1- Why do we Sleep? Flashcards
What are the 7 possible effects of sleep deprivation?
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Poor task performance when requiring concentration
- Memory problems
- Hallucinations
- Personality changes
- Rebound sleep
What is rebound sleep?
Amount of extra sleep we have when we get to sleep after deprivation
What do issues coming from sleep deprivation suggest?
That sleep is important for our brain health
What is suggested by the fact that we don’t fully catch up on missed sleep?
Suggests that some sleep is essential and other sleep is a behavioural choice
What kind of drive is sleep?
An insistent drive needed by all animals
How have people tried to observe sleep function?
By looking at what happens when we don’t sleep
Why aren’t sleep deprivation studies really conducted anymore?
They are now considered unethical
Is there an antidote for sleep?
No
What does avoiding sleep create?
More sleepiness and more sleep onsets
Is body restitution dependent on sleep?
No
How was body restitution in relation to sleep investigated?
Creating exercise and no exercise conditions and no difference between groups was found based on psychological battery and subjective rating scales
Is brain restitution dependent on sleep?
Yes
What kind of sleep does more brain work create?
More slow-wave sleep
What problem does less sleep create?
Cognitive decline
What kind of damage is created from sleep deprivation?
Neurodevelopmental damage
Can someone have immunity or an antidote to sleep loss?
No
What determines the amount of slow-wave sleep?
Length of prior wakefulness
What kind of behaviour is sleep from an evolutionary perspective?
Behaviour selected for over many generations
How is species survival enhanced by the evolution of sleep?
Sleep keeps animals hidden and safe
What does Horne suggest that humans use sleep for and relaxed wakefulness for?
Sleep for brain repair and relaxed wakefulness for body repair
What are the two types of sleep in Horne’s sleep theory?
Core sleep and optional sleep
When does core sleep occur?
In the first three cycles
What does core sleep consist mainly of?
Stages 3 and 4 slow wave sleep
What is the function of core sleep?
Cerebral restitution
When does optional sleep occur?
In the second half of sleep
Is optional sleep made up in rebound sleep?
No
Why does optional sleep occur?
Due to a behavioural drive to sleep
What is optional sleep a source of?
Individual variability
Is core sleep vital?
Yes
Is optional sleep vital?
No
How does the amount of sleep we need change as we get older?
Need less sleep with age
How does REM sleep change throughout the lifespan?
Declines with age and then increases again
Why do infants need lots of sleep?
Due to brain growth
What can REM deprivation in infancy cause?
Developmental abnormalities
What is ‘autostimulation theory’?
REM activates synapses
How does sleep duration change from childhood into adolescence?
Reduces
How does slow-wave and EEG sleep activity change from childhood to adolescence?
Slow-wave activity moves to posterior to anterior brain regions
EEG activity coherence increases
What does the change in sleep brain activity into adolescence reflect?
The brain maturing and information processing
