Sleep Stages

SLEEP STAGES

Name: Charles Stevens Date: 02/23/2013

This week 's individual work explores dreams, and the stages and disorders associated with sleep. You are to describe in detail each sleep stage, three sleep disorders, and why sleep is necessary.

This lesson provides an explanation of the measurement of brain activity, as well as the presence of different sleep patterns and their respective functions.

Stages of Sleep

• Fill in the blanks: Write a brief description of the Characteristic for each sleep stage listed on the table below:

|Stage | Characteristic |EEG Pattern |
| |Rapid low amplitude Brain waves. The | |
|Stage 1 |momentary stage between awake and sleep. | |
| |Slower more regular pattern with slight | |
|Stage 2 |interruptions known as spindles. | |
| | | |
| |A sleep characterized by slow brain | |
|Stage 3 |waves, with greater peaks and valleys in | |
| |the wave pattern than stage 2 | |
| |The deepest stage of sleep which we are | |
|Stage 4 |the least responsive. | |
| |Characterized by increased heart rate, | |
|REM Sleep |blood pressure, and breathing rate, | |
| |erections, and dreaming | |

Part 2 Your task for this assignment is to write at least one paragraph (3-5 sentences minimum) responding to the following questions:

1. Briefly describe the major sleep disorders:

In my research I found 5 major sleep disorders. • Insomnia - Common symptoms of insomnia include difficulty getting to sleep and waking before it is time to get up. • Sleep Apnea - This disorder causes people to stop breathing abruptly while they are asleep. • Narcolepsy - A neurological sleep disorder that leads to periods of intense sleepiness during the daytime. • Sleepwalking - Night terrors are most frequently seen in very young children (between the ages of 2 and 6), but people of any age can be affected by this sleep disorder. Typical symptoms include excessive sweating, shaking and obvious fear. • Night Terrors - Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is characterized by periods of getting out of bed while asleep

2. Why do we sleep, and how much sleep is necessary?

We sleep for a number of reasons. According to an evolutionary perspective our ancestors slept to conserve energy for the next day of hunt. Other explanations include the reason for sleep is to restore our bodies energy and to replenish our brain and body. Sleep also may be essential in the physical growth and development in children. The amount of sleep we need usually vary from person to person. I personally don’t require that much sleep, but usually on average a healthy amount of sleep consist of 7-8 hours.

References: (Feldman 2011 Essentials of Understanding Psychology 9th ed.) and http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/p/sleep_disorders.htm

Sleep Images: http://search.aol.com/aol/image?q=sleep++wave+images&v_t=tb50-ff-aolmail-tbsbox-en-us

References: (Feldman 2011 Essentials of Understanding Psychology 9th ed.) and http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/p/sleep_disorders.htm Sleep Images: http://search.aol.com/aol/image?q=sleep++wave+images&v_t=tb50-ff-aolmail-tbsbox-en-us