PSYC 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Circadian Rhythm, Sleep Spindle, Alpha Wave
14 Feb 2018
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Document Summary
Circadian rhythm : our body"s 24 hour biological clock. It is possible to alter one"s circadian rhythm, one way is through artificial: thinking and memory are best at daily peek light. Every 90 minutes we pass through 5 distinctive stages of sleep. Awake but relaxed stage: prior to stage one, alpha waves- relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state. Stage two: lasts approximately 20 minutes, characterized by appearance of sleep spindles. Stage three and four: last approximately 30 minutes, delta waves- large slow brain waves associated with deep sleep. Stage five: rapid eye movement (rem) sleep, for about 10 minutes. Brain waves become rapid and saw-toothed: paradoxical sleep- body is internally aroused but externally calm. Why do we sleep: genetic influences, cultural influences, sleep takes up around one third of our lives (25 years) It also increases the stress hormone cortisol, which stimulates the body to make fat.
