Notes
Sleep
- The circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle. Light affects melatonin. Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
- A sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes: NREM stages 1 to 3, then REM. Deep (delta wave) sleep is most common early in the night, REM later.
- Sleep deprivation harms attention, memory, mood and safety. Disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
Dreams and hypnosis
- Theories of dreaming: Freud's wish fulfillment, activation-synthesis, memory consolidation. Everyone dreams.
- Hypnosis is a response to suggestion; it does not control people and memories from it can be unreliable.
Psychoactive drugs
- Depressants (alcohol) slow activity, stimulants (caffeine, nicotine) speed it up, hallucinogens change perception, opioids reduce pain.
- Tolerance means needing more for the same effect; dependence leads to withdrawal when stopping. The teen brain is still developing. Help is available from trusted adults, counselors and doctors.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
REM sleep is the stage of vivid dreaming.
Sleep deprivation reduces attention, memory and mood.
Activation-synthesis proposes the brain builds a story from random firing.
Hypnotic recall may include false memories.
Caffeine speeds up nervous system activity.
Tolerance is needing more; withdrawal is symptoms after stopping.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
Mia, age 15, falls asleep at 1 a.m. on school nights and wakes at 6:30 a.m. She often yawns in class, forgets what she studied and uses her phone in bed until she falls asleep.
(a) Explain how her phone use might affect her sleep, using the term melatonin.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Bright light from her phone can delay the release of melatonin, making it harder to feel sleepy and shifting her body clock later.
Check off the points you earned:
(b) Identify two effects of sleep deprivation shown in the scenario or likely for Mia.
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She has trouble paying attention (yawning in class) and memory problems (forgetting what she studied). She might also have a low mood or slower reactions.
Check off the points you earned:
(c) Recommend two healthy sleep habits for Mia and explain one.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Keep a consistent schedule and stop using screens before bed. A regular schedule steadies her circadian rhythm so she can fall asleep more easily. If problems continue she can talk to a doctor.
Check off the points you earned: