What does sleep have to do with STEM? Sleep is a good place to begin our exploration in STEM because it’s a familiar topic.
Discuss the following questions with a partner or group:
- Do you get enough sleep? How long should someone sleep each night? Is this number the same for babies or the elderly?
- Do all people and animals sleep?
- What exactly is sleep? Can you clearly define it in words?
- Why do people and animals sleep? What about dream? Is dreaming important?
- What are some examples of sleep disorders?
- What do you do when you can’t sleep? What do you do when you have to stay awake?
- List any food, medication, therapies or products that affect someone’s ability to sleep or their quality of sleep.
- What’s the difference between being asleep and being unconscious? Is someone who has been anaesthetized asleep?
- Are there different kinds of sleep? Is it possible to measure sleep quality?
- If you were interested in conducting sleep research, what area(s) of science would you pursue?