Sleep

Question 1

The Electroencephalogram

Answer 1

A method of measuring electrical activity in the brain

Question 2

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

Answer 2

A kind of sleep that occurs at intervals during the night and is characterised by rapid eye movements, more dreaming and bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing.

Question 3

Non-REM sleep

Answer 3

A period of sleep characterized by decreased metabolic activity, slowed breathing and heart rate, and the absence of dreaming.

Question 4

Circadian rhythm

Answer 4

The ‘body clock’: a cycle that tells our bodies when to sleep, rise, and eat, regulating many physiological processes

Question 5

Zeitgeber

Answer 5

A rhythmically occurring natural phenomenon which acts as a cue in the regulation of the body’s circadian rhythms.

Question 6

Suprachiasmatic nucleus

Answer 6

A pair of small nuclei in the hypothalamus of the brain, above the optic chiasma, thought to be concerned with the regulation of physiological circadian rhythms.