MODULE 7

Sleep and Dreams

Type 2 - 5 Minute Quiz…pick up your worksheet on table and take out notes.

Objectives

Students will be able to… Demonstrate their understanding of sleep

by creating an illustration on the different stages

Discuss the difference between biological clocks and circadian clock

Question of the Day – Type 111/15/10 According to a national survey

16% of adults sleep less than six hours 24% sleep 6 to 6.9 hours 31% sleep 7 to 7.9 hours 26% sleep 8 or more hours Average: 6.9 hours a night

Where do you fall in this survey? What are the benefits and

drawbacks of sleeping the number of hours you sleep?

Biological Clock and Circadian rhythm

Biological clocks are internal timing devices that are genetically set to regulate various physiological responses for different periods of time

Circadian rhythm refers to a biological clock that’s genetically programmed to regulate physiological responses within a time period of 24 hours

Where is your biological clock located?

Suprachiasmatic nucleus part of hypothalamus lies in the lower middle of the brain regulates a number of circadian rhythms regulates sleep-wake cycle highly responsive to change in light

Interval v. Food-Entrainable

Interval timing clock can be started and stopped like a stopwatch,

seconds, minutes, or hours helps creatures time their movements located in the basal ganglia

Food-entrainable circadian clock “midnight snack” clock regulates eating patterns in people and animals obese people might have an abnormality in

their clock (located in hypothalamus)

Circadian problems and treatments

Shift workers decreased performance in cognitive and

motor skills sleep-wake clocks have prepared bodies for

sleep (means workers feel sleepy, are less attentive and alert, and are often in a lousy mood)

Jet lag fatigue, lack of concentration, and reduced

cognitive skills during travel to new time zones biological circadian clocks are out of step

Circadian problems and treatments

Resetting clock light therapy: use of bright artificial light to

reset circadian clocks and combat the insomnia and drowsiness that plague shift workers and jet lag sufferers

Melatonin hormone secreted by the pineal gland (oval-

shaped group of cells in the center of the brain) melatonin secretion increases with darkness

and decreases with light suprachiasmatic nucleus; regulates the

secretion of melatonin

Activity - Due Tuesday end of class but start today!

Your group will develop a visual representation of sleep on a chart paper (15pts). You must include the following: Alpha stage Non-REM stages 1-4 REM stage

Your group must also have a physical representation of sleep stages to go along with your presentation…I need to see some acting and movement! Tap into your sleep journals if necessary. (15pts) Extra Credit for most creative group (5pts)

Everyone needs to participate to get credit!

WORLD OF SLEEP (CONT’D)

WORLD OF SLEEP (CONT’D)

REM sleep

REM behavior disorder usually occurs in older people voluntary muscles aren’t paralyzed can and do act out their dreams

REM rebound spending an increased percentage of time in

REM sleep if they were deprived of REM sleep on the previous nights

QUESTIONS ABOUT SLEEP

Why do I sleep?

Repair theory activities during the day drain key factors in

brain/body that sleep repairs restorative process

Adaptive theory prevented from wasting energy and exposing

themselves to the dangers of nocturnal predators

QUESTIONS ABOUT SLEEP

What causes sleep? Master sleep switch

VPN (ventrolateral preoptic nucleus); group of cells in the hypothalamus

switched on VNP secretes a neurotransmitter (GABA) that turns off areas that keep the brain awake

switched off VNP activates certain brain areas Reticular formation

column of cells that stretches the length of the brain stem

arouses and alerts the forebrain and prepares it to receive information from all the senses

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD Pattern of depressive symptoms, such as

loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities; cycles with the seasons

Includes lethargy excessive sleepiness overeating weight gain craving carbohydrates SAD has become a subtype (Seasonal Pattern

Specifier) of major depression (APA 2000)

Theories of dream interpretation

Freud’s theory of dream interpretation we have a “censor” that protects us from

realizing threatening and unconscious desires or wishes, especially those involving sex or aggression

“censor” protects us from threatening thoughts by transforming our secret, guilt-ridden, and anxiety-provoking desires into harmless symbols that appear in our dreams and don’t disturb our sleep or conscious thoughts

WORLD OF DREAMS (CONT’D)

Extensions of waking life theory dreams reflect the same thoughts, fears,

concerns, problems, and emotions that we have when awake

Activation-synthesis theory dreaming occurs because brain areas that

provide reasoned cognitive control during the waking state are shut down

sleeping brain is stimulated by different chemical and neural influences that result in hallucinations, delusions, high emotions, and bizarre thought patterns that we call dreams

WORLD OF DREAMS (CONT’D)

Theories of dream interpretation

Threat simulation theory dreaming serves a biological function by

repeatedly simulating events that are threatening in our waking lives so our brain can practice how it perceives threats and rehearse our responses to such events

WORLD OF DREAMS (CONT’D)

Typical dreams What do people dream about?

several characters involve motion take place indoors more often than out visual sensation, but rarely sensations of

taste, smell, or pain seem bizarre, may include flying or falling

without injury may be recurrent (dreams of being

threatened, pursued, or trying to hide)

WORLD OF DREAMS (CONT’D)

Typical dreams Involve emotions of anxiety or fear rather

than joy or happiness Rarely involve sexual encounters and are

almost never about sexual intercourse Rarely can we control or dream about

something we intend to dream about Dreams usually have visual imagery and

are in color in sighted people Blind people from birth dream in tactile,

olfactory, or gustatory (taste), not visual

APPLICATION: SLEEP PROBLEMS & TREATMENTS

Insomnia Difficulties in either going to sleep or

staying asleep through the night

Associated with daytime complaints fatigue impairment of concentration memory difficulty lack of well-being

APPLICATION: SLEEP PROBLEMS & TREATMENTS (CONT’D)

Nondrug treatment

Go to bed only when sleepy Put light out immediately; don’t read or

watch TV If not asleep in 20 minutes, get out of bed

and relax in another room until tired again Repeat last step as often as required Set alarm for same time each morning Don’t nap during the day Follow program rigidly for several weeks

APPLICATION: SLEEP PROBLEMS & TREATMENTS (CONT’D)

Drug treatment Benzodiazepines (Dalmane, Xanax, Restoril)

reduce anxiety, worry, and stress effective in moderate dosages in short term (2

to 4 weeks) treatment; prolonged use in higher dosages may lead to dependence

Nonbenzodiazepines (Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta)

rapidly becoming popular fast acting reduce daytime drowsiness; fewer cognitive

side effects less likely to lead to dependence

APPLICATION: SLEEP PROBLEMS & TREATMENTS (CONT’D)

Sleep apnea Repeated periods during sleep when a person

stops breathing for 10 seconds or longer; may repeatedly stop breathing, momentarily awaken, and then resume sleep

Results in insomnia; exhaustion during the day Narcolepsy

Chronic disorder marked by excessive sleepiness Form of sleep attacks or short periods of sleep

throughout the day Accompanied by brief periods of REM sleep and

loss of muscle control (cataplexy) Triggered by emotional change

APPLICATION: SLEEP PROBLEMS & TREATMENTS (CONT’D)

Night terrors Occur in stage 3 or 4 (delta sleep) Frightening experiences that often start with a

piercing scream, followed by sudden awakening in a fearful state with rapid breathing and increased heart rate

Usually no memory of experience in the morning Nightmares

Occur during REM sleep Very frightening and anxiety-producing images

occur involving great danger Upon awakening, person can describe nightmare

in great detail

APPLICATION: SLEEP PROBLEMS & TREATMENTS (CONT’D)

Sleepwalking Occurs in stage 3 or 4 (delta sleep) Sleeper gets up and walks while literally

sound asleep Has poor coordination Clumsy but can avoid objects Can engage in limited conversation No memory of sleepwalking