Understanding Stress, Hormones, and Sleep Stages

Valance of Stress

How strong is the stressor?

Eustress

Focused attention, emotional regulation rational thinking

Distress

Cannot function, memory impaired, burn out.

Resiliency to stress

Things that can alter our resiliency include exercise, meditation, and social support.

Sex

biological characteristics that divide into male and female categories 

Gender role

The expected behavior and attitudes that a society considers appropriate for men and women.

Gender identity

A person's internal sense of their own gender.

Gender expression

The external display of one's gender, through behavior, clothing, haircut, etc.

Organizational Effects of Hormones

Critical periods - prenatally and sometimes very early post-natally; permanent changes in brain structure.

Activational Effects of Hormones

Transient effects that occur later in life when hormones are present.

Zeitgeber

External or environmental cue that synchronizes a biological rhythm.

Strongest zeitgeber for humans

Light.

Need for sleep

Restoration of physical and mental energy, reduced energy demand, protection from predators, support plasticity for learning, support of growth and development.

Stage 1: NREM

Lightest stage of sleep, slowing heart rate, breathing and eye movements.

Stage 2: NREM

most of time sleeping, drop in body temp, breathing slows 

Sleep spindle = increase in activity in sleep, learning and memory is being worked on  

Stage 3,4 NREM

Decreased breathing rate and heart rate, slowed brain waves. Delta waves

REM sleep

Irregular breathing, increased heart rate, memory consolidation, emotional processing and brain development.