Sleep and Dreams

Question 1

how do you measure sleepiness

Answer 1

EEG, sleep scale, looking at alertness and focus

Question 2

what general brain structures are involved with regulating periods of wakefulness and sleep?

Answer 2

brain stem and hypothalymus

Question 3

what neurotransmitters are involved in regulating periods of wake and sleep?

Answer 3

melatonin, serotonin and gaba

Question 4

what is circadian rhythm?

Answer 4

24 hr cycle of being awake and asleep. keeps rhythm using external cues and our brain clock, suprachiasmatic nucleus

Question 5

how does the brain use cues to keep a circadian rhythm?

Answer 5

light, time spent awake, temperature

Question 6

how do you disrupt circadian rhythm?

Answer 6

traveling, not sleeping, sleeping at wrong times, being on phone, artificial light, darkness during day,

Question 7

how do you physiologically measure sleep? and why is it important?

Answer 7

lowered awareness, muscle activity, voluntary behavior, brain waves, heart rate, temp. it’s important because it shows how well a person is sleeping and how rested they will feel when they awake

Question 8

the general pattern of brain activity as you go through sleep stages?

Answer 8

stage 1. wave similar to being awake
stage 2. brain waves slow down, sleep spindles
stage 3. slow deep waves
REM. same waves as stage 1

Question 9

what are the stages of sleep and what’s important in each stage?

Answer 9

stage 1: transition between awake and asleep, falling feeling,
stage 2: light sleep, memory consolidation, temp drops, HR slows
stage 3: deep tissue repair, immune health, memory consolidation, BP drops, breathing drops, muscle relaxation, sleep talking and walking
stage 4: REM, brain development, dreaming, rapid eye movement, body immobilized

Question 10

How much time do you spend in different stages?

Answer 10

stage 1: 5 to 10min
Stage 2: 20 min
Stage 3: 40min
REM: 25%
sleep cycle 90min

Question 11

What time of night do you spend in each stage of sleep?

Answer 11

1. beginning of the night
2. in-between 3 & 4
3. early in the night
4. towards morning

Question 12

what is REM?

Answer 12

it is rapid eye movement, muscles are relaxed and paralyzed, dreams occur

Question 13

How much sleep do you need?

Answer 13

depends on the person, but generally 7 to 9 hrs

Question 14

what are the benefits of sleep?

Answer 14

memory consolidation, learning, creativity, growth, healing, immune system, and weight loss.

Question 15

theories for why we sleep?

Question 16

how do you know if you are not getting enough sleep?

Answer 16

feel tired though the day, can’t focus, and feel as though you can fall asleep anywhere.

Question 17

how can napping be use strategically?

Answer 17

napping at different times of day and length of time gives different benefits
26 min napping boosts alertness
90min nap gives the opportunity to go through the sleep cycle
45 min nap keeps you from stage 3
time of nap also matters: morning contains REM and boosts creativity, afternoon gives stay 3, good for sleep deprivation, nap halfway through circadian rhythm.

Question 18

what are sleep chronotypes? why are they important?

Answer 18

chronotypes are the idea if you are a night (owl) or morning person (lark). some people also think there is an in-between (hummingbird). this is important because it can help you make the most of when you sleep best and are the most productive.

Question 19

what is insomnia?

Answer 19

it is the difficulty to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up to early. one cause of it is the body temperature not dropping and rising as it should.

Question 20

how can insomnia be treated?

Answer 20

have good sleep hygiene, like bed time, no screens before bed, no caffeine in the evening, and sleeping in a cooler room. CBT has also been shown to assist those that struggle with insomnia.

Question 21

why do we dream?

Answer 21

dreaming is the way the body process the day. they help with creativity and putting things together. usually, wacky dreams occur during REM, and dreams of what happened during the day usually take place in deep or light sleep. dreams are remembered when they are interrupted.