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Lifespan changes in sleep

Lifespan changes in sleep. Techniques used in sleep research. 1. EEG (Electro-encephalograph). This is used to measure electrical activity in the brain Microelectrodes are attached to the patients scalp to detect electrical activity in specific parts of the brain. 2. Self Reports.

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Lifespan changes in sleep

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  1. Lifespan changes in sleep

  2. Techniques used in sleep research 1. EEG (Electro-encephalograph) • This is used to measure electrical activity in the brain • Microelectrodes are attached to the patients scalp to detect electrical activity in specific parts of the brain. 2. Self Reports 3. Observations of eye movement

  3. New Born Babies • Newborn babies tend to sleep for about two thirds of the day (16 hrs in every 24). • They display two kinds of sleep: quiet and active sleep which are immature versions of REM and SWS. • At birth there is more active sleep than quiet sleep but this gradually decreases.

  4. New born babies AO2…. • It has been suggested that babies sleep is an adaptive mechanism to make the parents lives easier. • The greater amount of Active/REM sleep may be explained in terms of the considerable learning and brain development that takes place (Remember from looking at Oswald!). • It is further supported by the fact that premature babies (whose brains are very immature) spend 90% of their sleep time in active sleep (REM).

  5. One year • Over the first year of life there is a gradual maturation of sleep EEG patterns so they begin to look more like adult patterns. • There is a decrease in active/REM sleep to about 50% and consolidation of sleep periods: rather than sleeping in short bursts, young children sleep through the night and may have one or two naps totalling 10-12 hours of sleep.

  6. Five years of age • Full EEG patterns of sleep are shown by the age of 5, but the frequency is different to adult sleep patterns: there is more REM sleep (about 33%) of total sleep time. • Most children of this age sleep for around 10 hours, boys sleeping slightly more than girls. • There are more instances of PARASOMNIAS (sleep disorders), such as sleep walking or night terrors.

  7. Adolescence • At this age, individuals sleep for an average of 9-10 hours per night. The amount of REM sleep is less than in childhood. • Circadian rhythms also change so that teenagers feel more awake later at night and have more difficulty getting up early (a delayed sleep phase)

  8. Adolescence-AO2 • The change in sleep patterns may be linked to hormonal changes. • Hormones are generally released at night and so sleep patterns are disturbed leading to sleep deprivation. • Hormonal changes can also explain the upset circadian clock this is described as the delayed sleep phase syndrome (Crowley et al 2003) • From this some researchers have recommended that schools start their day later to accommodate poor attention spans of adolescents in early morning (Wolfson and Carskadon 2005)

  9. Old age • REM sleep decreases to about 20% of total sleep time with a corresponding increase of stage 2 sleep (about 60%). • The amount of slow wave sleep is also considerably reduced to as little as 5% and may be non existent for some older people. (SWS=stage 4, hard to wake someone in SWS) • Older people have more difficulty going to sleep and wake up more frequently (up to six times a night!) • Older people also experience a phase advance of circadian rhythms (they feel sleepy early in the evening and wake earlier in the morning)

  10. Old age AO2: • Reduced sleep in old age is partly a consequence of Physiological changes (REMEMEBER OSWALD) but may also be explained in terms of actual problems staying asleep, such as sleep apnoea or medical illnesses. • SWS is reduced in old age and so the older sleep is more easily woken. The reduction of SWS leads to reduced production of the growth hormone (because this is mainly produced in SWS) which may explain some of the symptoms associated with old age- such as lack of energy and lower bone density (Van Cauter et al 2000)

  11. AO2 • General comment…… There are significant individual differences at any age, as well as cultural differences.

  12. Cultural differences-AO2 Tynjala et al 1993 surveyed 40,000 11-16 year olds from 11 European countries. • Israeli children = 8.5 hrs on average • Swiss children = 9.5 hrs on average. Shin et al 2003 found…. • Korean children = 6.5 hrs on average • Iranian children = 7.7 hrs on average Suggests sleep duration is shorter in Asia than Europe

  13. Most evidence comes from Lab research using EEG recordings. These recordings are obtained by attaching electrodes to participants. This creates an unfamiliar sleeping environment which may disrupt their usual sleep patterns. • However Empson (1989) suggests that after the first night participants adjust to conditions and their sleep is representative of their usual sleep patterns

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