PSY2320 · Sleep and circadian rhythms

Overview

Sleep and circadian rhythms are fundamental for the maintenance of general health, performance and mood. This unit will give you an understanding of the physiological processes that control sleep and circadian rhythms, as well as the consequences of their dysfunction for health and wellbeing. The unit will be comprised of lectures and tutorials. You will have the opportunity to attend tutorials over the course of the unit giving training in practical aspects of sleep and circadian research as well as practical help on the research poster assignments. The lectures will focus on both the functions of sleep and circadian rhythms and their neurobiological underpinnings in both health and disease states. Topics that will be covered will include: sleep function and neurobiology, circadian function and neurobiology, impact of sleep and circadian dysfunction on mood and cognition, sleep and metabolism, sleep disorders, and sleep and circadian interventions for optimising health and safety. At the end of the unit, you are expected to have an understanding of core concepts in the fields of sleep and circadian rhythms. This unit will provide you with a solid foundation in sleep and circadian rhythms research, a growing strength in Australia.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Compare sleep and circadian rhythms research and its importance for optimal general health, cognitive function, and mood.
2. Explain the neurobiological control of both sleep and circadian rhythms.
3. Contrast the major sleep disorders, their measurement and impact on health.
4. Apply practical and theoretical skills underlying several major methods for conducting sleep and circadian research.
5. Communicate findings of sleep and circadian rhythms to others through the conference-style presentation of research results.

Workload

Two hours of lectures per week. Two hours of tutorials ten times per semester. Induction tutorial: One hour in Week 1 of semester. Eight hours background reading/preparation for seminars, tutorials and assessment tasks per week.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.