Ultradian rhythm

• Ultradian Rhythms-

  • less than 24 hours
  • happens multiple times within 24 hours
• Ultradian Rhythms-

  Sleep cycle-

  • Stage 3- moderate sleep, transition between light and deep sleep- delta waves
  • Stage 4- deepest NREM sleep, no movement, hard to wake, body repairs- delta waves
  • Stage 5- REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, dreaming, change in breathing, relaxed muscles- brain waves alike to when awake
  • 1-4 is around 5-15 minutes, 5 is from 10 minutes increasing to 1 hour.
• Ultradian Rhythms-

  Sleep cycle-

  • 90 minutes about 4-5 times
  • Studied using an EEG in a lab
  • Stage 1- light sleep, falling feeling, easily awoken- theta waves
  • Stage 2- eye and brain activity reduces, body temp and heart rate drops- sleep spindles and K complexes
• Ultradian Rhythms-

  S- Cauter (2000)- SWC reduces with age, resulting in a lack of alertness with old age, relaxation medication can be used to increase the cycle

  W- Tucker (2007)- large differences between participants in their duration of sleep, mainly stage 3 and 4, which are biologically determined -no ‘normal’ sleep wake cycle
• Ultradian Rhythms-

  CPS- Lab can control extraneous variables

  CPW- Participants may sleep differently due to not bing comfortable or relaxed as they would in their bed at home