sleep & dreaming Flashcards
what happens in the brain activity in stage 1
slowing , synchronised alpha waves become theta waves
features of the brain in stage 1 of sleep
- light drowsy sleep
- muscle spasms followed by a sensation
- people do not realise they have been asleep
what happens in stage 2 of the sleep cycle
- eye movement stops
- theta waves become slower with occasional bursts of rapid brain waves
- lose conscious awareness of the outside world
what happen in stage 3&4 of the sleep cycle
- 3: extremely slow delta waves alternate with shorter faster waves
- 4: only delta waves are produced
- features of both :
- stage of deep sleep - difficult to wake someone up
- no eye movement / muscle activity
- more growth hormones are released into the body - helps with physical repair
what happens in the REM stage
- breathing is faster + less regular
- rapid eye movement
- limb muscles are temporarily paralysed
- heart rate increases + blood pressure rises + body temp goes up/down
% of time spent in each sleep cycle stage
1 - 10%
2 - 50%
3 - 10%
4 - 10%
5 - 20%
what are endogenous pacemakers
- internal biological clocks that manage bodily rhythms
what are exogenous zeitgebers
features of the environment that help to manage bodily rhythms , either physical / social
example of exogenous zeitgeber
light
what is the hypothalamus
a part of the brain that controls a number of key bodily functions e.g body temp
what is the role of melatonin
- associated with sleep onset
- natural hormone made by pineal gland
- during the day , the gland is inactive however as night falls , it gets activated by the SCN & starts to produce melatonin , which is released into the blood
- when melatonin levels increase we feel less alert & drowsier & have the urge to sleep
- melatonin levels remain high for approx 12 hours , usually until the start of day
what is sleep onset insomnia
- problems falling asleep
causes of sleep onset insomnia
- too much caffeine / nicotine before going to bed
- eating a heavy meal close to bedtime
- playing computer games close to bedtime
- on going anxiety
what is sleep maintenance insomnia
- disturbed pattern of sleep where a person wakes up regularly
causes of sleep maintenance insomnia
- depression
- drinking alcohol
- menopause (women)