ultradian rhythms

Question 1

example of ultradian rhythms

Answer 1

stages of sleep

Question 2

explanation of stages of sleep

Answer 2

• when we sleep we go through cycles of 5 stages
• each stage characterised by diff level of brain activity using EEG

Question 3

what is stage 1 of sleep?

Answer 3

• NREM
• light sleep
• muscle activity slows down

Question 4

what is stage 2 of sleep?

Answer 4

• NREM
• breathing pattern and heart rate slows
• decrease in body temp

Question 5

what is stage 3 of sleep?

Answer 5

• NREM
• deep sleep begins
• brain generates slow delta waves

Question 6

what is stage 4 of sleep?

Answer 6

• NREM
• very deep sleep
• rhythmic breathing
• limited muscle activity

Question 7

what is stage 5 of sleep?

Answer 7

• REM
• rapid eye movements
• brainwaves speed up + dreaming occurs
• heart rate increase, muscles relax

Question 8

what is NREM and REM?

Answer 8

REM= rapid eye movements
NREM= non-rapid eye movements

Question 9

how long does each cycle last?

Answer 9

90-110 minutes

Question 10

why is deep sleep important?

Answer 10

most bodies ‘repair work’ is done during this. its an important biochemical process

Question 11

how do we have improved understanding of sleep?

Answer 11

• as we age our sleep cycle changes eg older person has less REM sleep than young person
• bc growth hormone usually produced in slow wave sleep becomes deficient in older. sleep deficits could explain various impairements like reduced alterness
• in order to increase slow wave sleep, relaxation + medication can be used= prac apps

Question 12

how is there high control in the studies?

Answer 12

• sleep labs are well controlled as involve electrodes monitoring muscle movement, brain activity + microphones recoding snoring= EVs controlled
• EEGs used to monitor brain activity= high temporal resolution so timings recorded
• C-> attached to many machinery= affects sleep/wake, reducing validity
• better to do in own homes=higher ecological v

Question 13

how dont ultradian rhythms consider individual rhythms?

Answer 13

• Tucker- large diffs between p’s in terms of duration in each sleep stage
• differences likely biologically determined= hard to describe ‘normal sleep’
• counter-> research on sleep seeks to create norms= general norm can be seen + help diagnose those who dont fit into this norm- sleep disorders
• describing norms may not be meaninging if individual diffs exist therefore idiographic research more suitable