Sleeping and dreaming Flash cards
What characterizes Stage 1 of sleep?
Light sleep with alpha brain activity and theta waves between wake & sleep
Easily woken up during this stage.
What happens in Stage 2 of sleep?
Slower brain waves (mainly theta), eye movements stop, body temperature drops, and heart rate slows
Bursts of brain activity known as spindles occur.
What is the experience in Stages 3 and 4 of sleep?
Very hard to wake up, no eye movements, potential disorientation when woken
Children may experience sleepwalking or night terrors.
What is REM Sleep characterized by?
Rapid eye movement with flickering eyelids, dreaming occurs, sensory blockade
Approximately 3 hours of dreaming each night.
What is the sleep cycle?
A nightly pattern of deep sleep, light sleep, and dreaming consisting of about 5 cycles of 90 minutes
Example of an ultradian rhythm.
What is the role of REM sleep?
Stimulates learning and is associated with an increase in proteins
Important for brain function.
Define NREM sleep.
Non-rapid eye movement sleep
Includes Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4.
What is sensory blockade?
Incoming sensory information is stopped during REM sleep
Prevents external stimuli from affecting dreaming.
What is movement inhibition in REM sleep?
Prevention of movement caused by the pons shutting off spinal cord neurons
Essential for the safety of the sleeper.
What is an example of an ultradian rhythm?
REM/NREM sleep stages
Lasts fewer than 24 hours.
What defines a circadian rhythm?
Internal body rhythms that occur over 24 hours
Includes sleep/wake cycles.
What are endogenous pacemakers?
Internal body clock that regulates bodily rhythms
Includes structures like the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
What are exogenous zeitgebers?
External cues that affect our bodily rhythms
Examples include light and meal times.
What is cataplexy?
Loss of muscle power due to onset of emotions
A symptom of narcolepsy.
What are hallucinations in the context of narcolepsy?
Experiencing something that is not there
Another symptom of narcolepsy.
What is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)?
Uncontrollable daytime sleep at any time
Common symptom of narcolepsy.
What is a cause of narcolepsy?
Lack of hypocretin, a hormone regulating the sleep-wake cycle
Other causes include genetics and stress.
What is one difference between narcolepsy and insomnia?
Cause: Narcolepsy caused by lack of hypocretin; insomnia caused by lifestyle or health conditions
Narcolepsy is relatively rare, insomnia is more common.
What is a treatment option for insomnia?
Melatonin, a hormone that increases sleepiness
Helps individuals fall asleep more easily.
Identify one treatment for narcolepsy.
Stimulants aimed at keeping the person awake
Routine sleep patterns can also help.
