Chapter 4.3-4.6 Flashcards
Biological Rhythms
natural cycles that the body must go through
Circadian Rhythm (part of brain)
the sleep-wake cycle that occurs over a 24-hour period
Circadian rhythm is controlled by the hypothalamus (controls the glandular system)
Melatonin (purpose and controller)
a hormone that suppresses the neurons that keep us awake and alert, resulting in sleepiness
Release is controlled by the pineal gland
Suprachiasmatic
part of the hypothalamus that operates as an internal clock, telling people when to wake up and go to sleep
Optimal Sleep (hours)
somewhere around 7-8 hours depending on person, age, and health
Microsleeps:
brief sidesteps into sleep that last only a few seconds
Theories of Sleep
1) Adaptive Theory
2) Restorative Theory
Adaptive Theory (definition and explanation)
humans developed sleep patterns to avoid predators when predators are most active (night)
Predators sleep more and usually during the day without pressure of survival, while prey must sleep less and more efficiently. Nocturnal animals can afford to sleep at night because of their ability to hide during the day
Restorative Theory (def and exp)
sleep is necessary to our physical health and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage
Enhances brain plasticity (ability to change), promotes bodily growth and repair, essential for forming memories and enhancing synaptic connections
Takeaways from the sleep theories
Adaptive Theory explains when people sleep and Restorative Theory explains why people sleep
Sleep Deprivation (impact on tasks)
significant loss of sleep resulting in concentration problems and irritability
complex tasks (controlled processes) suffer less than simple tasks (automatic processes), as people naturally focus harder
Types of Brainwaves (4)
1) Beta-waves: small, fast waves, shown when awake and mentally active
2) Alpha-waves: medium-small waves, shown when someone is becoming drowzy
3) Theta-waves: medium-large waves, shown during the early stages of sleep
4) Delta-waves: large, slow waves, shown during the deepest stages of sleep
BATD
Stages of Sleep (4)
1) NI
2) N2
3) N3
4) REM
N1 (features)
Light sleep
- transition from Alpha - Theta waves
- may experience hypnogogic images or hallucinations
- Hypnic Jerk: relaxation of muscles causes a falling sensation, so the body reacts in a sudden jolt
N2 (features)
further drift into sleep
- body temperature drops, heart-rate slows, shallow and irregular breathing
- Sleep Spindles: brief bursts of neural activity, associated with memory storage and recall
- People will remember being asleep if awoken
N3 (features)
deep sleep
- Transition to delta waves, making up 50% of neural activity
- Growth Hormones are released by the pituitary gland
- people are incredibly hard to wake up during this period
R: Rapid Eye Movement (def and features)
REM Sleep: stage of sleep where eyes move rapidly beneath the lids and dreams occur (90% of dreams)
- Sleep Paralysis: inability to voluntarily move your muscles during REM sleep (can result in hypnopompic hallucination)
REM Behavior Disorder
a rare disorder where mechanism that blocks muscle movement during REM sleep fails, and person is able to thrash around and even act out nightmares
Usually occurs in men over the age of 60, may be a precursor for future neural breakdown (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s)
REM vs. NREM Takeaway (4)
- after a physically stressful day people spend more time in NREM sleep, to rejuvenate body
- after an emotionally stressful day people spend more time in REM sleep, to release stress and anxiety
- Babies spend 50% of their time in REM sleep as opposed to 20% in adults
- No one stage is completely responsible for memory formation
REM Rebound
increased amounts of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep during previous nights
Nightmares
bad dreams during REM sleep
Night Terrors
rarer than nightmares, person runs or screams without actually waking up (during N3, deep NREM sleep)
Sleepwalking/Somnambulism (def and 2 characteristics)
moving or walking around the time of deep sleep
1) partially dependent on heredity
2) wide range of Somnambulism manifestations
Insomnia (definition and 6 prevention techniques
the inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get quality sleep
1) Go to bed only when sleepy
2) Only spend time in bed when trying to sleep (based on Classical Conditioning
3) Don’t try to hard to sleep or calculate how much sleep you need to get
4) Keep to a regular schedule
5) Don’t take sleeping pills that slow down your Nervous System (can cause REM rebound)
6) Exercise during the day
Sleep Apnea
disorder when the person stops breathing for 10 or more seconds, preventing them from getting good sleep (5-25% of adults suffer)
Narcolepsy (consequences)
sleep disorder when someone randomly falls into REM sleep during the day without warning (1/2000 people)
can results in Cataplexy: sudden muscle tone loss and injury due to falling
