‭Noah Corwin‬

‭ENC 2135-0051‬

‭Festus Gabriel Ayomide‬

‭3/1/24‬

‭Sleep deprivation is a scary and unknown epidemic that majorly affects the modern‬

‭world. From the devastating effects on the mind and mental health to the catastrophic ailments it‬

‭can cause to the human body, it is a far reaching and serious problem. I have chosen two artifacts‬

‭that delve into the issues and effects of sleep deprivation. The first artifact titled‬‭Sleep is Your‬

‭Superpower‬‭is a TED talk given by Matt Walker, a Professor‬‭of Neuroscience and Psychology at‬

‭the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep‬

‭Science. He delivers his speech to a live audience on a stage, as well as for the entire internet.‬

‭Walker wishes to teach people how powerful sleep is, and how detrimental the lack of it can be.‬

‭The second artifact I have chosen is a scholarly article titled,‬‭The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on‬

‭Your Body‬‭. This article is written by: Stephanie Watson,‬‭Kristeen Cherney, PhD, and it is‬

‭medically reviewed by Nick Villalobos, MD. Both artifacts wish to inform about the abundant‬

‭and awful effects of sleep deprivation, but they use different methods to get their point across.‬

‭The Healthline article on the effects of sleep deprivation effectively employs various‬

‭rhetorical strategies to convey its message and persuade the audience on the importance of‬

‭proper sleep and the downfalls of sleep deprivation. The main purpose the authors wish to get‬

‭across is to totally inform about sleep deprivation. They want to show how it affects your whole‬

‭well being from mental to physical. The article is posted on an internet health website that has‬

‭been reviewed by doctors and experts in the field. The audience for this is primarily people who‬
‭are actively trying to learn about sleep deprivation and its effects. The main constraints that come‬

‭from this article are often associated with how sleep deprivation affects mental health. The‬

‭reason for this constraint is due to the fact that we do not completely understand sleep and the‬

‭brain. Even with all of the studies and scientists that have worked on it, there is not a complete‬

‭understanding of how sleep will affect your mental well being. The authors clearly show their‬

‭purpose for writing this article, the constraints become clear when reading the sections about‬

‭mental health, and due to the nature of it being an online article the audience is clear.‬

‭The authors employ multiple rhetorical devices to establish their line of reasoning‬

‭regarding sleep deprivation and its effects and treatments. Some of the most prevalent rhetorical‬

‭devices used in this article are ethos, pathos, and logos. The authors use pathos when they appeal‬

‭to the emotions of the audience by highlighting the negative impact of sleep deprivation on‬

‭overall well-being. For example, “If you’ve ever spent a night tossing and turning, you already‬

‭know how you’ll feel the next day — tired, cranky, and out of sorts. But missing out on the‬

‭recommended 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye nightly does more than make you feel groggy and‬

‭grumpy. The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are real” (Watson and Cherney). Watson and‬

‭Cherney use this specific language to attach a familiarity with the audience. Everyone has had‬

‭the feeling of tossing and turning at night struggling to go to sleep. Then they end this quote with‬

‭a possibility that sleep deprivation can be affecting you in ways far worse than just feeling‬

‭groggy and grumpy. All the while not fully explaining how else it can affect you. This brings out‬

‭fear in the audience which is a clear and effective use of pathos. Due to the fact this is a scholarly‬

‭written article, the use of ethos and logos are much more prevalent and frequent in this artifact.‬

‭The authors use ethos by including several studies from PubMed Central, a “highly respected‬

‭database from the National Institutes of Health” (Watson and Cherney). This entire article is also‬
‭notably reviewed by Dr. Nick Villalobos, an ABMS board certified internist, pulmonologist, and‬

‭clinical assistant professor, in other words, a professional in the field. Finally, the article also‬

‭uses logos throughout the piece creating reasonable and intelligent solutions to the problems with‬

‭sleep deprivation. For example in one section the authors speak about how sleep deprivation‬

‭affects the endocrine system. They start by saying “Hormone production is dependent on your‬

‭sleep” then continue to say “waking up throughout the night could affect hormone production.‬

‭This interruption can also affect growth hormone production…” Finally, they finish the section‬

‭with “...adequate sleep and exercise also help the release of this hormone” (Watson and‬

‭Cherney). This is a clear and logical line of reasoning that begins with the problem and finally‬

‭reaches a solution by the end of the section. The use of ethos, pathos, and logos are clear and‬

‭concise in any effective rhetorical work, this article being no exception.‬

‭The Ted Talk titled‬‭Sleep is Your Superpower‬‭given‬‭by Matt Walker, a Professor of‬

‭Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and‬

‭Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science, is an interesting look at how sleep affects‬

‭humans. He uses a multitude of rhetorical strategies, firstmost being ethos, due to his incredible‬

‭expertise in the field. Walker’s main purpose of this Ted talk is stated exactly in the title. He‬

‭wishes to inform how powerful sleep is to the human brain, and how utilizing methods that help‬

‭you get better sleep can massively pay off in many other aspects of life both mentally and‬

‭physically. One of the biggest constraints that comes from this video essay is how to fix sleep‬

‭deprivation. There are a few tips and tricks that he explains in his speech however, there is no‬

‭secret method. Some people need to figure out how to get their own adequate sleep. The‬

‭audience for this Ted Talk is a live audience, as well as the internet (due to the speech being‬

‭posted on Youtube). The speech being given to a live audience, calls for Walker to utilize areas‬
‭of rhetoric that work better with the spoken word, such as humor and pathos. Walker appeals to‬

‭the crowd’s emotions and uses pathos with simple but heavy sentences like, “the shorter your‬

‭sleep, the shorter your life” (Walker). Another example is when Walker says “[sleep] is mother‬

‭nature's best effort yet at immortality” (Walker). These simple but powerful one line sentences‬

‭hit people to their core. Walker also masterfully uses logos by describing a very clear line of‬

‭reasoning including many studies about sleep. For example when talking about how sleep affects‬

‭memory he describes a study on the hippocampus. One group of people who got a full night of‬

‭sleep and another who did not sleep. They were given an MRI afterwards and their hippocampus‬

‭was studied. The group who did not get any sleep did not show any activity in their hippocampus‬

‭while the group who got sleep showed that their memory was working and learning due to their‬

‭sleep. Walker eloquently says sleep deprivation, “shuts down your memory inbox” (Walker).‬

‭Walker uses outstanding rhetoric to make his speech completely captivating and terrifying, while‬

‭still being extremely informative and interesting at the same time.‬

‭The Healthline article and the Ted Talk speech both have the same purpose: to show the‬

‭scary effects sleep deprivation can have on both the mind and the body. They also are similar in‬

‭their audiences, both being posted to the internet where anyone can find them. Where they start‬

‭to differ is their rhetoric and how they chose to convey their message. The article written by‬

‭Watson and Cherney is a very informative and scholarly article. It is reviewed by doctors and it‬

‭is effective in its goal to inform about sleep deprivation. However, it is not nearly as captivating‬

‭as Walker’s speech. Walker is able to use pathos beautifully and truly connect with his audience.‬

‭He speaks about studies and the results that were rendered from them, but he makes it all feel‬

‭very personal. How sleep can affect every person and how it can truly be your superpower.‬

‭While both artifacts are effective in their purpose to inform about the negative effects of sleep‬
‭deprivation, Walker’s Ted Talk is far more effective because it is not only informative but truly‬

‭captivating.‬

‭Sleep deprivation is a serious problem that not enough people truly know about. Both‬

‭artifacts I have selected utilize rhetorical devices to explain to their audience their purpose: how‬

‭important sleep is for both the body and the mind. Each artifact has a clear purpose, audience,‬

‭and constraints. They also both utilize ethos, pathos, and logos. Walker’s Ted Talk uses pathos‬

‭more effectively which makes his speech more personal. Overall, they are both impactful and‬

‭informing artifacts that teach more about sleep deprivation and all the negatives that come with‬

‭it.‬
 ‭Works Cited‬

‭TED. “Sleep Is Your Superpower.”‬‭YouTube‬‭, Video, 3‬‭June 2019,‬

‭https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM. Accessed 3 Mar. 2024.‬

‭Watson, Cherney. “How Can Insomnia Affect You?”‬‭Healthline‬‭,‬‭15 May 2020,‬

‭https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body. Accessed 3 Mar.‬

‭2024.‬