PSYC 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Narcolepsy, Sedative, Orexin
Document Summary
Consciousness: a person"s subjective awareness, including thoughts, perceptions, experiences of the world, and self-awareness. Sleep allows the body to restore energy and repair wear and tear on the body. Lack or absence of sleep leads to sleep deprivation, which can affect immune system functioning, cause cognitive impairments, and lead to mood problems. Sleep helps preserve energy by lowering metabolism and reducing energy expenditure during times when searching for food is least likely to be productive. Sleep may also protect organisms from harm, as supported by observations of animals that sleep in hidden places and during times of the day when they are most vulnerable to predators. Memories are consolidated during sleeping and dreaming, and adaptive changes in the synaptic spaces between neurons take place during sleep. Conversely, sleep deprivation disrupts functioning of the hippocampus, which is a critical brain region for memory. Circadian rhythms: are internally driven daily cycles of approximately 24 hours affecting physiological and behavioral processes.
