U4AOS1B - Changes to Sleep & Involvement in Mental Health Flashcards

1
Q

What is a sleep disturbance?

A
  • Any disruption to an individual’s normal sleep-wake cycle
  • E.g Problems w/ sleep onset, waking from sleep
  • Can be temporary, occasional or persistent
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2
Q

Define sleep deprivation

A
  • Inadequate quantity and/or quality of sleep
  • Can be partial or full
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3
Q

What is partial sleep deprivation?

A
  • Having some sleep in a 24-hour period
  • If persists for a long time, sleep debt may build
  • Not getting enough to meet your needs in either…
    • Quantity
    • Quality
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4
Q

What is sleep debt?

A
  • Accumulated amount of sleep loss from insufficient sleep
  • E.g 40 minutes less than required for 4 days = 160 minutes of sleep debt
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5
Q

Show sleep debt in a formula

A
  • Optimal sleep quantity per night - Total sleep quantity per night = Sleep Debt
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6
Q

How can sleep quality be measured objectively?

A
  • Amount of awakenings experienced within a sleep episode
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7
Q

What is full sleep deprivation?

A
  • Going without sleep for at least a 24-hour period
  • One night or several in a row
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8
Q

State physiological effects of being sleep deprived

A
  • Fatigue
  • Trembling hands
  • Drooping eyelids + Staring and inability to focus the eyes
  • Slurred speech
  • Lack of energy
  • ⬆️ Pain Sensitivity
  • Headaches
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9
Q

State psychological effects of being sleep deprived

ABC

A
  • Affective → Emotions
    • Mood changes
    • ★ Heightened anxiety
    • ★ Depression
    • Irritability/ Short temper
    • Lack of Motivation
  • Behavioural → Actions & Controlling them
    • ★ Slower reaction times
    • Clumsiness
    • Risk-taking behaviours
    • Changes to eating habits
    • Sleep inertia
    • Microsleeps
  • Cognitive → Mental processes
    • ★ Lack of Concentration & Attention
    • Impaired memory → Trouble with encoding, not retrieval
    • Illogical/ irrational thoughts → ★ Poor decision making
    • Trouble with simple, monotonous tasksComplex not clearly impacted

Complex tasks are still impacted - Just not as noticably

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10
Q

Distinguish between the effects of partial (chronic) and full (acute) sleep deprivation

Differences and Similarities

A
  • Partial
    • Prolonged period of less than required sleep
    • Chronic (Long Term) Symptoms
    • Diabetes
    • Stroke
    • Heart diseases
    • Depression
    • Lowered immunity
  • Full
    • Acute (immediate) symptoms of hallucinations
  • Similarities
    • Cognitive, behavioural and affective
    • Effects are reversible → Good habits + Sleep returns
    • Both have severe effects
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11
Q

When partially sleep deprived, why is it more difficult to complete simple tasks in comparison to complex ones?

A
  • In a normal situation simple tasks already do not require a lot of attention
    • Use of divided attention → Doing tasks simultaneously
  • When partially sleep deprived, attention is impaired
    • Causing the already small amount of attention to be depleted further
  • Complex tasks are still affected, but it is not as noticable
    • This is because we often pay full attention to those tasks
    • Meaning that the impaired attention caused by sleep deprivation is not as prominent
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12
Q

What is the difference between cognitive and behavioural effects?

A
  • Cognitive - Mental processes
  • Behavioural - Observable actions and behaviours
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13
Q

What is sleep inertia?

A
  • Temporary, degressive period of reduced alertness and performance impairment (reaction time & cognition)
  • Occurs immediately after awakening
  • Groggy, partly awake and disoriented
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14
Q

Is an individual experiencing sleep inertia considered awake?

A
  • It is a sleep-wake transition
  • Individual is considered waking, partly awake or awake until it fully dissipates and the person reaches full alertness
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15
Q

What does being fully sleep deprived entail?

A
  • More severe symptoms
  • Physical and psychological effects are detrimental → Can potentially lead to death
  • Few days without sleep
    • Sleep deprivation psychosis → Depersonalisation (loss of personal identity) & difficulty coping
    • Hallucinations → Only some will experience, exclusive to full SD
  • Long-term effects
    • Unlikely to experience any - Evident in Randy Gardner staying up for 12 days, able to recover after sleeping in for a few days
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16
Q

Briefly summarise an experiment in relation to cognitive effects of full SD

(D & R)

A
  • Dawson and Reid
    • 40 participants - Within subjects with counterbalancing
    • 1 → Kept awake for 28 hours and assessed on cognition & concentration every 30 minutes
    • 2 → Consume alcohol until 0.10% BAC is reached “
    • Hypothesised that 24 hours without sleep will produce the same effects as 0.10% BAC
    • Limited because it does not consider mood (may affect results)

Don’t think this will be assessed but it is helpful to know a practical example of sleep deprivation and BAC being compared

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17
Q

What are microsleeps?

A
  • When sleep deprived body still wants to sleep
  • Short sharp bursts of sleep → 3-15 seconds
  • Individual appears to be awake (blank expression) and may be unaware that they have slept
  • EEG patterns resemble N1/N2
  • Associated with risk-taking behaviour → Pedestrian behaviour
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18
Q

What role does adenosine have in sleep?

Not required knowledge → Curiousity purposes!

A
  • During day-time body breaks down energy sources
  • Adenosine is one of the by-products
  • As it builds up, it increases the urge to sleep → Sleep Pressure
  • If not cleared away along with other waste products, it begins to overload the brain causing sleep deprivation
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19
Q

What does the glymphatic system do?

Not required knowledge → Curiousity purposes!

A
  • More active during sleep
  • Responsible for cleaning up the waste products made by using energy sources in the brain
  • Uses cerebrospinal fluid to flush away
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20
Q

What happens if REM sleep is missed?

A
  • REM rebound may occur
    • Bodies need to catch up in REM sleep in particular
    • Typical proportion of REM to NREM may shift
    • Dream intensity tends to increase
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21
Q

How do 17 hours of sleeplessness compare to BAC?

A
  • Has same effects as 0.05% BAC
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22
Q

How do 24 hours of sleeplessness compare to BAC?

A
  • Has same effects as 0.10% BAC
23
Q

What affective effects do sleep deprivation and BAC have in common?

A
  • Alter someone’s usual emotional state → More restless and irritable
  • Impaired emotional regulation → Reactions enhanced
  • Moodiness
24
Q

What cognitive effects do sleep deprivation and BAC have in common?

A
  • Decreased concentration & attention
  • Impaired reasoning & complex thought
25
Q

What are circadian rhythm sleep disorders?

A
  • Group of sleep disorders involving sleep disturbance primarily due to a mismatch between an individuals’ sleep-wake pattern and the pattern that is desired

Must write mismatch to ‘desired pattern’

26
Q

How can a sleep disturbance become a sleep disorder?

A
  • Persistent and regularly disrupts sleepLead to distress
27
Q

What is DSPS?

A
  • Delayed sleep phase syndrome
  • Internal circardian rhythm delayed 2+ hours despite having external cues (night → dark)
  • Sleep and wake up later
  • Causes
    • Lifestyle
    • Poor habits
    • Shift work
    • Jetlag
    • Adolescence → Hormones

Specify later/ delay in definition

28
Q

What is sleep onset insomnia?

A
  • Difficulty falling asleep despite having adequate time and opportunity to do so
  • If attempt is made to go to sleep earlier, they may spend time awake tossing and turning because body clock has adjusted to later times
    • Cause anxious or stressful thoughts → Worsen insomnia
  • Unable to wake at desired/ necessary time spontaneously
    • Need assistance of alarm or another external stimulus
    • Feel sleepy for long period

Commonly experienced by people with DSPS
- Insomnia treated with CBT

29
Q

Why is DSPS more common in adolescence?

A
  • During adolescence melatonin release is delayed for up to 2 hours
  • Lifestyle factors
    • Homework
    • After school activities/ extracurriculars
    • Exposure to blue light
  • Made worse by early school start times

Affects both females and males equally

30
Q

State 2 biological reasons why adolescents may develop DSPS

A
  • Biological delay in release of melatonin as a result of being an adolescent
  • Use of blue lightAlter functioning of biological clock - Delay melatonin further
31
Q

What is ASPD?

A
  • Advanced sleep phase disorder
  • Internal circadian rhythm signals sleepiness earlier than conventional times
  • Sleep and wake earlier
  • Causes
    • Lifestyle
    • Genetics
    • Shift work
    • Jetlag
    • Old age

Specify earlier in definition

32
Q

What are symptoms of ASPD?

A
  • Mismatch between sleep-wake cycle and environmental day-night cycle
  • Compelling evening sleepiness
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Early morning insomnia after waking

Don’t use misalignment…

33
Q

Why is shift work important to consider in relation to sleep?

A
  • Not a sleep disorder but a cause of irregular sleeping
  • Characterised by work conducted outside of regular waking hours → E.g Overnight
  • Can be undertaken at varying times and can change regularly → Cause sleep-wake cycle to adjust frequently
  • Should be scheduled to move forward in time from previous shifts (as circadian rhythm is 25 hours)
  • Symptoms
    • Sleep-onset insomnia
    • Sleepiness when needing to be awake and alert

Required to be awake when body wants to sleep + vice versa

34
Q

How does shift work affect sleep timing, quantity and quality?

A
  • Timing
    • Scheduled outside normal/habitual sleep hours → Change in sleep onset time
  • Quantity and Quality
    • Changes too quick in the roster (especially if a consecutive shift is earlier than the previous - ‘backward in time’) will impact the cycle
    • Need to adjust to schedule instead of being aligned to day-night cycle & other external cues
35
Q

What does a ‘shift-friendly’ roster look like in relation to sleep?

A
  • Fixed Schedule
    • Same shifts on a regular, ongoing basis → Ideally day
  • Rotating Schedule
    • Change shifts after longer periods
    • Successive periods are at a later time (aligned with 25 hour sleep-wake cycle)

NOTE - Rotating Schedules are more likely than Fixed to be harmful
→ When inconsistent and going ‘backwards in time’

36
Q

What sleep-related challenge can a shift worker experience? How can this be combatted?

A
  • Needing to sleep when it is still light outside
    • Misalignment with day-night cycle due to assigned shifts
  • Can be resolved through usage of block-out blinds and/or an eyemask when needing to sleep
37
Q

How are circadian rhythm disorders treated?

A
  • Bright Light Therapy (BLT)
    • Adjust circadian rhythm to a desired schedule by exposure to high-intensity light source
    • Reduces release of melatoninEnhances neurotransmission
    • Reset → 15 minutes-2 hour exposure in the morning (DSPS), early evening (ASPD) or right before a shift (shift work) to stimulate wakefulness when it is needed and to cause sleepiness at a later time
    • Can be used in addition to anti-depressants
38
Q

What are the conditions needed for bright light therapy to be effective?

A
  • Light must be at the right intensity
    • Intensity needs to be built up over time to avoid headaches
  • Used at the right time
  • Used for the right amount of time
  • Safe exposure → Person should not look directly at the light
39
Q

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Not really required knowledge

A
  • Type of depression caused by the change in seasons
    • Not enough light in winter, manic in spring due to excessive light
  • Prevalent in people who live in countries with short days → People have very low exposure to natural light during waking hours
40
Q

What are zeitgebers?

A
  • External time cues that help synchronise our internal body clock with the natural environment
  • Strongest…
    • Light (main)
    • Temperature
    • Eating and drinking patterns
    • Exercise and socialisation

In questions that ask if _ is a zeitgeber, define zeitgeber

41
Q

What is entrainment?

A
  • SCN adjusting or resetting the sleep-wake cycle to match the environmental day-night cycle through the influence of a zietgeber
42
Q

What are effects that light can have as a zeitgeber?

Helpful Vs Harmful

A
  • Includes daylight - natural, and bluelight - natural or artificial → Biggest Impact
  • Allow SCN to reset every 24 hours
  • Helpful
    • Improves mood
    • Memory
    • Alertness
  • Harmful
    • Impact sleep cycle
    • Lead to eye strain
  • Variables of… influence effects of light
    • Intensity
    • Type of light
    • Time of exposure
    • Length of exposure
43
Q

What effects can different timings of daylight exposure have on the sleep-wake cycle?

A
  • Morning and Early afternoon
    • Advances
    • Sleep and wake earlier
  • Late afternoon and Early evening
    • Delays
    • Sleep and wake later

Does not have to be direct exposure

44
Q

Describe the relevance of blue light in relation to the sleep-wake cycle

A
  • Helpful in staying alert by suppressing melatonin during the day, but unhelpful at night → Prevents sleeping
  • Low intensity blue light from devices in the evening = Same effects as more sun bluelight
    • Reduces/ delays natural melatonin production
    • Effects are more severe if active E.g texting & gaming
    • Even with a ‘night-mode’ on, stimulation from devices can still affect sleep
45
Q

Does closing your eyes block enough light for the SCN to use it as a cue?

A
  • No
  • Eyelids cannot block sufficient light to suppress melatonin and prevent a sleep phase shift
  • Circadian rhythm can be affected even with very low levels of indoor light and closed eyes → Skin is very thin!
  • Can be combated through wearing an eye mask → May improve sleep quality
46
Q

What are effects that temperature can have as a zeitgeber?

A
  • Body temperature cools when we sleep
  • Studies suggest → Sleeping in a cooler (but not cold) room assists the body in getting to its ideal temperature for optimal sleep
    • Around 18 degrees, varies within individuals
  • Core body temperature can be decreased at bedtime if you take a warm bath or shower prior to (but not immediately before) sleeping
    • Body temperature will decrease after leaving bath/shower to adapt to cooler environment
    • Promotes shorter sleep onset → Relaxation
    • Longer initial sleep cycles
    • More N3

Zeitgeber is not body temperature but room temperature → External cue

47
Q

What are the effects eating and drinking patterns can have as a zeitgeber?

A
  • Entire eating and drinking pattern needs to be aligned with desired sleep-wake cycle
  • Has to be maintained in a stable way
    • Erratic patterns with variable meal and snack times have detrimental effects on the sleep-wake cycle
  • Food can be disruptive just before sleep
    • Harder to fall asleep with a full stomach → Ready to digest during the day but not at night
  • Harmful to sleep feeling hungry → Poorer sleep quality and quantity
  • Thus a consistent pattern must be maintained
48
Q

What are the effects of caffeine, alcohol, sugary and spicy foods as zeitgebers?

A
  • Caffeine
    • Stimulate CNS ⬆️🫀, ⬇️😴 (melatonin)
    • Body takes 4-6 hours to break down
  • Alcohol
    • Induce drowsiness + Assist sleep onset
    • However can shorten overall sleep duration and quality (2nd half) → Awakenings, nightmares, diuretic (wake to use bathroom)
  • Sugary Foods
    • Negative impact on sleep quality and quantity
  • Spicy Foods
    • Increase body temperature → Delay/ impair sleep
    • Stimulate and increase metabolic processes → More difficult to fall asleep
49
Q

What is sleep hygiene?

A
  • Practices and habits that promote an individual’s sleep patterns
50
Q

What does good sleep hygiene look like?

A
  • Regular sleeping schedule
  • Associating bed & bedroom w/ sleep
  • Avoiding stimulation before bed
    • Blue light & activity with devices
  • If cannot sleep then get up
  • No napping during normal waking period
  • Avoiding stimulants
    • Caffeine
  • Exercise for at least 20 minutes
    • But not too close to bedtime
  • Eating in alignment with day-night
    • Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
  • Comfortable sleeping environment
  • Adequate exposure to natural light throughout day
51
Q

How can sleep hygiene and zeitgebers worsen ASPD?

A
  • Sleep hygiene → Practices during wakefulness that impact ability to fall asleep @ desirable time
  • Zeitgebers → Environmental cues that affect SWC
    • Large meals early in the morning (SH) + Darkness & lack of meals in late afternoon and early evening (Z) ★ Trigger early onset of sleep
52
Q

How are sleep and wellbeing related?

A
  • Better sleep ⬆️ Mental Wellbeing
  • Low quality/quantity of sleep ⬇️ Mental Wellbeing
    • Concentration problems
    • Impulse control issues
    • Depression
    • Anxiety
    • Aggression
53
Q

How quickly and how well do people usually recover from the effects of partial sleep deprivation?

A
  • Depends on the amount of sleep debt accrued
  • Occassionally/ short-term basis
    • Minor and temporary
    • Quickly recover when sleep debt is repaid → One night of good sleep
  • Successive nights of inadequate sleep
    • Sleep debt accummulates and effects multiply → Will take longer to recover