Featured Events
"To Sleep, Perchance to Dream: Stress, Sleep, and Aging"
On September 20 2007, the Institute sponsored a Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Julian F. Thayer, the Ohio Distinguished Scholar of Health Psychology, Ohio State University. Dr. Thayer spoke to an audience of more than 100 about sleep, a major component of daily life. However, we still know very little about it. Nonetheless, one thing we do know is that poor sleep is related to an increased risk of death and ill health.
In this presentation Dr. Thayer addressed some important issues concerning the relationship between sleep and health. First, what factors can lead to poor sleep quality? Stress is a likely culprit but what exactly about stress leads to poor sleep?
Thayer showed that worry during the day can slip into our night time thought processes and disturb our sleep. An equally important question is how does poor or disturbed sleep affect health? That is, what are the biological pathways that link poor sleep quality to ill health?
There are many potential physiological mechanisms and Thayer emphasizd the role of the autonomic nervous system. He showed how the activity of the vagus nerve is related to a number of processes involved in health and disease including cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune system functioning.
Finally, what to do if you have poor sleep? Thayer reviewed some interventions that he has been investigating that might lead to less stress and better sleep.
- The complete lecture will soon be available on podcast and dvd. Contact the Institute for more details at (434) 243-5695.
- Audio available from U.Va. Podcast site >
Paul B. Baltes Legacy Symposium
To honor its late colleague, Paul Baltes, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, the University of Virginia’s Department of Psychology and the Institute on Aging held a symposium May 3, 2007 to review his legacy.
Speakers included Anne C. Petersen, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Denise C. Park, University of Illinois, Margie Lachman, Brandeis University, and Angeline Lillard, University of Virginia. More >