The Key to Positive Moods - Research Paper Example

Psychology There is a lot of research on what people should do to improve their health and lifestyles. Most common topicsof discussions are usually centered on proper diets or nutrition, exercise, reducing workloads and going for vacation. However, there is little research on how to improve life through long hours of sleep particularly in this century that is plagued with lifestyle disease. Sleep is vital for all animals. Human beings are the only species that does not find the value for long hours of sleep. The hours of sleep are always the first thing on the list to get compromised when a person has a long schedule or has stress. Sleep does not only boost the immune system and reduce stress, but it is the key component of effectively eliminating bad moods. In this study, 10 participants from the lab were asked to participate in the study to show that long hours of sleep are the key to getting positive moods. The hypothesis of the present study was to show that sleeping for long hours is necessary if a person wants to eliminate bad moods. A correlation of independent variable and dependent variables of long hours of sleep and positive mood score recorded through this study indicated them as r= 0.625 and p= 0.017. Key words: Sleep, positive moods. Longer hours of Sleep is the key to Positive Moods Most of us know that that extra hour of falling back has always helped the human body and it is not as disruptive as cutting that extra hour. Studies show that the human circadian rhythms or what most people know as the natural body clock tend to operate for longer hours when the amount of sleep increases. For example, in the article by Schwarz et al. (2013) it shows that sleep deprivation always affects the human moods negatively. Such moods results to impair facial expressions to a point that it does not respond effectively to emotional stimulus. In other studies such as the two articles by Takano, Sakamoto and Tanno (2014) and Minkel et al. (2012), they show that mental exhaustion and stress are some of the problems that people who sleep for few hours face. For this reason, it shows that the human body is more productive when more time is dedicated to sleeping. Centuries ago, people believed that sleep was a time when the brain was not in operation, but thanks to the modern advancing technology, people now know that even when a person is asleep, there is always a hive of activities in the human brain. This is why a person’s mood is always affected because sleep deprivation interferes with these activities. How? One may ask. Traditional theories on sleep show that sleep was necessary to aid the body in resting. However, the modern-day theories on sleep show that the time a person sleeps has no effect on the body. When people deprive themselves of longer hours of sleep, they are always in their normal physical state. But psychologically, the effect is not the same. Little sleep or none affects the way the brain functions and the human behavior. Therefore, an interruption in the way the brain functions also affects the human moods and this is why people who sleep for fewer hours always seem irritable and as if they are always angry. Nonetheless, the amount of long sleep which is healthy is not 12 or 15 hours. The sleep referred to in this research paper is the recommended 6 to 8 hours of sleep for an adult. Less than this number of hours or more always has an effect on the moods of a person. For example, as mentioned earlier, few hours of sleep such as 4 hours results to bad moods, whereas sleeping excessively leaves a person with the jet-lag like feeling which results to low moods. In the article by Schwarz et al. (2013), it is evident that most people in the modern society are not getting as much sleep as they used to years ago. The reason for such a shift in the sleeping patterns is happening because most people grow up believing that sleep is a luxury. Hence, like all the luxuries in life, people believe that cutting back sleep is appropriate. This is part of the reasons that cause the rates of obesity and diabetes to increase because people sleep at the wrong time, which is a contributing factor when it comes to personal eating patterns. For example, a person who sleeps late is more likely to wake up late, which results to a disruption of the time a person eats. Therefore, the person is likely to have late breakfast, late lunch and late dinner. According to Schwarz et al. (2013) sleeping for longer hours not only increases a person’s response, but it also reduces the chances of having an impaired emotional inhibitory control. Reduced impaired emotional inhibitory control promotes faster voluntary facial reactions and this is why people who sleep for longer hours smile easily (Schwarz et al., 2013). Minkel et al. (2012) also have a similar view, where they indicate on page 1015, that there is a relationship between sleep and stress. According to Minkel et al. (2012), not getting enough sleep alters how the body responds to stress because the physiological responses to stress get altered. Reducing sleep even when it is only a few hours is also likely to have an impact on a person’s mood. In all the three research articles by Schwarz et al., (2013); Takano, Sakamoto and Tanno (2014) and Minkel et al. (2012), the common trait for the participants in the studies was that when there was sleep deprivation, the participants were more angry, sad and had slowed mental processes. This was contrary to what the participants who had more sleep felt because they were happier and recorded fast mental processes. Methods of Research Study i. Participants There were 10 participants in the study from the lab. These were all healthy, young women and men with a mean age of 22.64 years. To ensure that the study was adhering to the legal protocols, I and other several researches ensured that the participants all had given a written and informed consent. To determine if they were all healthy, the participants were all screened for mental and physical problems, sleep disorders and changing sleeping patterns. Of all the 10 participants, 7 of them were women and 3 were men. Out of all the 10 participants, 3 were Asians, 3 African-Americans, 3 Caucasians and 1 from other races. Like in the research study conducted by Schwarz et al. (2013), the participants in this study also had to take tests to determine if they were physically fit and mentally stable. For people who interested in participating in the two studies but did not have a regular sleeping pattern in the last 6 months, did not take tests. People who had travelled for more than 2 days in the last 3 months, such as those who had crossed the time zones were also excluded in both studies. The participants in study were all from the same school in United States. For their participation in the study, they were also rewarded with a report showing their results. The informed consent mentioned before was also given to show that the participants participated in this study on their own free will. ii. Measures Research Question: Do long hours of sleep promote positive moods? Hypothesis of the Study: The hypothesis of this study shows that even though it is not possible for everyone to spend a lot of time while sleeping, sleeping the recommended long hours is extremely important if people want to promote their good moods. Sleep may seem like a passive activity in the normal daily schedule, but it is important as well as the key factor when it comes to regulating the right moods. Testing Hypotheses In the study, there were different ways that the hypothesis mentioned above got tested. The hours of sleep, emotional processing and rating of participant’s emotional stimuli were all measured using the correlation research method and survey research design. iii. Procedure In a mixed correlation and survey research design, the participants had to agree to come for 5 days at the lab. This was in attempt to get their informed consent, in a written format showing that they agreed to participate in this research willingly. After receiving their consent, the participants had to answer a series of questions. The questions tested their views about the weather, hours of sleep they slept the previous day, level of energy, cheerfulness, concentration and excitement. Over the first day of testing, the measuring of participants’ emotions took place. The dependent variable and independent variable were both taken in record for the participants. To determine the small, medium and big correlation coefficient between the participants r was necessary to carry out a few calculations. The average rates of emotions were taken into record by checking the total number of hours the participant slept the previous day. After the first day and first night the participants were required to continue with the daily routine until 5pm at which time they would go back to the lab for more testing. In the 2nd and 3rd day of carrying out the test the participants’ emotions got measured. There was a recording of positive moods scores. In each of these days, the numbers of hours were taken into record for the previous night. It was a requirement for all participants to make a call when they woke up and before sleeping. This was possible so that their sleeping time and waking time could go into record. All participants all ate at the same times, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. All the participants were also requested to avoid taking any stimulants such as coffee or alcohol for a period of 1 week, when the study would be ongoing. To ensure that people did not lie about the time they slept or woke up, everyone had to fill in several non-automated answers to certain questions in a computer which would record the right time the person was active. This strategy was not only effective in getting the participants to fill in the right information, but it also ensured that all participants were compliant. After completing all the procedures, all participants were thanked for their participation. Those who had questions to ask or concerns were given an opportunity. The participants were given the research team’s contacts in the event that they had any changes in sleeping patterns in the course of the study. It is important to note that during the 3th day and night of testing at the lab, researchers discovered that 1 participant had to travel to a different time zone and come back. The results for the 4th and 5th day for this participant were taken into record to determine the change in sleeping patterns. The participant’s changes in sleeping patterns would be useful in making comparisons with the sleeping patterns for those who did not travel. Results To test the hypothesis that sleeping for long hours is important if people want to promote a good mood, there was a computation of a series of Pearson correlations between positive moods and the hours of sleep reported the previous nights. The two variables were positive moods and number of hours the participants slept the previous day. If the correlation coefficient r was smaller than +/-0.10, which shows that there are no correlations. If the r coefficient was between +/-0.10 and +/-0.30 this meant that there would be a small correlation, if between +/-0.30 and +/-0.50, this would mean that there would be a medium level of correlation. Lastly, if the r was bigger than +/-0.50, this meant that there was a big correlation. To calculate if the data collected from the participants was significant of not we would check the coefficient p to see if it was smaller than 0.05. This was on record as r= 0.625 and p= 0.017. The hypothesis was that those participants who slept for longer hours the previous nights correlated with an increase in moods. With respect to the hours of sleep that each participant slept, the hypothesis was that the number of pairs of scores (N) was 14 and r was .625 which is a strong positive that supports the relationship. Hence, the relationship between hours of sleep and positive moods made up the data in this study. This shows that if the correlation in the study was greater than .625 or less than -.625 because it was a 2 tailed test, there are fewer odds. Given that the correlation in the study is .625 which is very high, the results show that the correlation is not necessarily statistically significant. Discussion This study tested the hypothesis that people who sleep for longer hours report an increase in positive moods. Hence, the study shows that for people to have positive moods, they need to sleep for longer hours, at least 8 hours of sleep per day. The results support the hypothesis that less sleep leads to a disruption in a person’s behavior which contributes to bad moods. The unexpected change during the study, with one participant that the researchers encountered can be interpreted in different ways. Based on the evidence given by 1 participant who had her sleeping pattern disrupted the 3rd day, it was evident that there was a change in her moods after her report was made in the 4th and 5th day. Alternately, even if she went back to the usual sleeping pattern on the 5th day, there was still a disruption in the 4th day when her report was taken. It can be noted that the sleeping patterns of the other 9 participants was not disrupted either with the intake of alcohol, coffee or other stimulants. One of the strengths of the present study is that the participants were all from different races. The participants provided an excellent report for people of all races, leaving no chance for speculations or myths that surround issues of sleep and a person’s race. In addition, the report given by all the participants proved that more hours of sleep are not only recommended to one particular race, but people of all races. In all the reports given by the participants, a person’s moods were not affected by his or her race. This was applicable even when the there was a disruption, or in cases where the participants’ sleeping patterns were not disrupted. The other advantage is that the study was conducted in a period of 5 days which were short enough not to disrupt the participants’ daily activities. The finances used to carry out the research were also at a minimal rate, because the researchers were not required to buy research equipment or travel while looking for participants. There were several limitations of the present study. The present study’s use of more women and fewer men might not have given the right results for all people. Perhaps there might have been different results if the number of men who were participating was equal to the number of women who were participating. In addition, the present study was also done on only young people with a mean age of 22.64 years. This also may have an effect on the hypothesis because the study was only limited to a group of young people and not participants from different age groups. While the results given appear to have supported the hypothesis, it may be that the measures taken were only helpful in determining that long sleep is helpful to the young adults. Nonetheless, the design of this study allows for the testing of the hypothesis even by using other age groups, undergraduate students from different universities or the whole community. In conclusion, this study is fundamental because it support the hypothesis that long hours of sleep are not only healthy for people from all races or genders, but they are the key to getting positive moods as people go about their daily activities. Future research should investigate more about the effects of long hours of sleep on other psychological and behavioral factors. In addition, future research may want to carry out the research using other research designs or techniques other than the correlation and survey method of research. For example, it will be easier to have the cause and effect relationship between the independent variable and dependent variables under consideration. In this study, there was a strong relationship between the hours of sleep per night and the scores obtained for positive moods. However, because this was a correlation study, there is no conclusive suggestion that one of the variables is the cause and the other variable is the effect. Having different research methods carried to support the hypothesis of this study makes it possible for people to develop an understanding of why the recommended long hours of sleep are important and not a luxury. The study will also make it easier to prevent an increase in lifestyle diseases in future generations. References Minkel, J., Banks, S., Htaik, O., Moreta, M., Jones, C., McGlinchey, E., Simpson, N., & Dinges, D. (2012). Sleep deprivation and stressors: Evidence for elevated negative effect in response to mild stressors when sleep deprived. American Psychology Association, 12(5), 1015-1020. Schwarz, J., Popp, R., Haas, J., Zulley, J., Geisler, P., Alpers, G., Osterheider, M., & Eisenbarth, H. (2013). Shortened night sleep impairs facial responsiveness to emotional stimuli. Biological Psychology, 93, 41-44. Takano, K., Sakamoto, S., & Tanno, Y. (2014). Repetitive thought impairs sleep quality: An experience sampling study. Journal of Behavior Therapy, 45, 67-82. Read More