Study Guide for Sleep

Consciousness

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

States of Consciousness

Different conditions of awareness, including spontaneous occurrences (like dreaming), physiologically induced states (like hallucinations), and psychologically induced states (like meditation).

Cognitive Neuroscience

The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition.

Blindsight

A condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.

Parallel Processing

Processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously, typically for well-learned information.

Sequential Processing

Processing one aspect of a problem at a time, typically for new information or difficult problems.

Sleep

A periodic, natural loss of consciousness distinct from unconsciousness due to a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation.

Circadian Rhythm

The body's internal, biological clock, operating on a roughly 24-hour cycle influenced by body temperature.

NREM 1

The first stage of sleep characterized by slowed breathing, irregular brain waves, and easily awakened.

NREM 2

A stage of sleep lasting about 20 minutes, identified by sleep spindles and still easily awakened.

NREM 3

A deep sleep stage characterized by delta waves, lasting about 30 minutes and difficult to awaken from.

REM sleep

Rapid Eye Movement sleep; a stage where vivid dreams commonly occur and is also known as paradoxical sleep.

Sleep paralysis

A state in which a person is aware but unable to move or speak during waking up or falling asleep.

Paradoxical Sleep

Another term for REM sleep, where intense brain activity occurs alongside lack of motor function except for the eye muscles.

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls the circadian rhythm and adjusts melatonin production.

Melatonin

A naturally occurring compound that regulates sleep/wake cycles and has multiple vital functions.

Sleep Deprivation

Lack of sleep leading to fatigue, irritability, impaired concentration, and various health issues.

Sleep Apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing and repeated awakenings.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder marked by uncontrollable sleep attacks, often leading directly into REM sleep.

Night Terrors

A sleep disorder involving high arousal and fear, occurring in NREM 3 sleep and not often remembered.

Insomnia

Ongoing difficulty falling or staying asleep, the most common sleep disorder.

Dream

A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind.

Manifest Content

The symbolic, remembered storyline of a dream, as per Freud.

Latent Content

The underlying meaning of a dream, as per Freud.

REM rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation.