BBH 477Sleep and Biobehavioral Health
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).