Sleep Flashcards
What is sleep
Is a regularly occurring and reversable altered state of consciousness (ASC) characterized by the suspension of conscious awareness
List of altered states of consciousness (ASC)
- Total awareness
- Focused attention (energy drink, caffeine, normal waking consciousness, stressed)
- Daydreaming
- Meditative state
- Hypnotized
- Asleep
- Anesthesia
- Coma
- Lack of complete awareness
Define normal waking consciousness and altered state of consciousness
Normal waking consciousness- refers to the state of being awake and aware of the object and events around us of out own sensation, mental experience and existence., Most people spend 2/3 of their day in this state, if you’re maintaining a sense of time and place you’re likely in NWC
Altered state of consciousness (ASC)- Is a state/level of awareness that is significantly different to normal waking consciousness, naturally occurring ASC occurs normally without aid, this includes being very focused daydreaming and asleep
Induced ASC- Do not occur naturally and are instead induced, this includes being under the influence of alcohol, being anesthesia, hypnosis, triggered by drugs/ mediation, consciousness, post seizure ect
What is a electroencephalography (EEG)
The EEG machine detects, amplifies, and records electrical activity in different parts of the brain.
Small electrodes will be attached to the scalp, to detecting/ read the electrical activity of nearby neurons, in some cases the electrodes are part of a head cap.
What is the name of the special graph that records a EEG
Collected in a graph know as a electroencephalogram
What are the 4 types of brain waves which are collected by a EEG
Beta waves- Have an irregular pattern of high frequency and low amplitude, they appear when we are awake and mentally active, they are also seen when we are in REM sleep or focused attention
Alpha waves- Have a regular pattern of high frequency, low amplitude. They appear when we are relaxed, calm, awake with our eyes closed ect
Theta waves- Have medium frequency and a mix of high/ low amplitude, they appear when we are drowsy and falling asleep
Delta waves- Have the lowest frequency and the highest amplitude, they appear when in the deepest stage of sleep and when we are unconscious
Advantages and disadvantages of EEG
Advantages
- It is non- inavise
- It can distinguish between light and deep sleep
- It can distinguish between REM and nREM sleep
Disadvantages
- It can be difficult to pin-point where the activity is/was coming from
- It isnt the best option of reading neural activity from below the cerebral cortex, it wont clarify which brain structure are the most involved
What is a electromyography (EMG)
An EMG device will detect, amplify and record the electrical activity of the muscle of interest when they are asleep
Electrodes are attached to the skin above the muscle that will be monitored the facial musical, leg muscle and muscle in the torso are often monitored in sleep studies
Each line on the electromyograph reflects the tension and movements of the muscle below the electrode, the higher the line the greater the muscle tension/ contraction and more activity in our brains, the lower the line the more relaxed the muscle is
Strengths and weaknesses of EMG
Advantages
- Non invasive
- A great choice when we are interested in the frequency and time of quick muscle spasms
Disadvantages
- With movement the EMG electrodes may fall off
What is a electro-oculargraphy
A EOG device will detect, amplify and record electrical activity in the muscle that controls eye movement, Electrodes are placed on the muscle above below to the side of the eyes
An electro-oculargram will reveal when an individual was blinking and when their eye was moving, it can clarify how fast the eye was/is moving when the eye is/was looking left right or straight ahead
Strengths and weaknesses of a EOG
Strengths
- Non invasive
- We can distinguish between REM and nREM sleep
Disadvantages
-The EOG electrodes might accidently fall off or disconnect from the monitor in turn data is not connected
- Electrodes may prevent the individual from sleeping as they normally would
What are sleep diary’s
A sleep diary (or sleep log) is a self0 report record of an individual’s sleep and waking time activity’s over several weeks
The things likely to record
- Time you fell asleep
- The time you woke up
- The number of times you woke up
Advantages and disadvantages of sleep diarys
Advantages
- Without cords and electrodes, the indivdual is likely to sleep as bormal in turn we can score good data
- We get info on what has happened during the day
Disadvantages
- The individual may not be accurate especially in sleep onset estimation
- Individuals may not recall how often he/she woke up during the night
What is video monitoring
Involves fitting a room with one or more video camera to externally observe the physiological response during sleep and when waking from sleep
Strengths and weaknesses of video monitoring
Strengths
- We can obtain data not provided by the EEG, EMG and EOG devices
- We can avoid estimates on sleep onset
Disadvantages
- Frame by frame analysis enables though investigation and/or analysis of sleep behavior
- The data wont be reliable if the individual is uncomfortable staying in a sleep lab
