Sleep and Biobehavioral Health

Catalog description

Sleep is an important pillar of health. Adequate restorative sleep is important for mood, positive social interactions, productivity, safety, and healing, whereas insufficient or poor-quality sleep in the long term increases chronic disease risk. In this course we will explore multiple aspects of sleep from a biopsychosocial perspective, how sleep is embedded in everyday life for good or ill, and sleep as a positive health behavior. This course will provide an overview of sleep as a biological and behavioral state and its role in health and wellbeing. The major sections of the course are: I) The biological aspect of sleep: Sleep and the Brain (neurophysiology/anatomy of sleep and circadian rhythms, sleep disorders), II) Sleep and the Body (sleep health effects on chronic disease risk and wellness, genetics/genomics), III) The psychological aspect of sleep (sleep and mental illness, stress, sleep and health behaviors), and IV) The social aspect of sleep (bioanthropology, historical perspectives, social determinants of sleep).