Sleep deprivation Flashcards
Define: sleep deprivation
Going without sleep
Define: partial sleep deprivation
Having some sleep during a 24 hour period but getting less than required.
Define: total sleep deprivation
not having slept at all during a 24 hour period
Human experiments involving severely depriving people of sleep violate the no harm principle so they are rarely done. Where does the information regarding sleep deprivation come from?
Animal research and case studies
Describe the findings of rat studes.
Sleep is vital for regulating and stabilising the internal environment. During the 2 weeks without sleep, they couldn’t regulate body temperatures, immune systems collapsed and they died.
Describe the Randy Gardiner case study.
A 17 year old who stayed awake for 11 days. He experienced side effects but they disappeared after 3 days of long sleep (15 -> 10.5 hours)
Describe the Peter Tripp case study.
Radio host who stayed awake for 8 days. Halfway, he experienced hallucinations and impaired thinking and memory. Towards the end, he experienced paranoia that people were putting sleeping medication into his meals. After 13 hours of sleep, his effects disappeared.
2 limitations of sleep deprivation research?
- Tend to come from convenience samples or case studies
- Would have microslept.
Name 2 effects of NREM sleep deprivation (longer term).
Growth disturbances
Disturbed restoration of the body’s resources
Name 3 effects of REM sleep deprivation (longer term).
Memory and learning problems
Mood disturbances (irritability/sadness)
Interfered protein synthesis in the brain
Name 4 physiological effects of partial sleep deprivation.
Hand tremors
Drooping eyelids
Increased pain sensitivity
Decreased energy.
Name some psychological effects of partial sleep deprivation.
Irritability/mood disturbances Lowered motivation Clumsiness Risk-taking behaviour Impaired performance on simple, monotonous tasks Difficulty concentrating/paying attention Poor decision making Impaired thinking and reasoning Impaired creativity Impaired short term memory
Name 3 psychological effects of prolonged total sleep deprivation.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety
Hallucinations and delusions
Slurred speech
Name 3 physiological effects of prolonged total sleep deprivation.
Lowered body temp, heart and breathing rates
Impaired immune and endocrine systems
Microsleeps
Effects of chronic sleep deprivation?
Cardiovascular diseases, mood disorders, impaired immune functioning
