Sleep & Dreaming Flashcards
What are the 5 stages of sleep?
1) light sleep, easily woken, alpha (restful) and theta (between wake and sleep) brainwaves
2) slow theta waves, body temp drops, heart rate slows down
3) deep sleep, mostly slow delta waves
4) deep sleep, hard to be woken, no REM
5) REM- dreams occur. Sensory blockade (no sensory info processed) and movement inhibition
How long do sleep cycles last?
Around 90 mins (not including REM)
Average person has 5 each night
How many hours of sleep do adults and teenagers need?
Adults - 7 to 8
Teens - 9
What does sleep deprivation affects?
It is vital for survival (rats die within 3 weeks)
Affects weight, mood and appearance
What are the internal influences on our sleep?
Circadian rhythms (24 hr body cycles, eg. sleep wake cycles)
Ultradian rhythms (less than 24hrs, eg sleep cycles)
Hormones (eg. Adrenalin)
Melatonin (produced in pineal gland, sets circadian rhythms)
What is the external influence on sleep?
Zeitgebers: external cues which synchronise our circadian rhythms, eg. light/ day or clocks
What are the symptoms of insomnia?
Difficulty falling asleep, waking up a lot, not feeling rested, irritable and difficulty concentrating
What are the explanations for insomnia?
Lifestyle (eg. shifts)
Health conditions
Medication
Diet
Narcolepsy is a neurological condition when someone has no control over their sleep/wake cycle.
What are the symptoms?
EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness) cataplexy (loss of muscle control and sleep paralysis
What are the explanations for narcolepsy?
Low levels of hypocretin (brain chemical that keeps us awake)
Variations in chromosomes
Stress/trauma
What are Freud’s ideas about the unconscious mind?
Accounts for 90% of our thinking, holds our wishes and desires
Define id, ego and superego
id - I want
superego - you can’t have
ego - reasoning - balances id and superego
What is the difference between manifest content and latent content?
Manifest: what happens in the dream
Latent: the deeper meaning behind the dream
Dreamwork is the transformation of unconscious thoughts into dreams. What does it consist of?
Condensation - one idea is unpicked within a dream
Displacement - something unimportant seems important
Secondary elaboration - the mind adds pieces to the dream to help it make sense
