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Circadian Rhythm
a cycle of biological functioning that regulates sleep cycles
Pineal Gland / eye photoreceptors
how is the circadian rhythm regulated?
Retina
Process light and determines the amount of melatonin produced
Melatonin
chemical that induces sleep
Sleep
periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness
EEG
technology which helps use see sleep cycles
Alpha waves
frequency when awake
Stage 1 (initial sleep stage)
transition between wakefulness and sleep, lasts 5-10 minutes
Theta Waves
Slower than alpha waves used to calm down in sleep stage 1
Hyponagogic Hallucinations
in sleep stage 1, falling sensation/ rocking/ tetris effect (seeing shapes)
Stage 2 (middle sleep stage)
heart rate drops, brain frequency accelerates, lasts 20 minutes
Sleep Spindles
a burst of brain activity when the brain is working hard to stop thinking/ fall asleep
Sigma Waves
frequency of sleep stage 2 - shows sleep spindles
K-complexes
irregular brain wave when cortex is stimulated but no reaction occurs (ex. touching a person who does not respond because they are asleep)
Stage 3 (deep sleep transition)
begins to produce delta waves and only lasts for a few minutes
Delta waves
large slow frequency of brain activity to induce deep sleep
Stage 4 (full deep sleep)
when the body repairs itself, lasts 30 minutes, many delta waves (when sleepwalking/ bed wetting/ night terrors occur - hard to wake!)
Nigh Terrors
when you wake up screaming without reason and hard to remember why/ next morning (because not story-like) - more common in children - ppl grow out of it or need stress reductions
REM Sleep
Rapid Eye Movement - when the brain is most active / dreams (process emotions, stressors, and memories)
Paradoxical Sleep
the motor cortex is active but movement messages are blocked so one cannot actually act out what they are dreaming - eyes dart around beneath eyelids
Hallucinatory Dreams
vivid and story-like
4-7 cycles
how many cycles of sleep stages do you need per night?
Growth Hormone
secreted in sleep stage 4
typically less sleep
older people
typically more sleep
younger people (still developing)
Sleep Deprivation
When you don’t get enough sleep (causes irritability, reduced concentration, and decreased immune system effectiveness)
Insomnia
Trouble falling/ staying asleep - 30% have acute and 10% have chronic - healed by natural remedies like exercise and medications
Sleep Apnea
Stop of breathing during sleep due to a lack of oxygen - 15% mostly overweight men - healed with weight loss, medications, and CPAP sleep mask
Narcolepsy
Sudden uncontrollable sleepiness due to reticular formation malfunction or under-supply of orexin (alertness) - healed with medications and rare
Consistent sleep
better to have consistent or catch up on sleep?