Unit 1.5 Flashcards
Consciousness
the state of being aware of and responsive to the world around you, including your own thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
Disruptions to circadian rhythm (jet lag)
a temporary sleep disruption that occurs when you travel across multiple time zones, causing a mismatch between your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and the new time zone, leading to symptoms like fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and impaired concentration at the new destination
Hypnagogic sensations
the transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep, where a person experiences vivid sensory perceptions, often including visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations, as they are falling asleep
REM rebound
a temporary increase in the amount of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep a person experiences,
Sleep function (consolidation/restoration)
Consolidation: fragile new memory traces into more permanent forms of long-term storage
Restoration: the biological process where sleep allows the body to repair and replenish itself after a day’s activity
Circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle)
the natural 24-hour cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes that occur in the body
Activation synthesis dream theory
a neurobiological explanation for why people dream. It suggests that dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of random electrical signals that occur during REM sleep. The theory was proposed in 1977 by Harvard psychiatrists John Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley
It states that a dream is the cerebral cortex processing nerve impulses being sent from the body to the brain stem into something that makes sense.
Sleep disruption effects
brain function: impacting your ability to think critically, remember things, and process information
mood: can make you feel more irritable, tired and depressed. Can also lead to anxiety, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts
immune system: can make it harder for your body to fight off illness
heart health: can lead to high blood pressure and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke
diabetes: can disrupt your body’s ability to process glucose and produce insulin
Somnambulism
the medical term for sleepwalking, a sleep disorder that causes people to perform activities while they are still asleep.
Characterized by
Incomplete arousal
Diminished awareness
Impaired decision-making
Movement
Dreaming
a universal human experience that involves a series of thoughts, images, emotions, and sensations that occur during sleep
Happens during REM sleep
Consolidation dream theory
the idea that dreaming is a process where the brain actively consolidates and strengthens memories from the day, essentially organizing and storing them into long-term memory during sleep, particularly during REM sleep.
Sleep disorders
conditions that impact the quality, quantity, and timing of sleep.
REM sleep behavior disorder
a sleep disorder that causes people to act out their dreams while in REM sleep
Stages of sleep
The types of brain waves present in the brain determine the cycle of sleep you’re in
SWS/NREM 1
The first SWS/NREM stage is the transition between sleep and wakefulness
The frequency of brain waves is 4-8 and the type of brain waves are alpha and theta waves
This stage only lasts for a few minutes
SWS/NREM 2
In this stage, the frequency of brain waves is 8-15 and the type of brain waves present are theta, spindles, and k-complexes
This stage also only lasts for a few minutes
During this stage, peaks of brain waves become higher and higher (this is called sleep spindles)
After sleep spindles, K-complexes (which are peaks that suddenly drastically descend and then pick back up) form
SWS/NREM 3
Called delta sleep or deep sleep
Very slow brain waves occur called delta waves
20-50% of the brain waves are delta while the others are theta
Frequency of brain waves in the stage are from 2-4
Waves are slow but have high amplitudes
SWS/NREM 4
Deep sleep, has delta and theta waves
Over 50% of waves are delta
Deepest sleep stage before REM
Sleep stages reverse before going into REM
Wave frequency between 0.5 and 2
Slow waves of high amplitude
REM sleep
The first REM period occurs roughly 90 minutes after someone falls asleep
Occurs directly after the 1st 4 stages quickly reverse
The length of REM sleep and NREM sleep changes as we cycle through the sleep stages (with REM sleep increasing)
Since the REM sleep stage is when we dream, this means that our dreams get longer as the night goes on.
Sleep walking
A disorder that causes people to get up and walk during their sleep
Episodes typically occur when a person is in the deep stages of sleep
Sleepwalking occurs most commonly in childhood but can last into adulthood
Symptoms:
Range from quiet walking to agitated running
Eyes are typically open with a glassy, staring appearance
If the person is returned to bed without awakening, the person usually does not remember the event
Older children who may awaken more easily are often embarrassed by the behavior
Causes:
Many different factors, including genetics, environmental conditions and medical disorders
Sleep apnea
A sleep disorder where a person stops breathing for brief periods throughout the night due to them not getting enough oxygen.
It is usually accompanied by snoring and one waking up mid-night in order to breathe.
Obstructive sleep apnea
Most common
Caused by an obstruction in the upper airway during sleep
Obstructions in the throat can be caused by excessive weight, alcohol consumption before sleep, or inherited characteristics
Central sleep apnea
Less common
Typically due to a neuromuscular problem (caused by a delay in the signal from the brain to breath)
Treatment
Mild sleep apnea can be treated with behavior changes
Moderate to severe sleep apnea may need a CPAP machine (a machine that helps someone breathe by blowing air into their nose).
Surgical treatment is needed if the CPAP machine doesn’t help for at least a month.
Insomnia
A Sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep, or wake up to early and not be able to fall asleep again
Can drain your energy level and affect your mood which could lead to poor health,work performance and quality of life
At some point most adults have short term insomnia(Can last days or weeks)Due to stress
Long term insomnia is also caused by stress but also life events and habits that disrupt sleep
Can be caused by stress, different types of medications, and different types of substance abuse like drugs, alcohol etc.
Could be treated by creating a sleep schedule(go to bed at a certain time, wake up at certain time), Avoid Stimulants like coffee
Narcolepsy
Chronic sleep disorder that makes it so people have overwhelming drowsiness during the day and sudden attacks of sleep, disruptive
No cure and never fully goes away, medications and lifestyle changes can help with coping
Fall asleep without warning anytime anywhere, uncontrollable
Might wake up refreshed after a couple minutes to half a hour then fall back asleep
70% of people with narcolepsy experience cataplexy, a sudden loss of muscle tone that causes weakness and is usually caused by positive and negative intense emotions. Some people only have around 2 episodes per year and others have multiple a day.
People tend to have sleep paralysis, an inability to move while falling asleep or waking up, can be frightening, usually happens during REM
Some have hallucinations
Commonly occurs ages 10-25
Can be genetic
An abnormal gene or weaker immune system is thought to be the cause
Cells that make hypocretin severely damaged
Chuck hadn’t wanted to retire yet at 63 but his narcolepsy was being disruptive and he couldn’t continue working
Amount of sleep needed
Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep per night
Newborns sleep between 16-18 hours a day
Children in pre-school sleep between 10-12 hours a day
School aged children and teens need at least 9 hours of sleep a night
Both quality and quantity of sleep is important
We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly, and create memories
Cutting back by even an hour can make it hard to focus the next day and can slow your response time
You are more likely to make bad decisions and take more risks is you are sleep deprived
Sleep also affects mood
Insufficient sleep can make you irritable and is linked to poor behavior
Impacts your health
Naturally short sleepers
A small group of people tend to sleep less than six hours a day and wake up refreshed and energetic
Sleep scientists have evidence that natural short sleepers have genetic variations that reduce their biological need for sleep
No evidence that natural short sleepers suffer health complications from sleeping less
Signs of being a short sleeper
Routinely sleeping between four and six hours per night
Sleeping less than six hours, even when there is more time availabe to sleep
Sleeping less than six hours without setting an alrm or otherwise restricting sleep
Treatments
None, naturally short sleepers do not need treatment because they do not suffer consequences from sleeping less than six hours per night
Conscious
The state of being aware of one’s own mental activity and external stimuli
Preconscious
Information that is not currently aware of but can be recalled and moved to consciousness
Unconscious
Memories and thoughts that are repressed from consciousness and affect mental activity
Non-conscious
Automatic bodily functions, like breathing and heartbeat, that are controlled by the brain but are not actively aware o
Subconscious
Information that is not immediately available to consciousness
Altered state of consciousness
A temporary state that differs from a normal waking state, such as sleep, meditation, hypnosis, or drug use
Phenomenal consciousness
A mental state that describes feelings and sensations that are present
Access consciousness
A mental state that contains information that can be used in thought and behavior
State consciousness
A mental state where an individual is aware of being in that state
Introspective consciousness
A mental state where an individual is deliberately and attentively aware of being in that state
Self-consciousness
A state where an individual is aware of themselves
Manifest content
What we actually dream about; the actual content of our dreams
Latent content
The hidden meaning behind our dreams
What causes the manifest content of our dreams.
Freud
Believed that dreams represent the unconscious mind (specifically our desires and fears)
Coined the two types of content involved with dreaming (known as freudian approach to dreaming)
Flaws in freud’s theory
Many have rejected Freud’s theories as many are non-scientific.
Freud’s approach to dreaming is flawed in that it can’t account for the fact that the meaning of our dreams is sometimes obvious and there would not need to be a “latent content” for them.
EX: dreaming about normal fears such as being chased by a predator.
It is also flawed in that it doesn’t account for the fact that dreams can be interpreted in many different ways.
EX: a therapist may incorrectly interpret the latent content of one’s dreams based on their own biases
Nightmares
Intense dreams
Much more common than night terrors
May provoke emotions such as anger, disgust and terror
Usually in the last third of the night
During REM sleep
Typicallly wake on your own, and are typicaly in a lucid state when you wake
Can be caused by stress or trauma
You may groan or mumble
Pretty much all aduts have had a nightmare before
35-45% of adults have at least one nightmare a month
More common as time goes on Easily remembered by both children and adults
75% of kids have had a nightmare
In children, nightmares usually emerge at age 3 and peak between ages 6-10
Common in people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with around half of people seeking treatment for PTSD having replicative nightmares, which are “recurrent dreams [that] force you to re-experience the trauma that caused your PTSD”
Replicative nightmares can be very disturbing and may result in not being able to seep
Certain medications can also increase your risk of nightmares, these medications include beta blockers (used to treat high bood pressure and irregular heartbeat), dopamine agonists (used to treat a range of conditions, work by mimicking the action of dopamine in your brain) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (common antidepressants, can help reduce and/or relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety)
Treament can include therapy to help you cope with the trauma or stress that may be causing your nightmares
For PTSD, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reccomends image rehersal therapy
Night terrors
Episodes where you partially awake from slow wave sleep
May be aggressive (ie thrash or scream)
Typically involve signs of extreme stress
Usually aren’t remembered by person who experienced it
Usually in the first third of the night
During NREM sleep
Can be caused by a disruption of brain waves during sleep
Typically hard to wake and may be confused for several minutes after waking
May run out of bed
Very rare in adults (1-2% of adults have had night terrors at some point during adulthood)
More common in people under the age of 25 and children (56% of kids under 13 have had night terrors)
Typically emerge at 18 months of age, and prevalence typically decreases over time
Several factors can predispose someone to night terrors, including
Genetics, specifically a gene called HLA-DQB1*05:01 allele (shows up more frequently in people with night terrors)
Family history (there is a 96% chance that if you have night terrors, someone else in your family will experience similar concerncs)
Sleep disruption (restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, or fever)
Medication (like lithium and sodium oxybate (Xyrem)
Treatment can include
Scheduled awakening for children
Psychotherapy
Relaxation therapy
Hypnosis
Possibly a low dose of clonazepam (between 0.5 and 1.0 mg a day)
Dream theories
Freud believed dreams could be divided into manifest content and latent content
Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley came up with the activation synthesis model and viewed dreams as random brain activity during sleep
Information processing approach to understanding dreams sees REM as a process for memory consolidation and integration, which explains why we sometimes dream about things were working on and there can be common themes
Dreams are meant to make sense of experiences, they are not random
You stimulate connects and do some Long term potentiation
Robert Stickgold had people play tetris for hours and when they went to sleep they dreamed of tetris. The participants working to solve problems caused LTP
Activation synthesis model
Proposed by Alan Hobson and Robert McCarley in 1977
A more scientific brain based approach to dreaming
There are two main steps of dreaming: Activation and Synthesis
Activation-activation of different regions of the brain that occur randomly that cause certain neural networks to be activated
Synthesis- We try to make sense of these brain activations, certain parts of the brain are working and we have some awareness about them so certain memories are being spewed out and we make up random storylines about the memories to make sense of them.
This is why dreams are so random and chaotic because we are just throwing things together to make sense of it and with this it could tell us about how people interpret dreams and what their mind is about
Restoration theory of sleep
We sleep to restore ourselves, as we go through the day we use up hormones, neurotransmitters and energy, we replenish the energy as we go through NREM sleep, mostly NREM 3
Helps restore and repair brain tissue and supports growth
HElps us reenergize
Memory consolidation (aka cognitive or information processing)
Dreams aren’t random and they are ways to process what’s happened during the day.
Sleep helps us restore and rebuild our memories of the day, happens during REM
You repeat activities during sleep to do some Long Term Potentiation and wire yourself to remember activities.
Energy conservation theory
Based on evolutionary approach
Sleep is meant to protect us,as animals evolved sleep became a necessary way to preserve energy and protect us during a time of day where movement can cause more harm than good.
Our brains are primed to sleep when its dark because the pineal gland releases melatonin. Our body is primed with circadian rhythms.
Sleep helps animals adapt to their environments to survive
