Chapter 8.1: Rhythms of Waking and Sleeping Flashcards
Workers on certain submarines work 6 hours, relax 6 hours, then sleep 6 hours. After weeks on this schedule, what happens to their circadian rhythm?
It continues producing the usual 24-hour rhythm.
Why do people in Antarctica during the winter often find it difficult to work together?
Their circadian rhythms drift out of phase with one another
For most young adults, what happens to mood as a function of time of day?
Moods tend to be more pleasant in the late afternoon or early evening
Why do people in eastern Germany awaken earlier, on average, than those in western Germany?
The sun rise earlier in eastern Germany.
Why do many high school students get worse test grades in the morning than in the afternoon?
Teenagers tend to stay up late and awaken late
What evidence most strongly indicates that the SCN produces the circadian rhythm itself?
SCN cells isolated from the body continue to produce a circadian rhythm.
Light can reset the SCN’s rhythm even after damage to all rods and cones. Why?
The SCN receives input from the ganglion cells that respond to light
If you want to get to sleep on time, what should you avoid?
Short-wavelength light late in the evening
After the proteins TIM and PER reach a high level during the day, what causes their level to decrease at night?
High levels of the proteins inhibit the genes that produce these proteins.
When is melatonin mostly released?
At night, for all species
