PSY 4127 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Insomnia, Slow-Wave Sleep, Lux
4 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Synchronizers
Zeitgerber (German):
• ziet/time
• geber/giver
Examples
• meals
• daily activities, etc.
• light (the most powerful one)
You can adjust your circadian rhythm by exposing yourself to bright light in the morning and stopping access
to bright light earlier in the day.
It is easier to fall asleep when temperature is going down rather than up (this may be impossible). Dont take a
bath right before bed. Temp decreases twice a day, usually at 1pm and 11pm.
• it is really hard to sleep between 6 and 9 pm because your temp is peaking, but afterwards it starts to go
down a bit
• it is more about decreasing temperature than where your body temperature is actually at
Body Temperature Specifics
• rotate in a 24 hour circadian rhythm
• nadir is at 6am
• acrophase is between 6pm and 9pm
• call decrease in the early afternoon (a post-lunch dip)
• sleep goes up and then goes down again
• sleep ends, temperature goes up
• cognitive performance and vigilance also varies with temperature
Chernoble, oil spills, increased car accidents etc. all seem to correlate well with the early morning.
Chronotype and Temperature
Morning Type (Larks
• best function in the morning
• phase advanced
• max vigilance occurs 3 hours before T acrophase
Evening Type (Owls)
• best functioning in the evening
• phase delayed
• max vigilance at T acrophase
• higher risk for poor eating and obesity
Melatonin: the pineal gland synthesizes and secretes melatonin a structurally simple hormone that
communicates information about the environmental lighting to various parts of the body.
The precursor to melatonin is serotonin — a neurotransmitter derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Within
the pineal gland, serotonin is transformed (acetylated and then methylated) to yield melatonin. Under the
control of our biological clock, hormonal response to darkness, in a 24.1 hour rhythm.
There is an upshot in accidents with daylight savings time.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Examples: meals, daily activities, etc, light (the most powerful one) You can adjust your circadian rhythm by exposing yourself to bright light in the morning and stopping access to bright light earlier in the day. It is easier to fall asleep when temperature is going down rather than up (this may be impossible). Chernoble, oil spills, increased car accidents etc. all seem to correlate well with the early morning. Morning type (larks: best function in the morning, phase advanced, max vigilance occurs 3 hours before t acrophase. Evening type (owls: best functioning in the evening, phase delayed, max vigilance at t acrophase, higher risk for poor eating and obesity. Melatonin: the pineal gland synthesizes and secretes melatonin a structurally simple hormone that communicates information about the environmental lighting to various parts of the body. The precursor to melatonin is serotonin a neurotransmitter derived from the amino acid tryptophan.
