Cal Poly Research Project
 
 
 
Alissa Miller, Social Sciences Undergraduate                            Rikki Murphy, Social Sciences Undergraduate                 Alex Roa, Social Sciences Undergraduate        aamiller@calpoly.edu  
 
Sleep, health, risk, and stress: The behavioral endocrinology of SLO County Firefighters                        
 
Sleep is a biological necessity for humans and is moderated physiologically by the hormone melatonin. Adequate amounts of sleep and increased sleep quality exhibit positive effects on immune function, longevity and disinclination toward risky behaviors. It is believed that higher levels of melatonin proximately moderate these fitness outcomes. Conversely, lack of sleep, low sleep quality and depressed melatonin appear to have negative costs on immune function, longevity, physiological stress (cortisol) and risky behavior (testosterone). This Spring 2008 project poses the question of what determines the overall wellbeing of firefighters and will attempt to provide evidence that sleep is a main determinant of their quality of life and biological fitness. Data collection, interviews, surveys, and hormone analysis will be completed and obtained from the San Luis Obispo Unit of Cal Fire/County Fire firefighter employees. Data will be gathered on the firefighters’ basic demographics, sleep patterns including quality and quantity of sleep on any given shift, melatonin levels, inclination toward risk (testosterone), and stress (cortisol levels). Additional data will be collected on each firefighter’s job satisfaction and productivity, current and past relationship history and satisfaction, and physical and mental health. The Cal Fire/ County Fire Emergency Command Center will provide further quantitative data on call volume per station across the unit as well as any other necessary response activity figures. Two social science students will assist Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, Stacey Rucas with this project in partial fulfillment of their senior project requirement and for preparation to apply for NSF graduate funding and future graduate school in Anthropology. Alissa Miller Rikki Murphy Alex Roa 
PROJECT PROPOSAL:
Stacey Rucas, Ph.D.                                     Assistant Professor of Anthropology            Social Sciences Department                        California Polytechnic State University        San Luis Obispo                                              srucas@calpoly.edu                                         cla.calpoly.edu/~srucas/                    
 
In collaboration with Dr. Michael Muehlenbein
and the Muehlenbein Laboratory of Indiana University
mpm1@indiana.edu       www.biologicalanthropology.org