sleep

Question 1

define sleep

Answer 1

a regular and naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that involves a loss of awareness and
disengagement with internal and external stimuli

• follows an internally regulated cycle of about 24 hours

Question 2

biological rhythyms

Answer 2

cyclic changes in bodily functions or activities that repeat themselves through time in the same order

Question 3

define circadian rhythms

Answer 3

a circadian rhythm is a biological rhythm that involves changes in bodily functions or activities that occurs as a part of a cycle with a duration of about 24 hours.
- human sleep wake cycle

Question 4

what is the “master” controlling thus sleep wake cycle

Answer 4

an area of the brains hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which biological clock that regulates the timing and activity of sleep wake cycle (through the light as that is an environmental cue affecting the cycle)

Question 5

SCN

Answer 5

-receives information about the amount of light from the eyes and adjust our sleep wake cycle accordingly
- It signals the nearby pineal gland to produce and secrete more or less melatonin in relation to light intensity
- located above the hippocampus, close near to optical nerve (as it detects light from external environmnent)

Question 6

how does melatonin relate to sleep

Answer 6

• associated with alertness
• high melatonin level is associated with great drowsiness and vice versa
• the amount that is secreted varies with the amount of light that is detected

Question 7

ultradian rhythms

Answer 7

is a biological rhythm that involves changes in bodily functions or activities that occurs as part of a cycle shorter than 24 hours
- e.g. heart beat, respiration, hunger, secretiom of hormones and human sleep (occurs every 90 minutes)

Question 8

what is rem

Answer 8

rapid eye movement

Question 9

what is nrem

Answer 9

non rapid eye movement
- includes stages 1,2,3,4
- approximately 75-80% of total sleep is spent with nrem
- reduction in physiological activity
- as stages progresses, it indicates a deeper sleep, brain waves get slower and bigger, breathing and heart rate slows down and blood pressure drops

Question 10

sleep cycle consists of what

Answer 10

• consist of both NREM and a period REM sleep
• each cycle is usually repeated 5-6 times each night, depending on the duration of the sleep

Question 11

sleep onset

Question 12

sleep latency

Question 13

hypnagogic state

Question 14

techniques to measure sleep

Answer 14

• measurement of physioogical responses (EEG, EMG & EOG)
• sleep diaries (self reports)
• video monitoring

Question 15

measurement of physiological response associated with sleep

Answer 15

• EEG (electroencephalography), it detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain - placed on the brain
• EOG ( electrooculography), it detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles around the eyes!!!!!!! - placed around the eyes
• EMG (electromyography), detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of muscle movements and tension - placed near muscles on the face/body

Question 16

EEG and brainwaves

Answer 16

• it DARES activity of the brain
• displayed in brain waves
• BATD (beta, alpha, theta and delta)

Question 17

pros and cons of EEG

Answer 17

pros:
- useful in providing general infromation about brain wave activity in real time without being invasive
- assist with diagnosis of medical conditions(brain damaged and neurological disorders)
cons:
- poorly measures neural activity that occurs below the outer layer of the brain
- does not provide detailed information about which particular structures of the brain are activated and what their specific functions might be
- just provides a summary of all the activity of neurons firing within different areas of the brain

Question 18

beta

Answer 18

• high frequency
• low amplitude
• irregular
• associated with normal waking consciousness when alert

Question 19

alpha

Answer 19

• high frequency (slower than beta)
• low amplitude (slightly larger than beta)
• like a teeth of a comb
• relax, calm, internally focused, wakeful with eyes closed

Question 20

theta

Answer 20

• medium frequency (slower than beta and alpha)
• mixture of high and low amplitude waves
• associated with drowsiness, falling asleep, creative activities, deep meditative state

Question 21

delta

Answer 21

• lowest frequency
• highest amplitude
• associated with deepest stage of sleep, periods of REM and unconsciousness

Question 22

limitations of sleep diaries (self reporting)

Answer 22

• measurement based on personal judgement (subjective), which can be difficult to communicated and compare to others
• accurately describing our dreams or what we are thinking and feeling can be difficult.
• integrity of participants, sharing personal thoughts can be challenging
• This is unlikely if they were in an altered state of consciousness, such as sleep. Dreams are usually quickly forgotten, if remembered at all.
• particpants may unintentially leave out key information’
• can the researcher interpret the descriptions accurately and reliably

Question 23

video monitoring

Answer 23

• insight on how we behave in different stes of consciousness
• can observe participants when they are awake

Question 24

limitations of video monitoring

Answer 24

• does not provide insight on what is going inside the body or what the participants are experiencing
• relies on the researcher to interpret the behaviour
• subjective and open to bias

Question 25

SCN detetcst

Answer 25

• decreases alertness when it is dark (cortisol is decreased)
• increases alertness (increases temp body, stimulates cortisol

Question 26

melatonin

Answer 26

• no addictive properties