Psychology Chapter 3 - Sleep Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is sleep?

A regularly occurring altered state of consciousness that typically occurs spontaneously and is primarily characterised by a loss of conscious awareness.

What is polysomnography?

An intensive study of a sleeping person involving simultaneous monitoring and recording of various physiological responses during sleep.

What does an electroencephalograph (EEG) do?

It detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the brain.

What is the role of an electromyograph (EMG)?

It detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of muscles. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of an electro-oculargraph (EOG)?

It measures eye movements or eye positions by detecting, amplifying and recording electrical activity in eye muscles. Signup and view all the answers

What is a sleep diary?

A record of an individual's sleep and waking time activities over a period of time. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes NREM sleep?

It is a type of sleep that is broken into four stages, where the sleeper falls into deeper sleep as the stages progress. Signup and view all the answers

What does frequency refer to in relation to brain waves?

The number of brain waves per second. Signup and view all the answers

What does amplitude indicate in brain wave activity?

The intensity of brain waves as shown by the size of the peaks and troughs from a baseline of zero activity. Signup and view all the answers

What is a hypnic jerk?

A body spasm that may occur during NREM stage 1 sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What are sleep spindles?

A brief burst of higher frequency brain wave activity during NREM stage 2 sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What are K-complexes?

A burst of low-frequency and slightly higher amplitude waves in response to arousing stimuli during NREM sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What occurs during REM sleep?

Rapid-eye movement sleep during which the eyeballs rapidly move beneath closed eyelids and constitutes about 20% of our sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What is a sleep-wake cycle shift?

A shift forward of the normal onset time of the sleep period, resulting in sleepiness at a later time. Signup and view all the answers

What is sleep debt?

Accumulated nightly sleep loss that is owed and needs to be made up. Signup and view all the answers

What is sleep deprivation?

Going without sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What is microsleep?

A very short period of drowsiness or sleeping that occurs while a person appears to be awake. Signup and view all the answers

What is the restorative theory of sleep?

An explanation of the purpose of sleep that proposes sleep provides 'time out' to recover from and repair the wear and tear on the body. Signup and view all the answers

What is REM rebound?

Following a period of lost REM sleep, spending more time than usual in REM sleep when next asleep. Signup and view all the answers

What is the survival theory of sleep?

An explanation that proposes sleep evolved to enhance survival by making organisms inactive during dangerous times. Signup and view all the answers

How does heart rate change during sleep?

It gradually drops as we move from light sleep to deep sleep. Signup and view all the answers

How does body temperature change during sleep?

It gradually drops as we move from light sleep to deep sleep, usually by about 1 degree. Signup and view all the answers

What is videomonitoring in sleep studies?

Sleep laboratories are fitted with cameras to record externally observable physiological responses accompanying sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What are self-reports in sleep studies?

Self-reports are commonly used to indicate sleep patterns, commonly through sleep diaries and questionnaires. Signup and view all the answers

Name some devices used to monitor sleep.

EEG, EMG, EOG, heart rate monitors, body temperature monitors, and video monitoring. Signup and view all the answers

What is the duration of an entire sleep cycle?

Complete sleep cycle lasts for 80-120 minutes and usually occurs four to five times a night. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Sleep Overview

Sleep is a regularly occurring altered state of consciousness primarily characterized by a loss of conscious awareness.
Essential for recovery and repair from daily activities.

Polysomnography

A comprehensive study involving simultaneous monitoring of various physiological responses during sleep.

Key Devices

Electroencephalograph (EEG): Records electrical activity of the brain.
Electromyograph (EMG): Measures electrical activity of muscles.
Electro-oculargraph (EOG): Tracks eye movements by recording electrical activity in eye muscles.

Sleep Diary

A record kept by individuals documenting sleep and waking activities over time, useful for sleep studies.

NREM Sleep Stages

NREM sleep: Divided into four stages, where sleep gets progressively deeper.
Hypnic jerk: A body spasm that can occur during NREM stage 1 sleep.
Sleep spindles: Brief bursts of high-frequency brain activity in NREM stage 2.
K-complexes: Low-frequency waves occurring during NREM sleep in response to stimuli.

REM Sleep

Characterized by rapid eye movements, comprising about 20% of total sleep and primarily associated with dreaming.
Features include muscle atonia (extreme muscle relaxation) and occasional twitching, making it hard to wake up.
Eye movements may result from random neural activity related to memory consolidation.

Sleep Patterns

Sleep-wake cycle shift: Adolescents often experience a delay in sleep onset, leading to later sleepiness.
Sleep debt: Refers to accumulated sleep loss that needs to be compensated for.
Sleep deprivation: Simply the absence of sleep, with potential negative effects on health.
Microsleep: Brief episodes of drowsiness while seeming awake.

Theories of Sleep

Restorative theory: Sleep allows the body to recover from wear and tear accumulated during waking hours.
Survival theory: Proposes sleep evolved to enhance survival by reducing activity during dangerous periods.

Physiological Changes

Heart rate: Gradually decreases from light to deep sleep; can spike during dreaming.
Body temperature: Likewise decreases by about 1 degree as sleep deepens.

Monitoring Sleep

Videomonitoring: Utilizes cameras in sleep labs to observe behavioral patterns and physiological responses.
Self-reports: Sleep diaries and questionnaires serve as common tools for tracking sleep patterns.

Sleep Cycle Characteristics

A complete sleep cycle lasts between 80 to 120 minutes, occurring four to five times during a night.
Includes both NREM and REM sleep stages in each cycle.

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Description

Explore key concepts related to sleep with these flashcards. This quiz covers important terminology such as sleep, polysomnography, and electroencephalography (EEG). Perfect for students studying psychology and its biological foundations.