Sleep Flashcards

1
Q

What is sleep?

A

An altered state of conciouness where we lose control of thoughts, behaviours, sense less stimuli, altered emotional states, unconciously resolving stressors and an altered sense of time

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2
Q

Explain the evolutionary/circadian theory of sleep

A

Describes how sleep serves as a means to increase an animals chance of survival in their environment

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3
Q

What 3 factors impact an animals sleep needs?

A
  • Food requirements and availability: e.g. Animals who need to eat more sleep less
  • Energy conservation: sleeping reduces metabolism conserving energy, animals hibernate over winter when food is scarce
  • Safety when asleep: small prey sleep longer to hide, large pray sleep less to escape, large predators sleep longer, diurnal vs. nocturnal
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4
Q

What are 2 criticisms of the evolutionary/circadian theory of sleep?

A
  • Assumes sleep is useful, not essential. Doesn’t explain why all animals must sleep
  • Assumes sleep is a way to hide from predators, but it can be dangerous as awareness is reduced
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5
Q

Explain the restorative theory of sleep

A

Describes how sleep allows us to recharge our bodies, recover from physical & psychological work and grow

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6
Q

What are 3 things organisms need sleep for according to the restorative theory of sleep?

A
  • Physical restoration & growth: body rebuilds and restores itself, cleaning out wastes and releasing growth hormones
  • Memory consolidation: REM and slow-wave sleep is important in learning and memory - improves memory of recent learning
  • General/mental health: sleep helps to regulate the immune system and neurotransmitters involved in mental health
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7
Q

What are 2 criticisms of the restorative theory of sleep?

A
  • Assumes that sleep is needed to recover, research only shows an increase in sleep after extreme activity eg. a marathon
  • Assumes body rests while asleep, but there is an increase in brain activity during REM sleep
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8
Q

Explain the Circadian rhythm

A

The internal clock in the hypothalamus determines the circadian rhythm. This rhythm influences levels of arousal and hormone secretion altering levels of drowsiness and alertness so we sleep and wake when we need to

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9
Q

What are 4 key factors of the sleep-wake cycle

A
  • Cycle through light and deep sleep stages every 90 minutes
  • Deep sleep occurs most in the first few hours of sleep
  • REM sleep occurs most in the last few hours of sleep
  • High brain activity when awake and alert
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10
Q

4 factors of Stage 1 NREM Sleep

A
  • Transitional state between being awake and falling asleep
  • State where images and feelings may flash through the mind causing twitching or a falling feeling
  • Heart rate slows, muscles relax, eye movements decrease
  • Usually lasts 1-7 minutes
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11
Q

4 factors of Stage 2 NREM Sleep

A
  • Light sleep begins, accounts for about 50% of total sleep
  • Reduced reactivity to noise and light
  • Heartrate slows further, muscles relax further, eyes stop moving
  • Lasts for 10-25 minutes during 1st cycle, increasing throught the night
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12
Q

5 factors of Stage 3 NREM Sleep

A
  • Start of deep sleep, less responsive to stimuli, more difficult to wake
  • If woken feel groggy and disorientated
  • Important for recovery and growth
  • Heart rate reduces further, muscles relax further, eyes don’t move
  • Lasts 20-40 minutes
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13
Q

5 factors of Stage 4 NREM Sleep

A
  • Deepest stage of sleep, hard to wake someone
  • Dont spend long in the stage before cycling back through to REM sleep
  • Important for recovery and growth
  • Heart rate is low, muscles are relaxed eyes don’t move
  • Lasts 10 - 60 mins
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14
Q

7 factors of REM sleep

A
  • Enter stage after cycling through stages 1 to 4 of NREM sleep
  • Low voltage brain waves resemble being awake, but muscles are paralysed
  • Vivid dreaming occurs
  • Important for memory and learning
  • Takes up 25% of sleep cycle
  • HR increases, muscles stay relaxed, rapid eye movement occurs
  • Lasts 10-60 minutes, increases throughout the night
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15
Q

What is sleep deprivation?

A

When an individual does not get enough sleep to meet their needs over a period of time

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16
Q

What are 4 causes of sleep deprevation?

A
  • Shift work
  • Drugs
  • Sleep environment
  • Stressors
17
Q

What is shift work and how does it contribute to sleep deprivation?

A
  • Employment outside the normal period of a working day eg. night shift, requiring people to be active and alert outside their natural circadian rhythm.
  • They’re awake when their melatonin levels are high, and adrenalin & cortisol levels are low.
  • This continued misalignment of the body’s natural circadian rhythm can lead to shift work disorder (insomnia & chronic sleep dep)
18
Q

How do drugs contribute to sleep deprevation?

A
  • Depressants induce sleep but impair the sleep cycle reducing the quality of sleep
  • Stimulants increase the alertness of the body, making it harder to fall and stay asleep, as well as a longer sleep onset
  • Hallucinogens also increase alertness reducing deep sleep, but can also induce sleepiness at inappropriate times
19
Q

What is sleep environment, and what are the ideal conditions for sleep?

A

The place where you sleep each night, ideal factors include:
- Temperature: 15-20 degrees (cool)
- Good sleep hygiene (no devices)
- Reduce clutter (Messy room = messy mind)
- Outside light and noise (Dark and quiet)
- Don’t snooze alarm

20
Q

What are stressors and how do they contribute to sleep deprivation?

A

Things in your life that cause you stress. High levels of stress prolongs the onset of sleep and disrupts sleep cycles

21
Q

What is partial sleep deprevation?

A

Occurs when an individual doesn’t get enough sleep over 1 or several nights

22
Q

What 4 things can partial sleep deprivation impact?

A
  • Mood
  • Reflexes
  • Attention
  • Vision
23
Q

How does partial sleep deprivation affect mood?

A
  • Studies show that sleep-deprived people report an increase in negative emotions and a decrease of positive emotions
  • Excessive tiredness is often a symptom of mood disorders
24
Q

How does partial sleep deprivation affect attention?

A
  • Poor sleep reduces attention, as well as learning and processing
  • The more sleep-deprived a person is, the less they can pay attention to something
25
Q

How does partial sleep deprivation affect reflex speed?

A
  • Impairs reaction time, hindering quick responses to stimuli
  • Chronic sleep dep can have long-lasting effects on reaction time & cognitive abilities
26
Q

How does partial sleep deprivation affect vision?

A
  • Can cause dry, itchy, bloodshot eyes leading to pain and irritation
  • Can lead to blurred vision & light sensitivity
27
Q

What is chronic sleep deprivation?

A

Occurs when an individual doesn’t get enough sleep for an extended period of time.

28
Q

What 4 things can chronic sleep deprivation cause?

A
  • Heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
29
Q

What is heart disease and how does chronic sleep deprivation cause it?

A
  • Range of conditions that include diseased vessels, structural problems and blood clots
  • Sleep dep forces our bodies to rely on the sympathetic nervous system, releasing high levels of adrenaline that increase blood pressure, boosting the risk of heart disease
30
Q

What is obesity and how does chronic sleep deprivation cause it?

A
  • The gain of excessive body weight causing heightened risk of health problems
  • Sleep dep is linked to an increased risk of becoming over weight and obese
31
Q

What is insomnia and how does chronic sleep deprivation cause it?

A
  • A sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall and stay asleep
  • Chronic sleep dep can exacerbate symptoms of insomnia by increasing stress, irregular sleep and poor sleeping habits
32
Q

What is anxiety and how does chronic sleep deprivation cause it?

A
  • The intense excessive worry about everyday situations
  • Issues with sleep have contributed to the onset and worsening of mental health problems
33
Q

What positive feedback loop is caused by chronic sleep deprivation?

A

Each issue caused by chronic sleep deprivation creates a positive feedback loop affecting sleep meaning they compound and further worsen eachother

34
Q

What is sleep hygine?

A

The healthy habits or behaviours and environmental factors that can be changed to help have a good night’s sleep, originally developed to assist insomnia

35
Q

What are 3 techniques to improve sleep hygine?

A
  • Management of electronic devices: Keep devices off 30 minutes before sleep, short wavelength light mimmics sun rays reducing melatonin released
  • Consistent sleep patterns: Creates a consistent circadian rhythm
  • Healthy sleep environment
36
Q

What was the aim of the “Effect of mobile phone use before bed. He et al.” study?

A

Assess the effects of restricting mobile phone usage before bed on sleep, pre-sleep, mood and working memory

37
Q

What were the methods of the “Effect of mobile phone use before bed. He et al.” study?

A
  • Participants randomised into control and experimental groups
  • Experimental group instructed not use phone 30 mins before bed, control group had no restrictions
  • Self reported sleep habits, quality, all the other aim figures were tested (duration, arousal, mood, working memory)
38
Q

What were the results of the “Effect of mobile phone use before bed. He et al.” study?

A

Restricting mobile phone usage before bed for 4 weeks was effective in:
- Reducing sleep latency
- Increasing sleep duration
- Improving sleep quality
- Reducing pre-sleep arousal
- Improving positive mood
- Improving memory

39
Q

What were the conclusions of the “Effect of mobile phone use before bed. He et al.” study?

A

Restricting mobile phone usage close to bed time reduced sleep latency and pre-sleep arousal and increased sleep duration and working memory