Sleep Deprivation Flashcards
Microsleep
A means of sleep recovery. After 3-4 days of sleep deprivation people will engage in microsleeps. Brief (3-15 secs), involuntary period of sleep that occurs while a person appears to be awake. EEG pattern resembles stage 1 or 2 NREM. Particularly dangerous while driving.
BAC
Blood Alcohol Concentration. A measure of the amount of alcohol present in the bloodstream.
Partial Sleep Deprivation
A state that occurs when an individual has some but an inadequate amount of sleep for age in terms of quantity or quality in a 24-hour period. Very common. When deprived of sleep participants fail to complete simple, monotonous repetitive tasks. Interestingly, however, short performances on more physically or intellectually challenging tasks are usually not affected.
Sleep Deprivation
A state that occurs when an individual does not get a necessary or desired amount of sleep. Can be partial or total.
Sleep Deprivation Psychosis
A state that can occur after total sleep deprivation where an individual experiences loss of personal identify and difficulty coping in their environment.
Total Sleep Deprivation
A state in which an individual does not sleep for an entire 24-hour period for either one night or several nights in a row.
Physiological effects of partial sleep deprivation
- fatigue
- trembling hands
- drooping eyelids
- staring and inability to focus the eyes
- slurred speech
- lack of energy
- increased pain sensitivity
- headaches
three psychological effects of partial sleep deprivation
Affective/Emotional
Behavioural
Cognitive
Affective/Emotional for partial
Mood changes, heightened anxiety/depression, irritability, and lack of motivation.
Behavioural for partial
Slower reaction times, clumsiness, and risk-taking behaviours.
Cognitive for partial
Lack of concentration, impaired memory (trouble with encoding, not retrieval), illogical/irrational thoughts, poor decision-making, and trouble with simple, monotonous tasks.
REM Deprivation
– Loss of motor coordination; – poor concentration; – poor memory; – Irritability; – and a tendency to hallucinate.
REM is said to be responsible for psychological wellbeing.
NREM Deprivation
During NREM stage 3 and 4 growth hormones are released and this assists in the growth and repair of the body. A loss of NREM may prevent restoration of the body and its ability to replenish energy supplies.
Death… Total sleep deprivation and non-human studies
Can have detrimental effects on the body both physically and psychologically and is theorised to potentially lead to death.
– Sleep deprived rats were unable to maintain a constant body temperature and eventually died after 2-3 weeks of no sleep.
– In other studies, autopsies showed that their immune systems collapsed, resulting in blood poisoning and death.
What leads to sleep deprivation psychosis and what that results in
A few days without sleep can lead to sleep deprivation psychosis, resulting in – depersonalisation (loss of personal identity) and difficulty coping
Effects of total sleep deprivation
depression, anxiety, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and more
Amount of sleep required (Recovery pattern)
Fall asleep faster. Total time asleep is prolonged but do not need to make up total amount. Major improvements in mood, cognitive performance, and physiological functioning. No long term effects.
REM rebound
If we have missed a period of REM sleep, then REM rebound may occur.
– i.e. our bodies need to specifically catch up on REM sleep.
– Dream intensity during REM rebound also tends to increase.
When do the effects of deprivation disappear
The effects of sleep deprivation disappear after one night of uninterrupted sleep!
sleep vs bac in regards to risk of accident
.05 = 17 hours of sleeplessness .08 = 21 hours
What is effected when having an alcohol of .05
Cognition – logical reasoning and complex thought Concentration – wandering mind and lack of attention Mood – restless and irritable
Chronic sleep deprivation
Not having enough sleep over an extended period of time.
Sleep debt
The accumulated amount of sleep loss from insufficient sleep. Not getting enough sleep night after night adds to this sleep debt. If you have been missing out on one hour of sleep for seven nights in a row, you definitely need extra sleep but not an extra seven hours.
Factors that effect how much sleep we need
Age
Genetic
Lifestyle
Age
As a guide, most teenagers need 9–10 hours of sleep per night. A young child needs more and an adult needs less to perform at their best.
Lifestyle
Our lifestyle influences the amount of sleep we need. For instance working day or night shifts influences our individual need for sleep. People tend to alter their sleep routines as responsibilities, relationships and stressors change with age. However, good sleepers are more likely to have a regular bedtime and rise time than poor sleepers.
Partial sleep deprivation recovery
Usually, a good night’s sleep and being able to sleep in is enough to recover from sleep deprivation. Depending on the amount of sleep deprivation, a few more nights of slightly longer sleep than usual may be required. Most sleep deprivation effects are temporary and we are likely to fully recover without any long-term psychological and physiological problems.
