Module 1.5c: Sleep: Sleep Loss, Sleep Disorders, and Dreams

Sleep deprivation leads to fatigue, decreased energy, and wellness.
Sleep debt accumulates; cannot be repaid with one long sleep.
Most adults need about 9 hours to recover from sleep debt.
High school and college students often report sleep deprivation.
Sleep loss affects mood, increases anger, and predicts depression risk.
Adolescents sleeping under 5 hours have significantly higher depression rates.
Sleep supports emotional regulation; better sleep linked to lower depression rates.
Delayed school start times can increase sleep and improve student outcomes.
Sleep deprivation affects metabolism and appetite regulation:
- Increases ghrelin (hunger hormone) and decreases leptin (suppressor).
- Increases cortisol (stress hormone).
- Disrupts gene expression, linked to health risks.
Sleep deprivation reduces immune response; increases cold vulnerability.
Increases accident rates due to impaired attention and response times.

Insomnia: Difficulty falling/staying asleep; affects 1 in 5 adults; leads to chronic fatigue.
Narcolepsy: Uncontrollable sleep attacks; can occur anytime.
Sleep Apnea: Breathing stops during sleep, causing fatigue and depression.
Sleepwalking: Complex behaviors occur in sleep; usually harmless.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Acting out dreams; potential for injury.

REM dreams are vivid and often emotional.
Common themes include negative events, misfortune, or being attacked.
Content influenced by recent experiences, trauma, or media exposure.
Different theories on why we dream:
- Information Processing: Helps consolidate daily experiences and memory.
- Physiological Function: Stimulates brain and promotes neural health.
- Activation-Synthesis: Brain synthesizes random activity into dreams.
- Cognitive Development: Dreams reflect cognitive maturity and understanding.
REM rebound occurs after sleep deprivation; indicates biological need for REM sleep.