STANFORD CREATIVITY CRASH COURSE GROUP ASSIGNMENT 3

TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS 2

THE COURSE: CRASH COURSE ON CREATIVITY

COURSE HANDLER: PROFESSOR TINA SEELIG

THE TEAM: CREATIVE JUNKIES

We are a spirited team representing the globe from Taiwan, Nigeria and the US. Our name comes from the fact that like "junkies" we have an addiction and creativity is our drug. In addition our philosophy is that masterpieces have often been created from what others perceive as junk. We believe in pushing the boundaries to innovate by leveraging old ideas and turning them into something unexpected. Members (4)

michelle vasquez

Adetunji Oduduwa

YuChing Chang

YunTing Lo

APPENDIX

Fig1: Human Nasal cycle.

INTRODUCTION:

It was the usual noise emanating from my partner that woke me up but this time the noise seems loud and heavy as if it will bring down the roof and I couldnt sleep as usual. This is what I have been battling with for years, I mean the snoring habit of my partner that has taking over my night and

turned me to night chief security office with my regular sleeping pattern being affected. Snoring has become one of the most common nightmares in recent time as witnessed by almost every individual. In a relationship situation, it can create major relationship problems whereby the partner is awaken by noise from snoring. For this particular group assignment, Team Creativity Junkies (a multicultural team) will be examining snoring and its impacts on sleep with different perspectives on Snoring.

DEFINITIONS AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO SNORING:

According to an online definition by Mayo Clinic Staff, Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when your breathing is partially obstructed in some way while you're sleeping (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/snoring/DS00297). For this course, the group will considered Snoring as unrhymed, unpleasant, unhealthy and disturbing noise emanating from a sleeping individual and mostly associated with REM stage of sleep. For this definition, we are considering snoring from two perspectives: first from the perspective of the person snoring (the source) and secondly from the perspective of the person receiving the impacts of the snoring (the receiver). From the perspective of the person snoring, snoring could be seen as a sign of unhealthy state. That is, it can sometimes be a sign of a more serious problem on the part of the person snoring. However, from the angle of the person been subjected to snoring, snoring can be considered to be meaningless and disturbing noise that encroaches on his/her peace during the sleep hours. Studies show that about 45% of men and 30% of women snore on a regular basis while people who do not regularly snore will snore after a viral illness, after drinking alcohol, or when taking some medications (reference: http://www.medicinenet.com/snoring/article.htm).

SLEEP & SNORE:

There have been many theories and studies about sleep yet many are yet to find out the purposes and mechanisms of sleep. It is regarded as a natural phenomenon characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, which can

either be REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Snoring can take place during any of the sleep type especially at the REM stage. Naturally human beings move from various stages of sleep to the last stage, however, there were situations whereby the process of moving from stage to another is affected or disrupted and leading to incomplete sleep process or a situation of not getting enough sleep. Snoring is one of those factors that can affect the sleeping mode of an individual and causing him/her not to have enough sleep. One major objective as a creative team is to see to how we could tackle the problem of not having enough sleep resulting from Snoring. Both sleep and snoring are closely related as there cannot be snoring without sleep.

CAUSES OF SNORING:

The first question that came to our mind as a team regarding this assignment is: how does snoring occur? We asked this question to be able to know how to tackle the problem of snoring as it affects both the person snoring and the person that is affected by the sound emanating from the snoring. It was discovered that snoring occurs as a result of the narrowing airway of the aberration of the soft tissues in our throat or from poor sleep posture. That is, while sleeping the airflow of the airway can cause the tissues of the nose and that of the throat to vibrate and create snoring sound. Below are the other causes of snoring as identified by the team:

Causes of snoring Lack of exercise Illness (stroke, heart disease, flu, cold) Too much exercise (muscle aches) Weight - Too heavy Allergies Stress Eating before bed Too tired Deep Sleep Saggy Necks (older) Bed shape/size/structure (too low, high, soft, hard, short, big) PIllow size/firmeness Nose is too small Throat is too small Age Temperature - too hot/cold Sleep posture Alcohol Medications Light reflection bright or colorful HYPOTHETICAL ASSUMPTIONS FROM OUR SNORING PERSPECTIVES:

As aforementioned, during our quest for knowledge about snoring and the problem of not getting enough sleep,

we came up with two perspectives about snoring. The first is about the person that snores and the second perspective relate to the person receiving the snoring or affected by the snoring sound. Based on this we have two hypothetical assumptions so as to ascertain whether snoring actually affect the level or volume sleep experienced: Ho: Snoring does not affect sleeping pattern (that is, there is no correlation between snoring and not getting enough sleeping) Hi: Snoring does affect sleeping pattern (that is, there is a correlation between snoring and not getting enough sleeping) If we have the above two hypothetical assumptions, then we can ask certain questions such as: SA (Strongly agreed) A (Agreed) U(Undecided) D (Disagree) SD (Strongly disagreed) Do you know when you snore while sleeping? If you do snore, does it affect your sleep? If you sleep around someone that snores does it affects your sleep? Do you agree that majority of people that snore do not know when they do so? Do you agree snoring can result to not getting enough sleep?

Twenty sample size was used to provide answers to the above questions. They were randomly selected without being bias. After analyzing the answers provided it was discovered that: Do you know when you snore while sleeping?

Majority of the people that snores do not know when they do. This is indicates that the snoring occurs at the REM stage of sleep where the individual is deep asleep or at rapid eye movement. Note, snoring can occur at any stage of sleep but most common in REM sleep. If you do snore, does it affect your sleep?

Majority of people that snore do not really agree that snoring do affect their sleep but were of the opinion that it might affect it. If you sleep around someone that snores does it affects your sleep?

All the respondents believe and strongly agreed that sleeping where there is snoring really has impact on them getting enough sleep Do you agree that majority of people that snore do not know when they do so?

Majority do agreed that they dont really know but sometimes they do aware about it. Do you agree snoring can result to not getting enough sleep?

Majority of people agreed that snoring can result to not getting enough sleep, especially those that were affected by other people that snore. However, few who snores claim it has no impacts on their sleep. From the above questions and their analysis, it was established that there exist a correlation between snoring and sleep. That is, snoring has impact on the level of sleep an individual gets.

TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP DUE TO SNORING

1. For people who snores Causes of snoring Solutions

Lack of exercise

Exercise hour each day

Illness (stroke, heart disease, flu, Go to see a doctor cold) Too much exercise (muscle aches) Weight - Too heavy Allergies Stress Eating before bed Too tired Deep Sleep Do stretch before going to bed Lose weight take medicine Exercise Eating earlier Take rest moderately Help him/her change his/her

posture Saggy Necks (older) Bed shape/size/structure (too low, high, soft, hard, short, big) PIllow size/firmeness Nose is too small Throat is too small Age Temperature - too hot/cold Sleep posture Alcohol Medications Light reflection bright or colorful Color of the room Noises too loud Plastic surgery Put back of bed on risers Adjustable pillow firmness and size Plastic surgery Plastic surgery Exercise Remote control for temperature On back/ Sleep on your side Moderate Holistic Medicine and acupuncture Shades Paint Earplugs

Being crowded in the bed by who Push them over you are with Smells funny Mouth issues - teeth underbite, overbite, lips too thick or thin Nervous Sinusitis Stuffy nose The space is too narrow(ex. in dorm) Migraine Relationship problems Air freshener Dental surgery Exercise Have an operation Drink hot water or have medicine rent another house diet and exercise Get a new partner

Snoring/Apnea Too tired/not tired enough Depression Fear of missing out - going and staying out later with friends Not sticking to sleep rituals Watching TV before bed Too much caffeine Smoking Snoring Due To Nasal passage Snoring Due To Nasal passage Snoring Due To Nasal passage Snoring Due To Palate Tissue

Wear earplugs Herbal tea and rituals before bed Exercise and medication Self-restraint Better discipline at sticking to rituals Quiet, calming rituals and not stimulating activities Herbal tea, warm milk, decaffeinated tea Quit Smoking Clear nasal passages with nasal decongestants or nasal strips Traditional surgery such as Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) and somnoplasty Radio-frequency ablation of the palate Palate implants

Snoring Due To Palate Tissue

2. For people whos bothered

Impact to people who hear the snoring

Solution

Mental

Discussion Sleeping earlier than him/her Taking him/her to a doctor if its some kind of mental problem or in need of surgery Ear plugs White noise machine Control through snoring detection LIstening to something that is louder than the snoring Separate rooms Nudging the person or waking them up Special beds with different settings to elevate and moderate each side. Special pillows to adjust neck position to prevent snoring Different materials for bed wake him or her up when you are awaked by them call his or her name use earplug while sleeping change their posture, just like move any part of their body Pinch his or her nose for just two or three seconds New job with different hours of employment conducive to starting later than partner Have people doublecheck your work when you have had a lack of sleep Dont drive when you are tired, take more caution in being physical Good divorce attorney

aural (hearing) Noise

Irritation or annoyance noise so couldnt fall asleep Noise Noise Noise Noise Job loss due to fatigue

Errors or mistakes Physical accidents Separation/Divorce

Illness as a result of lack of sleep Weight gain/loss Estrangement from partner Arguments with partner/Irritability with partner Bags/dark circles under eyes Jitters/nervousness from lack of sleep Snoring Noise from ones partner Snoring Noise from ones partner

Diet Exercise Alternative sleeping arrangements Diet Exercise Sleep in different bedroom but plan activities during the day Psychotherapy

Cucumber slices for eyes Herbal tea Nap Exercise Sleeping alone Avoid lashing out

CONCLUSION

During our course of tackling the problem of not getting enough sleep we discovered and established that Snoring is one of the causes of sleep disorder. However, there various types of snoring as well as different levels of snoring that are associated with sleep. Our choice of snoring as a cause of low level sleep was established using hypothetical assumptions as well as simple research questions structured around sleep and snoring. Having established the cause we further examined what actually could result to snoring, that is, various causes of snoring. With this we finally came up with both medical and non medical means of tackling snoring thereby tackling low sleep rate.

REFERENCES:

Web: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/snoring/DS00297 http://www.medicinenet.com/snoring/article.htm