Sleep forms an integral part of our well-being; proper sleeping habits not only ensure rest but also provide for proper metabolic functioning and development. The body as a metabolic system relies on consistency and habits that facilitate for proper functioning of the various metabolic functions as supported by various forms of research as discussed below.
Researchers at the Colorado University have brought to light that weekend sleep recovery cannot be a remedy for sleep deprivation throughout the week due to lifestyle demands. The body has a metabolic cycle that cannot be delayed and recovered over the weekend; metabolic processes like the conversion of food into energy that can be used by the body, storage of this energy by the body, and the elimination of metabolic waste by the body. These processes are optimized by consistency and especially healthy sleeping patterns, as it is during sleep that most of these processes are facilitated. According to the research, alteration of sleeping patterns adversely affects metabolic processes and predisposes us to lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, among others. Destabilization of sleeping patterns destabilizes sugar regulation in our body and affects how we function; it disrupts the storage of sugars, utilization of these sugars, and elimination of excess sugars by the body. This disruption cannot be mended over the weekend as damage has already occurred. Rather, it becomes counterproductive as this reaction destabilises even more the metabolic process as is backed by the results from the research groups.
Amy Nortons article ‘Sleeping On The Weekend May Not Repay your sleep debt’ is a literary piece that is tailored for a different audience and for a different purpose as compared to the actual research that is more detailed and tailored for scholarly purposes. The article provides less detail and the language used is less scientific ruther captivating for readership. Despite it painting the correct picture of the research in a shortened form it falls below par in providing more insight into the phenomenon from a gender perspective as shown in the research, it also fails to capture information beyond metabolism that is covered by the research vital information like the effect of irregular sleeping patterns on the circadian system rhythm and light exposure. Generally it is an informative piece but it lacks depth.
From the two pieces, the researcher journal was the primary source it provided an in-depth first hand explanation of the phenomenon based on research carried out on various groups by the researchers. Where as the article was a shortened interpretation of the findings in the research coupled with a similar research. The journal was very complex to understand and needed time to synthesise the information and results provided, it uses a lot of technical and scientific language unlike the news article that is easy comprehend and the language less technical.
Secondary sources have a major shortcoming that is the target audience, as seen in the news article by Amy Nortons the article is shortened and is meant for readership that is it provides a sketch or an overview of the phenomenon researched. Such that to better understand the phenomenon one ought to consult with the original research journal. This makes it hard to rely on secondary sources as the information provided might be reflections of the author and their interpretations that might be very different from the actual research work. On the upper hand the articles consistent referencing of the original research makes it plausible as if in doubt of Amys interpretation or if not satisfied one might as well consult the Journal by Depner and his research team at Colorado State University.
In conclusion, putting down ones thoughts in a very original way can be daunting task but through reading a couple of times to understand and taking down short notes of what one finds important can help. It is then through meditation of your points that one can try writing a sketch work adding and omitting various parts to make sense and build on the information you have obtained that originality can be traced in ones works.
References
Amy Norton. (2019, February 28). Sleeping In on Weekends May Not Repay Your Sleep ‘Debt’. U.S.News. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-02-28/sleeping-in-on-weekends-may-not-repay-your-sleep-debt
Christopher M. Depner, Edward L. Melanson, Robert H. Eckel, …, Ellen R. Stothard, Sarah J. Morton, Kenneth P. Wright, Jr. (2019, March 18). Ad libitum Weekend Recovery Sleep Fails to Prevent Metabolic Dysregulation during a Repeating Pattern of Insufficient Sleep and Weekend Recovery Sleep. Current Biology. https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960-9822%2819%2930098-3
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