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Sleeping/Biological Clock

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Submitted By baa666
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It is critical to know the neuropsychological and psychobiological backgrounds of sleep in order to successfully understand the process. Sleep factors control brain waves, wakefulness or drowsiness, innate clocks, and health. These factors are in affect from the moment our brain chemicals agree it is time to sleep, to the moment our innate alarm clocks choose it is time to wake up. Biological principles are essential to understand when studying this daily event.
Sleep is defined by brain waves and physiological signals. Changes in the brain’s electrical activity signals different stages. The first stage has small and irregular brain waves. In the second stage, “the brain emits occasional short bursts or rapid, high-peaking waves called sleep spindles” (Tavris, Wade, & Garry, 2014, p.160). In the third stage, the brain irregularly emits delta waves that are slow with high peaks. The final stage consists of many delta waves. During the sleeping cycle, there are periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. When the REM period starts, the brain’s electrical activity patterns resemble an awake brain. This period is distinguished by eye movement, vivid dreams, and almost complete body paralysis.
The ability to fall asleep or stay awake depends on brain chemicals. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that are responsible for controlling wakefulness or drowsiness. Some brain neurons promote staying awake and other brain neurons promote falling sleep. Areas of the brain that interact in these processes have been pinpointed. “Several areas in the brainstem and hypothalamus promote wakefulness by sending arousal signals to the cerebral cortex” (Harvard Medical School, 2007, para.2). Another part of the hypothalamus shuts down the brain’s arousal signals to prepare for the transition to sleep. Without knowing the physiological brain functions of sleep, it would be

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