psych - sleep and dreaming

altered state of consciousness

shift in quality or pattern of mental activity

(ex: sleep)

circadian rhythm

 a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a 24hr period

(average sleep cycle in adults is 90 minutes)

consicousness

a person’s awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any given moment

dreams

insomnia

inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get good quality sleep

(treatment - cognitive behavioral therapy or medication)

narcolepsy

Person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning; 1 in 2000

(related to Cataplexy - loss of muscle tone which causes people to collapse, common trigger is emotion like joy or anger or fear)

nightmares

bad dreams arousing feelings of sorrow, helplessness, etc.

(individual remembers, happens during REM sleep)

night terrors

attacks of extreme fear that the victim has while sound asleep

(doesn’t remember, non-REM, sleep deprivation is a factor)

non-REM sleep

stage 1 - transitional stage, light sleep

stage 2 - body function decreases, sleep spindles

stage 3 - deep sleep, growth hormones released

REM behavior disorder

mechanism that typically blocks the movement of voluntary muscles fails, allowing the person to thrash around and get up and act out nightmares

(most common in older men, connection to parkinson’s)

REM sleep

increase in body function, 90% of dreaming, eyes move under eyelids

sleep apnea

Person stops breathing for short periods during sleep; prevents them from getting to rem sleep or deeper sleeping stages

(treatment - CPAP)

why we need sleep

growth development, memory consolidation, and creative thinking/problem solving

sleepwalking

occurs during non-rem sleep; moving around or walking around in one’s sleep; likely cause is not getting enough sleep

adaptive theory

suggests that sleep evolved as a protective mechanism to help us avoid predators and conserve energy during dangerous times of day or night

restorative theory

sleep is necessary for the physical and mental health of the body