Oswald's Restoration Theory of Sleep

Question 1

the theory states that we sleep in order to…

Answer 1

restore our body and replenish brain substances

Question 2

REM sleep is for…

Answer 2

the restoration of brain substances (neurotransmitters)

Question 3

slow wave sleep is for…

Answer 3

the restoration of body functions

Question 4

possible repair functions of slow wave sleep

Answer 4

• repairing minor injuries
• removal of waste chemicals in the muscles

Question 5

Sleep deprivation - Peter Tripp

Answer 5

• American DJ
• went 8 days without sleep
• Tripp experienced hallucinations and delusions and longer term effects
• not conducted in a lab, and had a sample size of 1, so is not as valid and cannot be generalised

Question 6

Sleep Deprivation - Randy Gardener

Answer 6

• 17 year old
• went 11 days without sleep
• experienced vision and speech problems
• recovered much better than Tripp
• only caught up on a fraction of sleep that he missed, but spent longer in REM afterwards

Question 7

Evidence for restoration theory - Shapiro et al. (marathon runners)

Answer 7

• compared sleep in marathon and non marathon runners
• found that running long distances increases slow wave sleep
• supports Oswald’s theory that slow wave sleep is when the body is restored

Question 8

Evidence for restoration theory - Spinal operations/drug overdose

Answer 8

• hospital patients who have had spinal operations or drug overdose have longer REM sleep
• this supports Oswald’s idea that REM is for repairing the brain and nervous system

Question 9

Evidence for restoration theory - neurotransmitter levels

Answer 9

• levels of neurotransmitters in the brain reduce during the day
• This supports Oswald’s theory that brain substances need to be replenished at night

Question 10

Evidence for restoration theory - Northwestern university

Answer 10

• studied elderly patients suffering from insomnia
• found that regular exercise led to faster sleep onset and more time asleep
• this supports Oswald’s theory that the body needs to be restored and repaired during sleep

Question 11

Evidence for restoration theory - rat study

Answer 11

• placed rats on a disc over water
• each time an EEG detected they were sleeping, the disc would move, forcing the rat to move
• rats died after 3 weeks
• this supports the idea that sleep serves an essential biological purpose

Question 12

Evidence for restoration theory - car crash study

Answer 12

• sleeping too little results in poor performance and an increased risk of car accidents

Question 13

evidence against restoration theory - Horne (playing sports)

Answer 13

• sleep deprivation did not interfere with participant’s ability to play sports
• sleep is not essential for physical functioning in the short term

Question 14

evidence against restoration theory - Rasch & Born (quiet wakefulness)

Answer 14

• bodily restoration can be achieved in a state for quiet wakefulness and does not require sleep
• this suggests that sleep is mainly for the brain

Question 15

evidence against restoration theory - Horne & Harley (heating heads)

Answer 15

• Heated heads and faces of participants with hairdryers
• 4/6 showed longer periods of slow wave sleep afterwards
• this may be because sleep is required to protect the brain from damage from an overheated brain