Sleep Loss, Disorders, & Dreams AP Psych Unit 1

Effects of sleep loss

• Drained Energy & diminished sense of well being

• Affects mood & can increase risks of aggressive behavior, depression, and suicidal thinking

• Offsets our metabolism

• Immune system suppression

• Decreased attention & slowed reaction time

Insomnia

Recurring problems in falling and staying asleep

Narcolepsy

• Suffer from sleepiness & may fall asleep at unpredictable or inappropriate times

• Directly into REM sleep

Sleep apnea

• A person stops breathing during their sleep (oxygen deprivation)

• Wake up momentarily, gasps for air, then falls back asleep

Somnambulism/Sleepwalking

• Repeated episodes of complex motor behavior, such as walking while asleep.

• Most often occurs during the first few hours of sleeping and in stage 3 (deep sleep).

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

A sleep disorder in which normal REM paralysis does not occur; instead, twitching, kicking or punching may occur, often acting out one’s dream.

Dreams

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

Activation synthesis

• Looks at dreams first as biological phenomena

• Proposes that perhaps dreams are nothing more than the brain’s interpretations of what is happening physiologically during REM sleep.

• May be a story made up by a part of our mind caused by the intense brain activity during REM sleep.

Information-Processing Theory aka Consolidation Theory

• Stress during the day will increase the number and intensity of dreams during the night.

• Theorize the function of REM may be to integrate the information processed during the day into our memories.

REM Rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

Drugs are either…

• Agonists “mimic”

• Antagonists “Block”

• Reuptake inhibitors

Antagonists

Substance that acts like another substance and therefore stimulates an action

Antagonist

A substance that acts against and blocks an action

Reuptake inhibitors

Blocks neurotransmitters from sponging up from the synaptic cleft

Addiction

An everyday term for compulsive substance abuse that continue despite harmful consequences (Also known as Substance use disorder)

Tolerance

A physiological change that produces a need for more of the same drug in order to achieve the same effect

Withdrawal

Physical and mental symptoms that occur after stopping or reducing intake of a drug.

Stimulants

Speed up body processes

What do more powerful stimulants do

More powerful ones (like cocaine) give people feelings of invincibility

Ex of stimulants

• Caffeine

• Cocaine

• Amphetamines

• Nicotine

Depressants

Slows down bodily processes

Depressants includes?

• Alcohol

• Barbiturates

• Tranquilizers

Hallucinogens

• Psychedelics

• Cause changes in perceptions of reality

• Reverse tolerance or synergistic effect

Examples of hallucinogens

• LSD

• Psilocybin mushrooms

• Peyote

• Marijuana

Opiates

Powerful pain killers & mood elevators

Opiates include

Morphine, heroin, methadone, and codeine – all similar in chemical structure to opium

Opiates in relation to endorphins

Opiates all act as agonists for endorphins

Teratogens

Anything that can disrupt the development of an embryo or fetus in a pregnant mother's womb

What do teratogens may cause?

May cause a birth defect, malformation, or terminate the pregnancy altogether