Mental Health and Sleep

Probably too broad alone, but if you were to focus on a specific mental health issue, like ADHD or Depression, and how those issues affect and are affected by sleep, it could be fine.

Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Another one that may be a bit too broad. If you were to focus in on a specific childhood or adolescent sleep disorder, it could be fine.

White Noise

A lot of people I know use fans or white noise sleep generators. When my daughters were babies, we often used a noise generator, specifically one that had gentle wave action like a reasonably calm beach day.

I have tinnitus, and when I sleep I need a fan to help drown out the high-pitched EEEEEEE that is constantly going in my head. I don't usually notice it during the day when I'm active.

Dreams

Why do we even dream? Do animals dream? What are dreams? Maybe too broad and might need to be narrowed a bit.

There are more than a few theories. The most scientifically backed ones talk about the human brain's need to understand the happenings of the day, rationalize decisions, and decompress from the stresses of life.

(If you've seen the original Inside Out, it might even be something like that. In fact, since we see "actors" recreating life and not actual memories, it's probably more accurate than you realize.)

We may, in the near future, be even able to watch dreams. We're already sort of able to recreate brain images with the help of brain fMRI and AI.

Lucid Dreaming

There's a lot of pseudoscience out there regarding lucid dreaming, but it is possible to be conscious that you are dreaming while in a dream. It doesn't happen often, but I have at times been able to direct my dreams.

Anxiety and Sleep

Earlier we talked about mental health. Anxiety is one mental health issue, and is probably okay, but I'd suggest looking at specifically the medically diagnosed anxiety as opposed to regular anxiety we feel when we have a big test or job interview.

Alcohol and Sleep

This could potentially balloon up in size, but it may be okay for starting, at least. Alcohol is a depressant, and it obviously has physical manifestations that can interrupt or otherwise cause sleep problems, but it can also lead to psychological problems that could also manifest in sleep.

Sleep Deprivation

In my notes on Canvas, I talked a little about sleep deprivation as a torture method, and also its use in military (and medical) training, but I think the person who wrote about it was thinking more about accidental deprivation through bad habits.

Insomnia

I think a lot of people have experienced some level of insomnia, but where it becomes a real problem is when it is systemic. Sometimes it develops because of bad habits, but sometimes it is biological. It's pretty well known that some medicines also cause insomnia, particularly a bunch of the meds used to treat various mental illnesses, which in itself can be problematic.

Co-Sleeping

I think the topic is probably narrow enough. There are studies both sharing the positive and negative outcomes of co-sleeping with infants, but I think most parents have done it to some extent or another. Co-sleeping as a standard of care is a different story, and one that is worth exploring in detail.

Pets in Bed

Like with co-sleeping, I think many pet owners have allowed pets to sleep in beds with them. It's probably not a huge problem with smaller dogs or cats, but Scooby Doo or Marmaduke, Great Danes, it may be a larger issue.

Also, there are urban legends and wives' tales of cats stealing souls, so that's a thing, too. (As an atheist and scientific skeptic, I am...skeptical.)

Narcolepsy

This is a fascinating sleep disorder, and it's often used for comedic effect in movies, but that probably does the real sufferers more harm than good, sort of like with Dissociative Identity Disorder and the way "split" or "multiple personalities" are used in films.

I would love to read a solid examination of the real science of narcolepsy.

Electronics Before Bed

I think we all intrinsically know we shouldn't be on our phones in bed. Right? I mean it even seems like common sense, and yet we almost all do it. Doom-scrolling, Instagram or TikTok rabbit holes, etc. But what does it really do to us? Probably a solid topic.