Sleep & Dreaming

Question 1

What are the 5 stages of sleep?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

How long do sleep cycles last?

Answer 2

Around 90 mins (not including REM)

Average person has 5 each night

Question 3

How many hours of sleep do adults and teenagers need?

Answer 3

Adults - 7 to 8

Teens - 9

Question 4

What does sleep deprivation affects?

Answer 4

It is vital for survival (rats die within 3 weeks)

Affects weight, mood and appearance

Question 5

What are the internal influences on our sleep?

Answer 5

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)

Question 6

What is the external influence on sleep?

Answer 6

Zeitgebers: external cues which synchronise our circadian rhythms, eg. light/ day or clocks

Question 7

What are the symptoms of insomnia?

Answer 7

Difficulty falling asleep, waking up a lot, not feeling rested, irritable and difficulty concentrating

Question 8

What are the explanations for insomnia?

Answer 8

Lifestyle (eg. shifts)
Health conditions
Medication
Diet

Question 9

Narcolepsy is a neurological condition when someone has no control over their sleep/wake cycle.
What are the symptoms?

Answer 9

EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness) cataplexy (loss of muscle control and sleep paralysis

Question 10

What are the explanations for narcolepsy?

Answer 10

Low levels of hypocretin (brain chemical that keeps us awake)
Variations in chromosomes
Stress/trauma

Question 11

What are Freud’s ideas about the unconscious mind?

Answer 11

Accounts for 90% of our thinking, holds our wishes and desires

Question 12

Define id, ego and superego

Answer 12

id - I want
superego - you can’t have
ego - reasoning - balances id and superego

Question 13

What is the difference between manifest content and latent content?

Answer 13

Manifest: what happens in the dream
Latent: the deeper meaning behind the dream

Question 14

Dreamwork is the transformation of unconscious thoughts into dreams. What does it consist of?

Answer 14

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