Psychology - Altered States Flashcards
What is a circadian rhythm?
A circadian rhythm, is a behavioural/ physiological cycle that takes place over a 24 hour cycle
E.g. sleep/wake cycle
Secretion of growth hormones
Blood sugar levels
What is an exogenous rhythm?
Exogenous rhythms are influenced by environmental factors. Things like work/school days, what time the news is on. They are all influenced by societal norms and/or demands of the environment.
What is an endogenous rhythm?
Endogenous rhythms are influenced by internal (biological) factors. They are are driven by pacemaker cells/systems (biological clocks).
What is the sleep theory of repair and restoration?
It theorises that one function of sleep may be to repair the body after the exertions of the day.
Recent studies also suggest that it is also involved in learning and consolidating knowledge.
What are the short term effects of sleep deprivation?
Difficulty focusing the eyes
Impaired reaction time
Increases moodiness and more prevalent negative emotions such anger/frustration/sadness
Impaired cognition (thinking, memory, problem solving) Cravings for fatty and sugary foods
What are the long term effects of sleep deprivation?
Increased risks of:
- Hypertension
- Heart attack and stroke
- Weight gain
- Diabetes
- Depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses
- Faulty brain function
- Memory loss
- Immune system deficiency
- Reduced fertility
How much sleep does a 14-17 year old need?
Recommended: 8-9
OK: 7-11
What is a sleep cycle?
A sleep cycle is the process of going through each stage of sleep and then reversing the sequence before spending a period in awake or REM sleep. Takes between 1-2 hours.
What are warnings of poor sleep quantity/ quality?
- wake up feeling tired
- cannot wake up without an alarm
- crave sugary/fatty foods
- falling asleep in dark rooms
What is sleep debt?
Sleep debt is a term used for when an individual gets less than their required amount of sleep. They then have a sleep debt equal to the amount of sleep they did not get and experience physical and mental impairment until that debt is repaid
What is shift work and why is it bad?
Shift work means someone does not have set work hours. It is an external factor that impacts the circadian rhythm. It often requires people to desynchronise their sleep pattern from their environment and make regular adjustments to daily routine.
Often suffer from
- poor sleep quality/quantity
- high workplace stress
- increased chance of accident
How can shift worker minimise the negative impacts of shift work?
They can minimise impacts by:
- implementing sleep hygiene
- structuring their home routine to allow for quality/quantity sleep (have friend drop kids to school)
- taking melatonin supplements
- taking short naps
- drinking caffeine at work
How can employers protect shift workers?
Employers can protect their work force by:
- Change employees shifts as infrequently as possible.
- Educating employees about sleep hygiene and good sleep practice.
- Emphasising a culture that prioritises and respects healthy sleep practices.
- Providing employees with nap breaks and a napping environment.
- Rotating shifts forward rather than backward (4pm-12pm moves to 12pm to 8am) as this makes it easier for staff to adapt.
What is stress?
Stress is a high state of arousal that includes both physical and psychological arousal.
Stress is caused by stressors. These are factors in our environment we perceive as requiring increased arousal to deal with.
(it is how an individual perceives a factor not the factor itself that causes a stress response)
What is the Yerkes- Dodson Law?
The Yerkes-Dodson Law theorises that there is an optimal state of arousal for task performance and that the optimal level of arousal varies depending on the complexity of the task.
Furthermore, the optimal level of arousal varies for different personality types.