SLEEP PROBLEMS & DISORDERS

Flashcards covering sleep disorders, substance use and abuse, and other states of consciousness from lecture notes.

Difficulty falling or staying asleep for at least 3 nights a week for at least one month’s time; the most common sleep disorder. Symptoms of depression are often associated with this condition.

Insomnia

Age, drug use (stimulants like caffeine), lack of exercise, mental status (anxiety), and poor bedtime routines.

Insomnia Contributing Factors

Stress management techniques, changes in problematic behaviors, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Insomnia Treatment

Unwanted motor behavior/experiences throughout the sleep cycle.

Parasomnias

A parasomnia that usually occurs during “slow-wave” sleep (stages 3 & 4).

Sleepwalking

A parasomnia where the muscle paralysis associated with REM sleep does not occur, leading to high levels of physical activity during REM sleep; often treated with Clonazepam.

REM sleep behavior disorder

A parasomnia involving uncomfortable sensations in the legs when trying to fall asleep, relieved by moving the legs; can be treated with medications.

Restless leg syndrome

A parasomnia where the sleeper experiences a sense of panic, may scream or attempt to escape, and occurs during NREM sleep.

Night terrors

A sleep disorder where individuals stop breathing during their sleep, usually for 10-20 seconds or longer, leading to increased fatigue. Common in overweight people.

Sleep Apnea

A type of sleep apnea where the airway becomes blocked, preventing air from entering the lungs.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A type of sleep apnea where the CNS fails to initiate breaths.

Central Sleep Apnea

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device, used to treat sleep apnea by pumping air into the person’s airways.

CPAP device

Occurs when an infant younger than 12 months stops breathing during sleep and dies, with boys having a greater risk than girls.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Premature birth, smoking within the home, and hyperthermia.

SIDS Contributing Factors

An irresistible urge to fall asleep during waking hours, often triggered by heightened arousal or stress, sharing features of REM sleep.

Narcolepsy

A feature of narcolepsy involving loss of muscle tone while awake or complete paralysis of voluntary muscles.

Cataplexy

A feature of narcolepsy involving vivid, dream-like hallucinations.

Hypnagogic hallucinations

Psychomotor stimulant drugs (e.g., amphetamines) to increase neural activity.

Narcolepsy Treatment

A compulsive pattern of drug use despite negative consequences, involving physical/physiological and psychological dependence (DSM-5 definition).

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Changes in normal bodily functions that result in withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of drug use.

Physiological dependence

An emotional need for a drug.

Psychological dependence

Occurs when a person requires more and more of a drug to achieve effects previously experienced at lower doses; linked to physiological dependence.

Tolerance

Negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued.

Withdrawal

Antipsychotics, Stimulants, Depressants, and Hallucinogens (also antidepressants and opiates). All interact with the body's endogenous neurotransmitter system.

Four Main Drug Categories

Drugs like Cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, MDMA that increase heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature; increase alertness, cause mild euphoria, decrease appetite, with high doses leading to agitation, paranoia, hallucinations. Highly addicting.

Stimulants (Drug Class)

Drugs like Alcohol, barbiturates, Benzodiazepines that decrease heart rate, blood pressure; low doses increase relaxation, decrease inhibitions, high doses induce sleep, cause motor disturbance, memory loss, decreased respiratory function, and death. Highly addicting.

Sedative-Hypnotics ("Depressants") (Drug Class)

Drugs like Opium, Heroin, Fentanyl, Morphine, Oxycodone that decrease pain, pupil dilation, gut motility, and respiratory function; cause pain relief, euphoria, sleepiness. High doses can cause death due to respiratory depression. Highly addicting.

Opiates (Drug Class)

Drugs like Marijuana, LSD, Peyote, ketamine, PCP that cause mild to intense perceptual changes, vivid hallucinations, and may cause increased heart rate and blood pressure, with variable effects. Highly addicting.

Hallucinogens (Drug Class)

Drugs that suppress central nervous system activity by acting as GABA agonists, making neurons less likely to fire; examples include Alcohol, Barbiturates, and Benzodiazepines.

Depressants

Substances that bind to GABA receptors, which have a quieting effect on the brain, making the neuron less likely to fire.

GABA agonists

Decreases reaction time and visual acuity, lowers levels of alertness, reduces behavioral control, and can result in complete loss of consciousness.

Effects of Alcohol

A channel embedded in the cell membrane of certain neurons, with multiple receptor sites where depressants bind, opening the channel to allow negatively-charged chloride ions into the neuron's cell body, which pushes the neuron away from firing and creates a quieting effect on the brain.

GABA-gated chloride (Cl-) channel

Drugs that increase overall levels of neural activity, often by acting as dopamine agonists, preventing dopamine reuptake, and are highly addictive due to dopamine's association with reward and craving.

Stimulants

Substances that prevent the reuptake of dopamine, increasing its levels in the synapse, leading to effects associated with reward and craving, making these drugs highly addictive.

Dopamine agonists

Nausea, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, feelings of anxiety, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Stimulant Side Effects

As dopamine agonists, these drugs block the reuptake of dopamine from the synapse into the presynaptic cell, resulting in a larger amount of dopamine in the synapse.

Cocaine & Amphetamines (Mechanism)

A stimulant that primarily acts as an antagonist for adenosine (which impacts sleep), and may indirectly impact dopamine transmission, increasing levels of alertness and arousal, though less potent than other stimulants.

Caffeine

A highly addictive stimulant that interacts with acetylcholine receptors, playing a role in arousal and reward mechanisms.

Nicotine

Highly addictive drugs that serve as analgesics (decrease pain) through their effects on the endogenous opioid neurotransmitter system; examples include Heroin, Morphine, Methadone, and Codeine.

Opioids

Substances that decrease pain.

Analgesics

Drugs that cause changes in sensory and perceptual experiences, often involving vivid hallucinations, and have variable effects on neurotransmitter systems (e.g., mescaline and LSD are serotonin agonists; PCP and ketamine are NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists).

Hallucinogens

Substances that activate serotonin receptors, as exemplified by mescaline and LSD.

Serotonin agonists

Substances like PCP and ketamine that block NMDA glutamate receptors.

NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists

An extreme focus on the self involving suggested changes of behavior and and experience, used by clinicians with relaxation and suggestion to alter thoughts and perceptions, but individuals remain in control of their behaviors.

Hypnosis

Pain management, treatment of depression and anxiety, quitting smoking, and weight loss.

Clinical Hypnotherapy Uses

The act of focusing on a single target (like breath or a repeated sound) to increase awareness of the moment, involving relaxed yet focused awareness.

Meditation

Shows promise in stress management, improving sleep quality, pain management, and treating mood and anxiety disorders.

Meditation Benefits