Research project.

Right, well I've got a journal for university, but I think to keep an eye on how I'm doing research project/disertation wise it would be good to have a journal specific to that.

So, to start off, my ideas for my research project.

Long term vs short term insomnia - participants with long term insomnia are more likely to have better coping strategies for the lack of sleep, thus will do better academically than those with short term insomnia. This has to be tested by looking at the academic achievements of both groups of people, I need to define the terms short and long term insomnia, as well as decide which theory of insomnia to use, likely to be 6hours interuptted sleep or less than 4 hours sleep uninterrupted. If the participant has applied for extenuating circumstances which are unrelated to insomnia complaints the participant will not be allowed to take part, or that result will be ommited from the overall research.

OK so far so good I hope... IF anyone has anything I may be able to add or any questions about the research just post a comment here or PM me

Butters

just wanted to say

love to you xxx

Thanks Star

Right another idea - it is my belief that a lot of students 'self inforce' insomnia by keeping up the night before essays are due in to complete them, I want to know how true this is and maybe do an experiment on these 'self inflicted' insomniacs and true insomniacs and see how their differences show in tasks such as a timebassed math problem/memory problem - as well as the over all affect it has had on studies - now I cant use self inflicted insomniacs if they will perpously do this during an assesment period but I may be able to use this with previous work?

Fingers crossed

As a student. I think i can vaguely help you with your cross- sectional.

Many fellow students of mine who leave things to the last minute do 'suffer' through self- imposed insomnia. Usually it's because of work commitments or schedualing conflicts or just down right unreliability and laziness!

I myself rarely do it because I cannot force myself to stay up doing complex, analytical tasks. My mind just doesn't want to do it. Occasionally I have done it. But your work always turns out to be terrible. If it's brilliant than good for you, haha.

Veering in another direction, what would you define as a true insomniac? Someone who routinely and consistently cannot get to sleep because of an external reason and it's an entrenched behaviour (i would define my ex as an insomniac, brought on by stress and worrying too much at night.) or someone who just simply has insomnia? (chemical imbalance or whatever.)

Hey thanks! That's pretty helpful.

I'm the same, I cannot for the life of me stay up and do a decent bit of work but a lot of my friends do.

In the other direction - the only requirement of insomnia I have is that it the person gets consistently or goes through periods of less than 4 hours sleep a night or 6 with natural disturbances. The reasons for the insomnia I am not really looking into at current, but it may be a good angle to look at things from thanks for putting that out there

Cool Yup my ex had insomnia. He'd be a worry wort and sleep very little, complain, i'd stay over and whenever i did we'd go to bed and he'd be out like a light. 5 minutes tops. sleep right through. insomnia is a multi- layered beast.

Yeah thats like my insomnia - when am beside someone I sleep amazingly, but the second I'm alone again I am up and off until I cba trying anymore which is normally after about 4 hours it sucks. lol.. I wanna try and find a way to treat servere insomniacs who get really ill through lack of sleep would be really interesting lol.

So, I haven't so far gotten any further with my research project.. But I have been able to make an appointment with my supervisor for today... Hopefully I can find the office xD

Pretty sure on my idea now, just need to get everything discussed and ideas completelly formulated so I can get it started, as will need to start recruiting participants in the next month or so...

Long time no update, I've got another meeting tomorrow about filling in my online regestration form for my research project then I just need to get my ethical aproval and I can start recruiting soon

Well time for the long awaited update! I had my project approved Tuesday, got the equipment to look at and figure out today so now I just have to learn how to use it all green light is go!!!

A personal perspective - I had insomnia regularly while I was in university, and it didn't give me much trouble with life because I was used to having it. I was able to go to class when I'd been away for at least a day and a night, if not two nights and a day. It's funny, I would say I am less efficient now that I sleep more..

I sometimes get like that, I feel more productive when I've been up for about 20 hours, get loads done.. unfortunantly I've not had that happen yet during my final year so still struggling along.. its strange how our sleep habits do that.. -I'm wearing the acti-watch at the moment (it measures activity cant remember if I said that in my prev post) and I'vr had a play on the penscreen tablet, pretty cool I've used it before as a participant in studies.. Trying to decide which activities I want my participants to use.. need to finish my essay too, procrastinating with this though haha.. typical me xD...

Hey Butters I am proud of you!! I have had I guess what you would call insomnia all my life. I have not slept well since babyhood. It really went downhill though after I was molested when I was 6 and got progressively worse as more things happened. Now I fear falling asleep so I tend not to sleep until I am so exhausted I just drop to sleep. I have had periods where I do rest easy though sometimes for months.

Aww hunni! I'm the same lol (well insomnia since childhood) summer I don't sleep cause its too light, but in the winter my mum couldn't keep me awake..

That's secondary insomnia (having a catalist for the not wanting to sleep) I get the same, not as much any more thankfully.. I'm glad you get periods, I wish they were more frequent.. have they changed much since you've not got the stress of having to visit the inlaws so often now?

Aww hunni! I'm the same lol (well insomnia since childhood) summer I don't sleep cause its too light, but in the winter my mum couldn't keep me awake..

That's secondary insomnia (having a catalist for the not wanting to sleep) I get the same, not as much any more thankfully.. I'm glad you get periods, I wish they were more frequent.. have they changed much since you've not got the stress of having to visit the inlaws so often now?

I do not know if I will ever sleep well. Because when I was molested people would wake me out of sleep to do it. Sometimes in my room and sometimes else where. So I am associating sleeping with being in harms way.

I do not know if it will help your project any.

that's horrible. I really hope you can over come it.

it won't help this project, as that comes down to the types of insomnia (secondary and primary) and I'm not differentiating between the two, as that would open a whole new ball game and would be next to impossible to get approval for as an undergraduate. However it is something I plan to put into my discussion, for any possible future research (if I am able to get my research published)

so.. I'm having to change/add another sleep scale to my research project so I'm having to apply for a change. Seeing my supervisor this morning to look at one of the pieces of equipment I plan to use. And I'm trying to install an application on my laptop for assessing sleep - so far not working. Getting there.. its slow and tough but it can be done

Want to print out everything I plan to use in my project and put into a folder so I can just flick through easily and have it to look at while typing on my laptop.. (when I cant use my TV as another screen)..

Finally able to start collecting participants! got three already

Well project is all up and running - currently have about 10 participants out of my first 50.. need to ask more people! its on the unis participant pool thing too... fingers crossed! I can do this woo!!!! Wish me luck everyone!

Well project is all up and running - currently have about 10 participants out of my first 50.. need to ask more people! its on the unis participant pool thing too... fingers crossed! I can do this woo!!!! Wish me luck everyone!

Erm...good luck.

Good Luck Butters!

Thanks Vic! gonna need it

Well you were good for him! I've got this image of him now though, looking all haggard as he can't get a good nights kips now that you've left him!

I don't mean to be rude - but this journal is specifically about my research project, so if you don't have anything to add in terms of support, ideas, criticisms, etc then please don't reply as the journal will get confused with lots of unrelated posts. Thanks.

Please keep on topic

Conducting phase one of the experiment today better late than never!