Sleep and Dreams

What is a Biological Approach?

Main assumptions

1. Similarities and differences betwen people can be understood in terms of biological factors.

2. Behavior, cognition, and emotions can be explained un terms of the working of the brain and the effects of hormones, genetics, and evolution.

Background for Dement & Kleitman Study

What is Consciousness?

• Consciousness:

• Our awareness of ourselves and our environments.

Sleep and Dreams

• Circadian Rythm:

• Regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24 hour cycle, such as body temperature, sleep, and wake cycle.

• Ultradian Rhythms

• Biological rhythms that repeats more frequently than once a day such as heartrate and appetite.

• Sleep

• Periodic, natural reversibl loss od concciousness.

• We measure with the Electro-encephalogram (EEG)

  

Brain Waves and Sleep Stages (Non-REM)

• Beta Waves = Awake

• Alpha Waves = Relaxed

• Hallucinations = onset of sleep/ false sensory experiebces/falling or rising

• Theta Waves = Stage 1 light Sleep

• Sleep Spindles = Stage 2 (burst of activity)

• Delta Waves = Stage 3-4/ large, slow waves of deep sleep.

Stages in Typical Nights Sleep

• REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep

• recurring sleep stage (every 90min)

• vivid dreams/lucid dreaming/ nightmare

• “paradoxial Sleep”

• Muscles are generally relaxed, but other body systems are active.

Sleep Deprivation

• Effects of Sleep loss

  • fatigue

  • imparied concentration

  • depressed immune system

  • greater vulnerability to accidents

Sleep Disorders

• Night Terrors

  • Occur within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep, usually during stage 4

  • high arousal - scared but no recall of it

• Somnambulism

  • Sleep halking also in stage 4

  • Runs in families & affects children more of ten

  • Ususally due to stress

• Insomnia

  • Persistent problems in falling or staying asleep

• Narcolepsy

  • Uncontrollable sleep attacks

• Sleep apnea

  • Temporary cessation of breathing

• Sleeping Paralysis

  • Occurs during the transition between wakefulness and sleep.