What is sleep?
EEG (electroencephalogram
wakefulness and stages of sleep are characterized by…..
-different patterns of brain activity
Awake and Alert
Awake and Relaxed
-Alpha activity
8-12 Hz
-increasing synchronicity
-more prevalent with eyes closed
Stage 1 Sleep
-theta activity
-3.5-7.5 Hz
-transition between sleep and wakefulness
eyelids slowly open and close and eyes roll up and down
LASTS ABOUT 10 minutes during first sleep cycle
Stage 2 Sleep
-some theta activity
-3.5-7.5 Hz
-sleep spindles
-12-14 Hz (beta-eque)
-short bursts 2-4 per minute
-K complexes
-sudden sharp waveforms
-1 per minute
-triggered by noises = mechanism to inhibit waking?
LASTS ABOUT !% minutes during first sleep cycle
Slow Wave sleep (SWS)
-Delta activity
< 3.5 Hz
-difficult to wake people from SWS and when awakened, report no dreaming, but may remember image or emotion
Stage 3 sleep
-some theta activity
-20-50% delta
~20 minutes in first sleep cycle
stage 4 sleep
-some theta activity
> 50% delta
-deepest sleep
~ 45 min in first sleep cycle
Delta Waves
-show oscillations of ~1 Hz
down state
- may reflect rest for cortical neurons
up state
-neurons show burst of activity that is highly synchronized
REM sleep
Paradoxical SLeep
-EEG shows desychronized brain activity reminiscent of wakefulness
Sleep Cycle
Stage 1 physiological changes
- occasional muscle twitch
Stage 2 Physiological changes
- decrease in body temperature
SWS Physiological changes
- limited muscle activity
REM Physiological changes
Rate of blood flow during REM
Eye movements during REM
-seem to match eye movements that would be made while watching their dream
Particular brain activity during dreams
Why do we sleep? Adaptation view
-sleep gives organism safety from danger or predation when they are not suited to puse food or other biological needs