high number of premature, preventable deaths that occur in the United States every year.