Psychology: Sleep

PS 101 Thompson

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

a test that measures sleep by putting electrodes on the scalp which helps reflect synchronous activity of millions of neurons

REM Sleep

stage of sleep where a person’s brain activity, breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure increase, and the eyes move rapidly when close

Hypnogogic Hallucinations

hallucinations that happen when you are falling asleep

Hypothalamus

the body's internal clock; regulates the sleep-wake cycle

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

Thousands of cells within the hypothalamus that receive information about light exposure

Brain Stem

communicates with the hypothalamus to control the transitions between wake and sleep

Thalamus

acts as a relay for information from the senses to the cerebral cortex

Cerebral Cortex

the covering of the brain that interprets and processes information from short to long term memory

Pineal Gland

increases production of the hormone melatonin

Basal Forebrain

promotes sleep and wakefulness

Midbrain

acts as an arousal system

Amygdala

almond-shaped structure involved in processing emotions, become increasingly active during REM sleep

Restorative Theory

Sleeping regularly helps improve memories. REM sleep is important for brain health

Evolutionary Theory

Sleep has developed to enhance our survival

Awake

beta waves: low amplitude, high frequency

Drowsy

alpha waves: high amplitude, low frequency

Stage 1 of Sleep

Non-REM sleep, the changeover from wakefulness to sleep; theta waves (low amplitude, low frequency)

Stage 2 of Sleep

Non-REM sleep, period of light sleep before entering deeper sleep. This is when sleep spindles occurs.

Stage 3 of Sleep

Non-REM sleep, period of deep sleep; delta waves

Dyssomnia

problems with quality, timing, and amount of sleep

Narcolepsy

falling asleep suddenly and uncontrollably

Insomnia

consistent inability to get to sleep, or frequent awakening during sleep

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder

when your body’s internal clock, which tells you when its time to sleep or wake, is out of sync with your environment

Sleep Apnea

irregular breathing during sleep

Transient Insomnia

hasn’t slept in a week or less, usually caused by stress and the environment

Acute Insomnia

hasn’t slept in a month or less

Chronic Insomnia

hasn’t slept in a more than a month; causes could be drugs, pain, jetlag/hormones, parasomnia

Parasomnia

unusual and undesirable physical events or experiences that disrupt sleep.

\-sleepwalking

\-sleep talking

\-sleep terrors

\-teeth grinding