Stages of Sleep

Brief description of the stages of sleep

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the method used since 1930 to measure the arousal and states of the sleep (Breedlove and Watson, 2013). EEG along with electro-oculography (EOG), a recording of the eye movements and electromyography (EMG), study of muscles are the complete process for recording states of sleep (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). These methods have led researchers to discover two distinct classes of sleep: slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement or REM sleep. Slow wave sleep can be further divided into three stages; Stage 1 sleep, stage 2 sleep and stage 3 sleep (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). Stage 1 is the beginning of the SWS illustrated by slow heart rate, reduction in muscle tension and slow movement of the eyes. Stage 2 follows stage 1 with waves of 12-14 Hz called sleep spindles (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). If awakened during the first two stages, many people may deny being in sleep though they’ve been unresponsive. Stage 2 leads to the final stage 3 of sleep which is defined by ‘very’ slow waves and large amplitude delta (slowest type of EEG) waves (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). After SWS stages, a person enters into REM muscles remain relaxed, but brain waves are similar to like being awake (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). REM sleep also includes slow pulse rate, irregular breathing and the stage when dreams are experienced.

Effects of sleep deprivation on daily functioning

Sleep deprivation is defined as the partial or a total prevention of sleep (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). It is not uncommon to see people feeling sleep more than often if they’ve had sleep deprivation. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation has effects on a person’s behavior with most common changes including irritability, lack of concentration and disorientation (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). If sleep deprivation is not to extreme and there is a loss of sleep for maybe couple of hours then these changes may not take place at once. Sleep deprivation for a few hours may not make a person sleepy, but in the long run there are signs of performance impairment (Breedlove &Watson, 2013).

Killgore (2010) studied effects of sleep deprivation on cognition with a more updated approach. According to this study sleep deprivation is now a common problem in the modern society but its effects on cognitive performance have been recently understood. He concludes that effects of sleep deprivation depend on factors like ‘global decline in general alertness and attention’, emotional health of the individual and the lifestyle, culture as well.

Mechanism of action of modern sleeping pills

As common is the situation of sleep deprivation, so is the use of sleeping pills to treat it. Most sleeping pills contain benzodiazepines triazolam that bind to the GABA receptors in the brain which inhibit wide regions of the brain (Breedlove et al., 2013). This is the mechanism of common modern day pills like Lunesta, Sonata and Ambien etc. According to Sanger et al (2007) though GABA- A receptor remains the main target of most sleeping pills, drugs through histamine and serotonin receptors maybe of interest for treatment of insomnia.

Advantage and limitation of using sleeping pills to treat insomnia

Sleeping pills provide some relief to a person but for major reasons they are not a suitable remedy for a patient suffering from sleep disorders (Breedlove et al., 2013). Continued use of sleeping pills can cause a resistance to the drug and loss of effectiveness. This can then result is increased dosage use of the pills by the patient leading to a more serious situation.

Advantage of using sleeping pills is the regularity of sleep that is experienced with its use. This regularity can lead to less behavior changes and better emotional health. Sleeping pills can help individuals whose jobs demand irregular hours like cabin crew on airplanes or hospital workers doing overnight shifts. If taken in moderation and as a temporary solution then sleeping pills would not be harmful.

References

Breedlove, S. M., Watson, N. V., & Rosenzweig, M. R. (2013). Biological psychology: An introduction to behavioral, cognitive, and clinical neuroscience. (7th ed.) Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers

Killgore, W. D. (2010). Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition. Progress in brain research, 185, 105.

Sanger, D. J., Soubrane, C., & Scatton, B. (2007, July). New perspectives for the treatment of disorders of sleep and arousal. In Annales pharmaceutiques françaises (Vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 268-274). Elsevier Masson.