Roxanne Prichard | TEDxUniversityofStThomas
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Society today views sleep as an inconvenience, as something to be caffeinated away. Even though sleep deprivation is a known contributor to memory problems, and serious physical and mental illnesses, we are doing very little as a culture to address it. Our children in particular are suffering from unprecedented levels of sleep deprivation; U.S. children rank first among industrialized nations in academic problems directly attributable to sleepiness. In this talk, neuroscientist Roxanne Prichard explores what we can do to help our children get the sleep they need to thrive.
J. Roxanne Prichard, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St. Thomas. She earned a B.A. in Biopsychology from Transylvania University in 1998, and her doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. Her graduate work focused on the neuroanatomical systems that coordinate sleep responses to light. She regularly leads continuing educational workshops and public lectures on sleep and health.