AP Psychology: Module 17

Ghrelin

A hunger-arousing hormone that increases when there is a lack of sleep.

Leptin

A hunger-suppressing hormone that decreases when there is a lack of sleep.

Cortisol

A stress hormone that stimulates the body to make fat, and its production increases with sleep deprivation.

Limbic brain responses

Enhanced responses in the brain's limbic system, which is responsible for emotions and motivation, to the sight of food during sleep deprivation.

Cortical responses

Decreased responses in the brain's cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and self-control, that help resist temptation during sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation and weight gain

Children and adults who sleep less on average tend to be heavier than those who get an appropriate amount of sleep.

Fattier foods and sleep deprivation

The brain finds fattier foods more appealing during sleep deprivation.

Weakened immune system

Lack of sleep weakens the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to disease.

Sleep and immune system

Sleep helps boost the immune system, making it stronger and better equipped to fight off infections.

Sleep duration and catching a cold

Those who average 5 hours of sleep are 4.5 times more likely to catch a cold compared to those who sleep 7 hours a night.

Sleep deprivation and reaction time

Sleep deprivation slows down reaction time and increases errors in visual attention tasks.

Operational errors and car crashes

Slower reaction time due to sleep deprivation can lead to operational errors and car crashes.

Spring-forward time change and accidents

The spring-forward time change has led to an increase in vehicular accidents due to shortened sleep.

Cyberloaf

A term used to describe people who spend an excessive amount of time online or on the internet due to being more tired than normal.

Insomnia

A sleep disorder characterized by recurring problems in falling asleep, which can result in excessive tiredness and depression.

Sleeping pills and insomnia

Sleeping pills are not a great treatment for insomnia as they reduce REM sleep and build up tolerance, requiring increasing doses.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleeping or sleep attacks, often falling directly into REM sleep at inappropriate times.

Narcolepsy triggers

Narcolepsy can be triggered by intense emotions such as shouting angrily or laughing loudly.

Sleep apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings, which may cause fatigue and depression.

Sleep apnea treatment

A common treatment for sleep apnea is using a mask device that keeps the airway open during sleep.

Night terrors

A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and the appearance of being terrified, occurring during NREM-3 sleep and rarely remembered.

Sleepwalking

A childhood sleep disorder where someone gets up out of bed and walks around and acts out certain things while still asleep, happening during NREM-3 sleep.

Sleeptalking

A childhood sleep disorder where someone speaks gibberish and nonsensical language while still asleep, occurring during NREM-3 sleep.

Dreams

A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind, with REM dreams being vivid, emotional, and often bizarre.

Nightmares

Dreams that occur after suffering a trauma, helping the mind extinguish daytime fears.

Dreams of blind people

Blind people reportedly dream of their other senses rather than sight, relying on nonvisual senses in their dreams.

Media influence on dreams

Consumption of violent or sexual media can influence the content of dreams.

Dream incorporation

Certain stimuli, such as an odor or sound, can be woven into dreams immediately and ingeniously.

Memory and sleep

While asleep, we cannot remember recorded information, but we can learn to associate a sound with a pleasant or unpleasant odor.

Wish-fulfillment theory

Sigmund Freud's proposition that dreams provide a psychic safety valve for discharging "unacceptable" feelings, with manifest and latent content.

Information-processing perspective

Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix the day's experiences in memory and consolidate memories.

Physiological function

Regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop new neural pathways.

Activation-synthesis perspective

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which the sleeping brain weaves into stories.

Cognitive development perspective

Dream content reflects dreamers' level of cognitive development and understanding, stimulating their lives and worst-case scenarios.