For the basics of sleep, look at the information located at Basic Facts on Sleep .
Chapter 4 exercises - Sleep and Hypnosis. NOTE: Make sure that you reword this information in YOUR words. If you just copy word for word from the book or links, the assignment will not count. In addition, if you can't find the material on the web site, try using your book.
EXERCISE 1 - Circadian Rhythms
Read the the following sections on biotiming
- the human clock, the sleep-wake cycle, and industrial and mendical applications
(make sure you read all of the pages - click on the arrow at the bottom
of the page). You may also find some of the answers at this
site.
1. What are circadian rhythms?
2. Where in the brain is the "clock" (the entire pathway!) and what
hormone plays a role in regulating the clock? What other hormones are influenced
by this pathway?
3. What may be some of the reasons that the elderly have difficulty
sleeping?
4. What relevance does this information have on the industrial and
medical community?
EXERCISE 2 - Dream Journals
There are many different theories as to why we dream. Here are a few
of them:
Freud: Claimed that dreams are a way to experience otherwise
unacceptable feelings. The remembered story of the dream is the manifest
content. It is a censored, symbolic version of what the dream is actually
about or meaning (the latent content). The true meaning of the dream underlies
the actual meaning.
Information Processing: Dreams may help sort and fix our memories.
There is some research that REM sleep helps facility memories. They reflect
the on-going, daily activities.
Periodic Stimulation: Dreams are just the way that the brain
can develop and maintain the brain's neural pathways. So dreams provide
the brain with periodic stimulation.
Activation Synthesis: Dreams are just the brain's way of making
sense of random neural activity. The brain transmits a pattern of signals
to the cerebral cortex and the cortex attempts to integrate the signals
into a dream plot, but has difficulty because the information is random.
Reverse Learning: The brain is dividing information into useful
and unwanted categories, making new associations, and revising old material.
Dreams are just bits of the process of the mental clean-up that is taking
place.
For the next week, you are to keep a dream journal. When you wake up, write down what your dream was about. Do your dreams seem to fit any of the theories presented? Based on your dreams, which theory seems most plausible? Why? NOTE: YOU MUST BE ABLE TO RECALL MOST OF YOUR DREAMS TO DO THIS EXERCISE! I don't remember my dream is NOT a valid response.
EXERCISE 3 - sleep disorders
The Sleepnet site
lists a number of different sleep problems. Describe 3 of the following
disorders - sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless legs, sleep terrors,
sleep walking. Make sure you describe symptoms, causes, etc. If you are
having difficulty accessing that page, try the Sleep
Medicine home page. You have to scroll a bit to find the different
disorders (the 3rd section), but there are MANY to chose from.
EXERCISE 4 - hypnosis
This site contains
a lot of useful information about hypnosis. Go to one of the FAQs sections
to help you answer these questions.
1. What is hypnosis?
2. How accurate are memories that are recalled under hypnotic trances?
Can it enhance eyewitness testimony?
3. Can you be forced to do things? How much control does the hypnotist
have over you?
4. What can hypnotism do in terms of pain control, bleeding, skin conditions,
and dexterity