44 Questions
What percentage of a human's life is spent sleeping if they sleep 6-8 hours per day?
25-33%
How much of a 78-year-old's life is estimated to be spent sleeping?
19-26 years
What percentage of a cat's life is spent sleeping?
50-67%
What drives circadian rhythms in most organisms?
Evolutionary niche adaptations
What does 'circadian' mean?
About day
What is the approximate range of minutes for 6 hours of sleep?
360 mins
Which stage of sleep is claimed to be correlated with dreaming?
REM sleep
What is the estimated percentage of time spent sleeping outside of the work-place?
Most timeconsuming human activity
What is the maximum duration allowed for each nap in the sleeping lab?
15 minutes
How many naps do people take per day in the sleeping lab?
5
What is the duration of the blocks separating the naps in the sleeping lab?
2 hours
Which stage of sleep is particularly restorative?
Slow-wave sleep
What type of sleep is dominated by delta activity in EEG waveforms?
Stage 3-4 sleep
What type of sleep is particularly protected when sleep duration is short?
Slow-wave sleep
What does natural variation in sleep duration and long-term sleep reduction demonstrate?
Plasticity in sleep efficiency
What is the maximum number of hours per night that defines long sleepers?
8 hours
What is the term used for people who sleep less than 6 hours per night?
Short sleepers
What is the primary method used to identify sleep stages in the lab?
EEG, EOG, EMG
What does slow-wave sleep deprivation tend to result in?
Decreased sleep efficiency
Which type of sleep is particularly important for health and wellbeing?
Slow-wave sleep
What does Electroencephalography (EEG) measure?
Electrical activity on the scalp arising from the synchronous activity of large populations of neurons
Which sleep stage is characterized by delta activity and associated with reduced heart rate and muscle relaxation?
Slow-wave sleep (stages 3 & 4)
What is the function of sleep according to the text?
Essential for survival and well-being
What does Electromyography (EMG) measure?
Electrical activity caused by muscle contractions
What is the physiological correlate of dreaming according to early evidence?
REM sleep
What is the impact of lesions to the pontine brainstem according to the text?
Abolishing REM sleep but not dreaming
Which theory suggests that sleep conserves energy and enforces evolutionary niche?
Adaptation theory
What is the characteristic EEG pattern of REM sleep?
Low amplitude, high frequency
What does Electrooculography (EOG) measure?
Eye electrical activity associated with eye movements
What is the impact of antidepressants on REM sleep and dreaming according to the text?
Counterevidence includes the impact of antidepressants on REM sleep and dreaming
What activates the body's 'rest-and-digest' systems according to the text?
Slow-wave sleep
What is the characteristic EEG pattern of slow-wave sleep?
Delta activity
What is the main reason for sleep according to the text?
Survival motivated by evolutionary pressures
What is the impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive processing?
Impairs cognitive processing and decision-making
What is the effect of extreme sleep deprivation on humans?
Can be fatal due to stress, not lack of sleep
What does the text say about the variability of sleep across species?
Sleep is highly variable across species driven by evolutionary pressures
What is the impact of sleep deprivation on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex?
Leads to reduced activity, impacting empathy and compassion
What does REM rebound indicate?
Indication of the importance of REM sleep and contributes to daytime alertness/sleepiness
What is the impact of sleep deprivation on decision-making?
Impairs decision-making, as seen in the Iowa Gambling task
What does animal studies of extreme sleep deprivation suggest about its impact on health?
Stress, not lack of sleep, can be fatal
What is the main driver of sleep across species according to the text?
Evolutionary pressures
What is the impact of very long periods of total sleep deprivation on executive functioning?
Associated with impaired executive functioning
What is the homeostatic regulation of REM sleep according to the text?
REM sleep is homeostatically regulated
What is the impact of REM rebound after deprivation according to the text?
Indication of the importance of REM sleep and contributes to daytime alertness/sleepiness
Study Notes
Biological Psychology of Sleep and Dreaming
- Humans are not well adapted to life in the dark, experiencing increased risk of predation and other mishaps at night.
- Sleep is not needed for survival but is motivated by evolutionary pressures.
- Sleep schedules should be modifiable, and there is no set amount of sleep required given wakefulness.
- Sleep is highly variable across species and is driven more by evolutionary pressures than restoration needs.
- Animal studies of extreme sleep deprivation have shown that stress, not lack of sleep, can be fatal.
- Sleep deprivation in humans is often caused by stressors such as work, relationships, illness, and finances.
- Experimental studies have shown that sleep deprivation leads to increased self-reported sleepiness and negative affect.
- Poor sleep impairs cognitive processing and decision-making, as seen in the Iowa Gambling task.
- Sleep deprivation can lead to reduced activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, impacting empathy and compassion.
- Very long periods of total sleep deprivation are associated with impaired executive functioning, affecting mental processes like inhibiting impulsive actions and updating plans.
- REM sleep is homeostatically regulated, and selectively depriving people of REM sleep can help understand its functions.
- REM rebound, after deprivation, is an indication of the importance of REM sleep, and it contributes to daytime alertness/sleepiness.
Test your knowledge of the biological aspects of sleep and dreaming with this quiz. Explore topics such as evolutionary pressures, sleep deprivation, cognitive processing, and the functions of REM sleep. Challenge yourself with questions about the impact of poor sleep on decision-making and executive functioning.
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