The Gender Differences in Sleep Duration - Essay Example

?Running Head: HEALTH SCIENCES AND MEDICINES Hypotheses and Methods of the of the of the Introduction The discussion outlines the gender differences in sleep duration and the relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity and sleep duration. Every human being has a different body and thus different physical attributes. The study demonstrates the relationship between physical activities and sleep duration as exhaustion often demands for physical rest and sleep is considered as the best way of offering some rest to the body (Wolfson, et al, 2003). In order to underpin the proposed idea, research was conducted at the Long Beach Public University and participants were graduate and under-graduate students. The research was conducted in a coherent manner citing the objective and hypotheses in an illustrative way along with defining research methods and results in a significant and descriptive manner. Proposed Objective To assess and evaluate the gender differences in sleep duration and relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity and sleep duration by conducting surveys on graduates and under-graduates using cross sectional design at Long Beach Public University Proposed Hypotheses In order to identify the relationship between physical activities and sleep duration, few hypotheses were formed. These hypotheses are as follow: H1- There is no impact of moderate vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and walking and sitting (Sedentary Activities) on the sleep duration or sleep onset latency. H2- There is an impact of moderate vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and walking and sitting (Sedentary Activities) on the sleep duration or sleep onset latency as it affect the body making it tired. It was important to define research methods in order to conduct the research in a coherent manner and following elements were assessed. Research Methods This part states how the research was conducted and what elements were used to conduct the research. Participants- Participants were graduate and under-graduate students from Long Beach Public University. A total of 162 students participated in the research and 75 surveys based on questionnaires were used to collect data and information. Surveys were collected face to face with consent being offered by the participants. Samples were selected using convenience sampling that helped in getting access of students who agreed to participate in the study. The study was conducted at Long Beach Public University only and both male and females participated in the study. Study Design- The study design for the research was cross sectional study that is based on observing same variables for a period of time. Cross sectional studies are often observational studies that help in assessing a phenomenon in an effective and critical manner. The fact that cross sectional study is based on observations, it allows to collect data from different sources along with analysing them for underpinning results and outcomes. Observational study was conducted that included participants, procedures and analysis that further helped in successful achievement of the research objective in a desired manner. The study cannot be considered as pretty large as total numbers of participants were only 162 and only 75 surveys were used to collect this. A total of 14 questions were designed based on demographic and social factors and assessment of physical activities. The research method offered good amount of insight on conducting the research in a logical manner along with assessing the relationship between physical activities and sleep duration. The next part of the discussion talks about the measures used to collect data and description of each variable in a critical manner. Measures Data were collected through surveys using questionnaires and verbal consent was gained from students to collect information based on demographic and social factors and physical activity level. Data were collected from students of the Long Beach Public University. General Description of Variables In this particular research, three major variables have been assessed that were also a part of the proposed hypotheses. These variables included Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), sitting and walking (Sedentary Actions) and Sleep duration or Sleep Onset Latency (SOL). The researcher wanted to analyse the relationship between MVPA and sleep duration in terms of being positive or negative (Craig, et al, 2003) Questionnaires were designed to assess these variables in a critical manner. For analysing Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) and SOL these questions were asked to participants: 1. During the last 7 days, on how many days did you do vigorous physical activities like heavy lifting, running fast, aerobics, or fast bicycling? Think about only those physical activities that you did for at least 10 minutes at a time. Or ________ days per week. 2. How much time in total did you usually spend on one of those days doing vigorous physical activities? None _____ hours ______ minutes 3. Again, think only about those physical activities that you did for at least 10 minutes at a time. During the last 7 days, on how many days did you do moderate physical activities like carrying light loads, bicycling at a regular pace, or dancing? Do not include walking ________ Days per week. For assessing the sleep duration, following questions were asked to the participants in a logical manner. B1. During the PAST MONTH, at what time have you usually gone to bed on weekdays? ___: ___ am / pm (please circle if am or pm) B2. During the PAST MONTH, at what time have you usually gone to bed on the weekends? ___: ___ am / pm (please circle if am or pm) B3. During the PAST MONTH, at what time, have you usually woken up on weekdays? ___: ___ am / pm (please circle if am or pm) B4. During the PAST MONTH, at what time, have you usually woken up on the weekends? ___: ___ am / pm (please circle if am or pm) B5. During the PAST MONTH, how long do you take to fall asleep? ____ Hours _____minutes Demographic Information A1. What is your age? _____ Years old A2. What is your gender? Male Female Transgender A3.What is your academic level? Undergraduate student Graduate student A4. What is your academic major? _______________________ A5. What is your ethnicity? (check all that apply) 1African or African-American 2 American Indian/Native American 3Asian or Asian-American 4Asian Indian 5Filipino or Filipino-American 6Hispanic/Latino, Hispanic/Latino-American 7Middle Eastern / Arab 8Pacific Islander (Hawaiian, Tongan, Samoan, Guamanian) 9White, Caucasian, Anglo, European American (not Hispanic) 10Other: ? Procedures Participants were asked to fill questionnaires offering details on their demographics, sleep routine and physical activity level. As the study is based on cross sectional analysis, 162 participants’ views and opinions have already been collected and this time 75 participants were offered the questionnaire. Data were collected through questionnaires and there was no IRB as it is a class project. Verbal consents were taken and anonymity was assured and protected being communicated verbally. Participants took 10 minutes of time to fill the questionnaire and overall, it was a nice experience to collect data along with taking an initiative to underpin the gender differences in sleep duration and the relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity and sleep duration. References Craig, C. L., Marshall, A. L., Sjostrom, M., Bauman, A. E., Booth, M. L., Ainsworth, B. E., Oja, P. (2003). International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise, 35, 1381-1395. Wolfson, A. R., Carskadon, M. A., Acebo, C., Seifer, R., Fallone, G., Labyak, S.E. & Martin, J.L. (2003). Evidence for the validity of a sleep habits survey for adolescents. Sleep, 26(2), 213-216. Read More