Jim Donovan, an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts, will deliver a Ted Talk Sept. 22 on how rhythm tricks your mind into sleep. He will be sharing findings from an experiment he conducted.

In addition to teaching at Saint Francis, Donovan is the lead singer in the band, The Sun King Warriors. He also plays many instruments.

Donovan said a friend reached out to him and thought he would be a great candidate for a Ted Talk. She is involved with TedxYoungstown. This is where Donovan will speak.

Donovan’s seminar will begin with him talking about how he was rushed to the hospital because of what he thought was a heart attack. It was actually extreme anxiety.

“The doctor asked me why am I having anxiety,” Donovan said. “I then revealed that I only got four hours of sleep every night, regularly.”

The doctor told Donovan that sleep deprivation makes you anxious and will shave years off your life. This information caused Donovan to research sleep and understand the effects of sleep deprivation, one of which is possible death.

He discovered that one of the exercises he teaches at workshops actually relaxes the brain. It is a drumming exercise that you do for three minutes. The exercise clears your mind and allows you to calm down.

Donovan does this experiment in the hospital, using nothing but his body. He noticed that the slower the rhythm, the more relaxed he became.