4 - Sleep And Health

Question 1

What can sleep deprivation cause?

Answer 1

• Disorientation
• Open to influence
• Low mood or manic symptoms
• Eventually results in death

Question 2

The balance of what factors affects when an individual needs to sleep?

Answer 2

• Circadian rhythm

- Sleep pressure

Question 3

What is circadian rhythm?

Answer 3

• Natural fluctuations in body functions (e.g. hormone levels, body temperature etc.)
• Lower at night, lowest around 4-5am (when most mistakes get made)

Question 4

What is sleep pressure?

Answer 4

• Build up adenosine while awake, higher levels pressure you to sleep
• During sleep, adenosine is broken down

Question 5

What effect does caffeine have on sleep pressure and why?

Answer 5

Caffeine reduces sleep pressure

Temporarily blocks the receptors for adenosine (which builds up while awake to cause sleep pressure).

Question 6

How long is one sleep cycle?

Answer 6

90 minutes

Question 7

What is REM sleep?

Answer 7

• Rapid, erratic neural patterns (similar to waking but with no sensory input)
• Associated with dreaming
• Strengthens connections in the brain

Question 8

What are the stages of non-REM sleep and what happens at each stage?

Answer 8

Stage 1 - myoclonic jerks
Stage 2 - decreased heart rate and temperature
Stage 3/4 - delta waves, can sleep through most disturbances

Non-REM removes unnecessary neural connections - reflection

Question 9

What is melatonin?

Answer 9

• Hormone affecting the sleep/wake cycle
• Produced by the pineal gland
• Production inhibited by sunlight and blue light

Question 10

How does melatonin production differ in teenagers?

Answer 10

Later onset of melatonin, don’t feel the need to sleep until later.

Question 11

What are larks and owls?

Answer 11

Larks - people with early morning wakefulness

Owls - people that are more awake in evening/night

Question 12

What physical conditions is poor sleep associated with?

Answer 12

• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Weight gain
• Immune deficiency
• Dementia
• Road traffic accidents

Question 13

What effects does sleep deprivation have on mental health?

Answer 13

• Emotional volatility
• Increased stress
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Psychosis
• Increased suicidal ideation

Question 14

How can sleep benefit learning and memory?

Answer 14

• Sleep before learning ‘resets’ the hippocampus for new memories
• Sleep after learning helps to consolidate information
• Neural patterns during waking are repeated during sleep

Question 15

What type of sleep is best for consolidating:

• knowledge tasks?
• motor skills development?
• creativity?

Answer 15

Knowledge - NREM
Motor skills - Late NREM (deep sleep)
Creativity - REM

Question 16

What are the signs of sleep deprivation?

Answer 16

• Falling asleep by late morning
• Needing caffeine in the morning
• Cognitive impairment
• Needing alarms to wake
• Easily distracted
• Irritable
• Emotionally volatile
• More hungry than normal
• Lack of energy
• Feeling cold

Question 17

What are some typical problems with sleep?

Answer 17

• Insomnia (delayed sleep latency)
• Recurrent wakening
• Early morning wakening
• Parasomnia’s (night terrors, sleep walking, RLS)
• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Narcolepsy

Question 18

How many hours of sleep does an adult need per night?

Answer 18

8 hours

Question 19

How long before sleep should screens with blue light not be used?

Answer 19

At least one hour

Question 20

What should you do to improve ability to sleep?

Answer 20

• Avoid caffeine (4 hr half-life)
• Avoid alcohol (suppresses REM)
• Decrease ambient body temperature
• Develop a good sleep schedule
• Don’t eat or exercise too late
• No naps after 3pm
• Relax before bed

Question 21

What is sleep-related anxiety and how can it be managed?

Answer 21

• Laying awake worrying about lack of sleep, increased agitation leads to further wakefulness
• Have a regular bedtime and avoid naps
• Don’t lie in bed awake
• Only go to bed when sleepy
• Wind-down before sleep