Module 24: Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders & Dreams

How long does the brain keep an accurate count of sleep debt?

At least two weeks

If allowed to sleep unhindered, how many hours will most adults sleep?

9

What percent of high school students acknowledge falling asleep in class on several or more days in the last two weeks?

28 percent

What mental health disorder is sleep deprivation a predictor of?

How can sleep deprivation affect hunger?

It increases ghrelin (a hunger-arousing hormone) and decreases leptin (a hunger-suppressing hormone)

What is insomnia?

A sleep disorder characterized by reccuring problems in falling or staying asleep

What is narcolepsy?

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks

What is sleep apnea?

A sleep disorder characterized by temperary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

Who does sleep apnea primarily affect?

Obese adults

Who do night terrors primarily affect?

Young children

What are night terrors?

A sleep disorder characterized by episodes of abrupt awakening and intense fear during sleep

During which sleep stage do night terrors occur?

NREM-3 sleep

During which sleep stage do sleepwalking and sleep talking occur?

NREM-3 sleep

What is a dream?

A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind

How are daydreams and REM dreams different?

Daydreams involve familiar details of our lives, while REM dreams are vivid, emotional, and bizarre

How do sensory stimuli influence our dreams?

They become instantly woven into the storyline of our dreams

Do we remember information played while we are asleep?

No

What are the five main dream theories?

Freud’s wish-fulfillment, information-processing, physiological function, neural activation, and cognitive development

According to Freud, what is manifest content?

The remembered storyline of a dream

According to Freud, what is latent content?

The underlying meaning of a dream

Which psychologist supported the belief that dreams exist to satisfy our own wishes?

Sigmund Freud

What is REM rebound?

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

What is Freud’s wish-fulfillment theory?

Dreams provide a “psychic safety valve” to express otherwise unacceptable feelings

How is Freud’s wish-fulfillment theory critiqued?

It lacks an any scientific support

What is the information-processing theory?

Dreams help us sort out the day’s events and consolidate our memories

How is the information-processing theory critiqued?

It does not explain dreaming about things we have never experienced

What is the physiological function theory?

Regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways

How is the physiological function theory critiqued?

It does not explain why we experience meaningful dreams

What is the neural activation theory?

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories that our brain weaves into stories

How is the neural activation theory critiqued?

It does not explain the impact of a person’s character on creating the stories of their dreams

What is the cognitive development theory?

Dream content reflects dreamers’ knowledge and understanding

How is the cognitive development theory critiqued?

It does not address the neuroscience of dreams