There are many people that have difficulties with sleep and many studies that psychologists have researched to help explain this human behavior. In this assignment you will have the opportunity to do a study of your own on yourself!…
1. Let me suggest an idea about the adaptive function of sleep: It did not originally evolve for rest and repair (though those functions may have been layered on later, at least in some species). Instead, I’ll propose that its primary function is to keep the organism out of harm’s way during phases to which it is poorly adapted. For example, day and night can differ dramatically in lighting, temperature, humidity, abundance and type of predators and prey, etc., so an organism that was well adapted to one set of conditions would be relatively poorly adapted to the other. According to this hypothesis, sleep helps organisms avoid temporal regions of lower fitness.…
14. Evolutionary theories often emphasize that humans have adapted to their physical environment. One such theory hypothesizes that people should spontaneously follow a 24-hour cycle of sleeping and waking—even if they are not exposed to the usual pattern of sunlight. To test this notion, eight paid volunteers were placed (individually) in a room in which there was no light from the outside and no clocks or other indications of time. They could turn the lights on and off as they wished. After a month in the room, each individual tended to develop a steady cycle. Their cycles at the end of the study were as follows: 25, 27, 25, 23,24, 25, 26, and 25.…
Outline and evaluate restoration theory as an explanation of the function of sleep (8+16 marks)…
Sleep is very important to the regulation of the body 's functions. Sleep is regulated by circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm is controlled in the brain by an area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus which controlls around 20,000 neurons. These rhythms determine the ideal times for structured and restorative sleep and are generlly in 24 hour cycles. The exact functions of sleep are not exactly known however, those who are sleep deprived have been found to have weakened immune systems and poor brain function. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2007), sleep gives neurons used while we are awake time to repair and that without this shutdown time they become depleted of energy and begin to malfunction. Sleep is also believed to give the brain a chance to exercise important connections that might otherwise deteriorate due to inactivity.…
Evolutionary explanation of sleep suggests there four mains reasons for it, energy conservation, foraging requirements, predator avoidance and to waste time. The evolutionary approach has also been called the ecological approach. It is called ‘ecological’ because it is based on observations of animals in their natural environment.…
The evolutionary explanation (also referred to as the ecological approach) is based on the observation of animals in their natural environment. The evolutionary approach to sleep has focused on ecological niches. These refer to the lifestyle of animals, i.e how and where they live, and involves many factors that have been shown to be relevant to sleep. The evolutionary approach states that there are several beneficial consequences to sleep. For example, it allows for energy conservation; it provides a period of time where there is no activity, thus allowing the conservation of energy which is essential for animals with high metabolic rates. Webb suggested that everyday sleep is similar to hibernation - sleep conserves energy at times when it’s harder to get resources (i.e at night time). Meddis suggested that sleep helps keep animals safe. By being quiet and still, they’re less likely to attract predators. However, sleep also makes animals vulnerable to predators if discovered. On the other hand, not sleeping at all would be very dangerous, but as it seems to occur in all animals, it must have an important function - although how much sleep animals have varies. Animals that graze often and must avoid predators less, while predators, that don’t eat as frequently and aren’t hunted, sleep more.…
* Nature of sleep, including sleep stages and lifespan changes and lifespan changes in sleep.…
References: Kalat, J.W (2013). Biological Psychology (11th ed.). Wakefulness and Sleep. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning/Wadsworth…
References: Pinel, John P.J. (2011). Biopsychology as a Neuroscience 8th edition. Allyn & Bacon: Pearson Education Inc. Chapter 14 Why Do We Sleep, and Why Do We Sleep When We Do.…
The article “Why humans need less sleep than any other primate” published on the Earth section of the BBC website explains how the human brain has developed to need a little amount of sleep compared to the one of other primates (monkeys and apes). We sleep less, but we have more quality sleep and this may be the cause of our success as a species. In this essay, I will focus on some aspects of the language used by the writer. Both elements of formal and informal writing converge in the text. Firstly, the author prefers to use full forms rather than contractions, but sometimes she also uses the latter, as in “what’s more” and “isn’t that why we are all so sleep-deprived?”.…
Whether it may be the looming deadline of a final paper on the Civil Rights Movement or even simply to party and have fun; now and then, everyone has faced an event which has left them awake an entire night. While many might consider that abstaining from sleep once in awhile may not do much harm, this is far from the actual truth. Abstaining from sleep, regardless of frequency, can take a serious toll on one’s body from decreased learning capacity to anxiety, depression, and even bipolar disorder.…
Sleep plays an important role in our lives. From tiny insects to humongus grizzly bears, every living thing needs sleep. We need it to carry out our daily activities and to live a long and healthy life. Many people fail to realize that sleep is as equally important as breathing, and because of this their bodys are not functioning to their full potentials. Not getting the amount of sleep your body needs can lead to mental and physical health problems. Lack of sleep impairs the mind's way of thinking, can cause health issues and affect your judgment and mood. Sleep is a vital part of life.…
Insomnia, a sleep disorder, is characterized by arduousness falling or staying asleep. This disease affects individuals nationally; more than 50 percent of the population undergoes this disease and teenagers and younger children comprise of about 25 percent of the population suffering from insomnia, making it a substantial disease to be indoctrinated about. (“Insomnia Facts”) Insomnia presents itself as a compulsory topic in a student’s edification since this subject impacts slumber patterns of the general public and corresponds to three consequential themes unveiled in Biology: Matter and Energy, Models and Systems, and Science and Its Role in Society.…
* Humans look forward to it from the moment they are woken up by the buzzing of their alarm clock each morning. Without it, we grow more and more agitated as time slowly passes by. Sleep is that which relieves us of the stress and exhaustion that each day brings about, and prepares us to start a new day. This has been true since the beginning of time, and is made evident in Shakespeare’s, Macbeth. Through out history, sleep has been that which keeps all lives in order. Through the loss of innocent sleep, Macbeth becomes unable to cope with the madness occurring in his life, this nightmare eventually leads to their ultimate demise.…
