effects of sleep deprivation Flashcards
What are 3 factors that influence the length of sleep needs?
Age
Genetics
Lifestyle
What is sleep deprivation?
caused by inadequate quality or lack of quantity of sleep
What are the 2 types of sleep deprivation?
- partial sleep dep
- total sleep dep
What is partial sleep deprivation?
having less sleep than is normally required
What is total sleep deprivation?
having no sleep at all over a long period of time
What are the affective effects of partial sleep deprivation?
amplified emotional responses
What are examples of the affective effects of partial sleep deprivation?
- feelings of fatigue
- lack of motivation
- heightened emotions
- mood disturbances
What are behavioural effects of partial sleep deprivation?
sleep inertia
excessive sleepiness
microsleeps
What are examples of the behavioural effects of partial sleep deprivation?
slowed performance
clumsiness
risk-taking
What are the cognitive effects of partial sleep deprivation?
attention problems
learning and memory problems
What are the examples of the cognitive effects of partial sleep deprivation?
- impaired attention
- memory problems
- tendency to perform bad on simple tasks
People who are sleep deprived have difficulty performing what kind of tasks?
simple
What does being deprived of REM sleep do?
decrease control over emotions
heightens emotions
What is sleep inertia?
when your performance is impaired after you wake up and commonly occurs after a poor nights sleep
What are microsleeps?
brief period of sleep that occurs when sleep deprived
What are the physiological effects of partial sleep deprivation?
slowed reflex responses
hand tremors
headaches
What is chronic sleep deprivation?
not having enough sleep over a period of time
What are the psychological effects of chronic sleep deprivation?
anxiety disorders
depression
What are the physiological effects of chronic sleep deprivation?
heart disease
heartburn
obesity
What is sleep debt?
added up from the amount of sleep lost due to insufficient sleep
How can you overcome sleep debt?
good night sleeps
Are the effects of sleep debt temporary or long term?
temporary
What was the study on total sleep deprivation?
tested college students
- ones who were sleep deprived
- ones who slept the night before the test
What were the results from the study on total sleep deprivation?
People who were sleep deprived = performed poorly on the test compared to those who slept
- though they performed better than they actually did
What is the hat phenomenon?
feeling of tightness around the head as if you were wearing a hat that was too small
What is sleep deprivation psychosis?
person experiences loss of self identity
- finds it difficult to cope with other people and the environment
How do you overcome sleep deprivation?
long night’s sleep followed by a few good night sleeps
What is the impact of Loss of REM on learning and memory?
REM = info is being consolidated
- lack of REM means no info is being consolidated or transferred over to LTM
What is the impact on a loss of REM on mood disturbances?
REM = interrupts the release of neurotransmitters and allows brain receptors to recover
= lack of REM means mood issues will occur and cause irritability and grumpiness etc
How do you compensate for lost REM?
REM rebound
- spend more time in REM to make up for the lost sleep
What is REM rebound?
when you spend more time in REM after being previously deprived in order to try and compensate for the lost REM
What is the impact of the loss of NREM?
NREM replenishes the body and recovers body tissue
- lack of NREM = interferes with physical growth
- prevents the release of the growth hormone
What are the effects of sleep deprivation on driving?
can cause microsleeps and cause tragic accidents as drivers are asleep behind the wheel
What is a microsleep?
brief and involuntary period of sleep in the midst of wakeful activity
When do microsleeps occur?
during wakeful activity when we are sleep deprived
How long do microsleeps last for?
3-15 seconds
How do we prevent microsleeps?
avoid sleep deprivation + have short sleeps
What are the benefits of microsleeps?
help beat sleep deprivation
What are the consequences of microsleeps?
can fall asleep when driving and cause an accident
= tragic consequences
