Chapter 2: Sleep and Dreaming Questions

What happens to the body as a person falls asleep?

-Body temperature decreases

-Hormones are released (Melatonin)

What reset's a person’s biological clock?

light exposure

What happens when circadian rhythms get out of sync?

Jet lag because they are constantly changing their rhythms

What is the amount of caffeine recommended for teens?

100 mg per day

How does caffeine affect your body/sleep cycle?

Drinking caffeine causes the delay of melatonin release making teens fall asleep later into the night.

Caffeine causes increased alertness followed quickly by a crash (increased heart rate, high BP, jitters, insomnia) 

What are the long term effects of drinking caffeine?

type 1 diabetes, depression, substance abuse, high BP and heart rate, sleep deprivation

How long is each sleep cycle?

90 minutes

What happens during the N1 Stage?

the “just drifting stage” that lasts around 10 minutes 

pulse slows, muscles relax, uneven breathing

hypnotic jerks and hypnogogic images occur here

What happens to the waves during N1 Stage?

theta wave activity increases and alpha waves fade

What happens during N2 Stage?

Lasts around 30 minutes

body’s temperature continues to drop, heart rate and breathing slows

What happens to the waves during N2 stage?

theta waves are prominent

What happens during during N3 stage?

growth hormones are released from the pituitary gland

body is at the lowest level of function 

sleepwalking, bedwetting, and talking occur during this stage

What happens to the waves during N3 stage?

Delta waves increase from 20 to 50 percent of brain activity 

After completing N3, what stage does the sleeping person go into?

The sleeping person goes into N2 again then REM sleep.

What happens during REM sleep?

lasts around 15 to 45 minutes

eyes move rapidly under eyelids

heart rate increase to near-waking levels pulse rates and breath become irregular

What happens to brain waves during REM?

Resemble beta waves (similar to brain acticvty when awake)

What is NREM sleep?

deep restful sleep where the body moves

What is REM sleep?

Active sleep where dreaming occurs and there is little movement

What is REM rebound? 

if deprived of REM sleep, people will spend more time in REM sleep the next night.

How much time do babies spend in REM sleep?

50% of their sleep

How much time do adults in REM sleep?

20% of their sleep

What causes insomnia?

excessive anxiety, emotional problems, health problems, and use of drugs

What causes nightmares?

stress, depression, medication, sleep deprivation, and scary media

What causes night terrors?

medication, stress, fever, sleep deprivation

When does night terrors occur?

N3 Stage?

What are dreams mostly about?

mundane situations that unfold in familiar settings and characters (normally family, friends, and colleagues).

How do dreams between men and women differ?

Women: dream about males and females equally, people they know, their physical appearance, home issues, and being targets of aggression

Men: dream about other males, outdoors/unfamiliar settings, acting aggressively 

How do different cultures look at dreaming?

Western: hold little significance to dreams affecting their waking life

non-Western: believe dreams are significant —> sources of info on oneself, the future, and spiritual world

*vary from 1 culture to another

What is slow wave sleep?

Another name for N3 sleep, called this because delta waves are present here (the largest and slowest waves).