Module 17 - Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and Dreams

 List the various problems that students face if they do not get enough sleep.

difficulty studying, diminished productivity, tendency to make mistakes, irritability, fatigue

How does lack of sleep lead to weight gain?

lack of sleep results in the hormone ghrelin being produced at a higher level which increases appetite, so if you’re awake you’re going to eat but if you’re asleep that hormone isn’t being produced at a higher level and you don’t eat. 

How does lack of sleep affect our physical health?

growth and stress hormones, our immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

insomnia

results in having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting good quality sleep. Causes chronic tiredness, reliance or sleeping pills and alcohol which reduces REM sleep and builds up tolerance to pills/alcohol. 

 narcolepsy:

sudden attack of overwhelming sleepiness. Causes a risk of falling asleep at a dangerous moment

sleep apnea:

stopping breathing repeatedly while sleeping. Causes fatigue and depression and is associated with obesity. 

sleepwalking and sleeptalking

doing normal activities or talking while asleep. Sleeptalking can occur at any stage, sleepwalking occurs during NREM-3. Causes few serious concerns. 

night terrors

appearing terrified, talking nonsense, moving around during NREM-3 sleep; not the same as nightmares. Causes doubled heart and breath rate in children.

What are dreams?

sequences of images, thoughts, and emotions going through our mind while we sleep. 

 For both men and women, 8 in 10 dreams are marked by:

at least one negative event or emotion

manifest content

symbolic, remembered story line of a dream (conscious)

latent content

underlying meaning of a dream, hidden (unconscious)

Describe the five explanations of why we dream:

-to satisfy our own wishes

-to file away memories

-to develop and preserve neural pathways

-to make sense of neural static

-to reflect cognitive development

 Freud’s wish-fulfillment theory

dreams provide a “psychic safety valve” that releases unacceptable feelings. This theory lacks any scientific support because dreams may be interpreted in many different ways.

info processing theory

dreams help us sort out and preserve the days' memories. However, this doesn’t explain why we sometimes dream about things we haven’t experienced and past events.

 Physiological function theory

brain stimulation from REM sleep can help develop and preserve neural pathways. This doesn’t explain why we experience meaningful dreams.

 Activation-synthesis theory

dreams are the brain's attempt to synthesize random neural activity. However, this still tells us something about ourselves because our brain is creating the story. 

cognitive development theory

dreams are part of brain maturation and cognitive development. This doesn’t propose an adaptive function of dreams.