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Dear All,
 
I think that we are at risk of getting on a very high (moral) horse about this... we have a body of commonly used theory about comfort zones, stretch zones, adventure and misadventure, challenge levels etc that is widely operationalised into training programmes - so maybe we should be careful about suggesting that it is immoral for programmes to be tiring - and avoid confusing sleep deprivation (a torture strategy) with lack of sleep.  
 
Whether you agree with Chris Loynes that some of these training programmes are a new manifestation of militarism and character building, or with Colin Beard that discomfort and uncertainty of outcome lies at the heart of the adventure experience, it has been considered as a legitimate part of outdoor education since before the Moray badge. So is it now to become immoral or unprofessional?
 
On a personal level, I remember sleeping for 12 hours straight after 15 day expeditions -  but waking to be really pleased about what I had achieved and what I had experienced. Was I less than 100% at the end of the trip? - certainly - but that was not the point - I felt that I learned as much from the expedition as I learned during it. 
 
I am not a fan of compelling anyone (myself included) into adventure, but i feel that we need to be aware that there are as many moral issues involved in 'cotton-wool', risk averse outdoor programmes as there are in overly-macho outdoor programmes.
 
Regards
 
Colin
 
Colin Wood
University of Worcester

--- On Mon, 7/20/09, Roger Greenaway <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Roger Greenaway <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: (The Third Man Factor) - sleep deficit
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Monday, July 20, 2009, 1:29 PM

Hello outdoor researchers,

As this is a research list, it may be helpful to explore how research informs practice (and vice-versa) regarding what appears to be a strand of thinking and practice that supports the use of sleep deprivation as a deliberate strategy for achieving some purposes associated with outdoor and adventure education.

Even putting the ethical issues aside (which I find very difficult to do), shortage of sleep can easily result in retardation ...

"A report in Sunday's Observer says that every hour of sleep lost leads to a drop of one IQ point. Two more points go if another hour is skipped. This means it is easy for someone with an average IQ to become borderline retarded in the space of a week, the paper says. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/300940.stm

A Harvard Magazine review concludes that shortage of sleep has no benefits ...

“We are living in the middle of history’s greatest experiment in sleep deprivation and we are all a part of that experiment,” says Stickgold. “It’s not inconceivable to me that we will discover that there are major social, economic, and health consequences to that experiment. Sleep deprivation doesn’t have any good side effects.”
http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/07/deep-into-sleep.html

... and leads to a very simple conclusion ...

The moral of much sleep research is startlingly simple. Your mother was right: You’ll get sick, become fat, and won’t work as well if you don’t get a good night’s sleep.
http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/07/deep-into-sleep.html

Are there yet any OAE research studies that provide any evidence of the benefits of sleep deprivation? I think not. Unless and until such evidence appears we can sidestep the ethical issues.

I thought Maslow's view was that it was difficult to achieve higher goals unless basic needs are met. Sleep is a basic need and without enough of it, educational goals are harder to achieve.

I see 'The Third Man Factor' as a warning from misadventures (well outside OAE) - with absolutely no guarantee that hallucinations when tired will result in the best course of action for survival.

Sleep well my friends (and let others do so) - that is what the research recommends.

Roger
Roger Greenaway
Reviewing Skills Training
< http://reviewing.co.uk>