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Eveningness (delayed sleep period; most active and alert in the evening) and morningness (advanced sleep period; most active and alert in the morning) are the two extremes with most individuals having some flexibility in the timing of their sleep period. However, across development there are changes in the propensity of the sleep period with ...
One of the important questions in sleep research is clearly defining the sleep state. This problem arises because sleep was traditionally defined as a state of consciousness and not as a physiological state, [14] [15] thus there was no clear definition of what minimum set of events constitute sleep and distinguish it from other states of partial or no consciousness.
Research suggests that sleep patterns vary significantly across cultures. [145] [146] [147] The most striking differences are observed between societies that have plentiful sources of artificial light and ones that do not. The primary difference appears to be that pre-light cultures have more broken-up sleep patterns.
Young woman asleep over study materials. The relationship between sleep and memory has been studied since at least the early 19th century.Memory, the cognitive process of storing and retrieving past experiences, learning and recognition, [1] is a product of brain plasticity, the structural changes within synapses that create associations between stimuli.
After sleep, there is increased insight. This is because sleep helps people to reanalyze their memories. The same patterns of brain activity that occur during learning have been found to occur again during sleep, only faster. One way that sleep strengthens memories is by weeding out the less successful connections between neurons in the brain.
Actigraphy can assess sleep/wake patterns without confining one to the laboratory. The monitors are small, wrist-worn movement monitors that can record activity for up to several weeks. Sleep and wakefulness are determined by using an algorithm that analyzes the movement of the patient and the input of bed and wake times from a sleep diary.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition that impacts about 39 million adults in the U.S. But if ...
Sample hypnogram showing one sleep cycle (the first of the night) from NREM through REM. The sleep cycle is an oscillation between the slow-wave and REM (paradoxical) phases of sleep. It is sometimes called the ultradian sleep cycle, sleep–dream cycle, or REM-NREM cycle, to distinguish it from the circadian alternation between sleep and ...