Sleep Vocab

consciousness

an individual’s level of awareness of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and events in an individual’s internal & external world

sleep

a state of reduced consciousness where the body rests & restores itself

melatonin

a sleep inducing hormone in the hypothalamus

biological rhythms

periodic physiological fluctuations in the body

circadian rhythms

daily/behavioral physiological cycles

sleep stages

identified by their specific EEG pattern (half of sleep is stage 2)

REM sleep

an active stage of sleep during which dreaming occurs

paradoxical sleep

our brain waves appear active & intense like when we’re awake

REM deprivation

interferes with memory

REM rebound

next time you sleep, long and more REM sleep will occur

sleep disorders

problems with the quality, timing, & amount of sleep that impair the ability to function

insomnia

inability to sleep

hypnagogic hallucinations

sensory phenomena that a sleeper perceives in the transition between wakefulness & sleep

somnambulism

sleepwalking occurs in the deepest stages of sleep

REM sleep behavior disorder

where a person physically acts out their dreams during REM sleep (kicking in response to a dream)

narcolepsy

intense sleepiness & falling asleep at unpredictable times

activation-synthesis theory

dreams are the brain’s interpretations of what is happening physiologically during REM sleep

consolidation theory

when the brain transforms short term memories into stable long term memories

memory consolidation

where newly formed memories are integrated into the brain’s neutral networks making them easier to retrieve later

restoration sleep

sleep serves as a vital function to repair & replenish the body’s energy

sleep apnea

when individuals stop breathing because the windpipe fails to open