Exploring Sleep Stages and Brain Waves

Exploring Sleep Stages and Brain Waves

11th Grade · Health · 45 min

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Learning Objective

I can describe the different stages of sleep and cycles of sleep and their corresponding brain wave patterns.

  • 1

    During stage two (N2) sleep, EEGs show K complexes, which involve a large negative wave followed by a large positive wave, and sleep spindles, which are brief bursts of 12 to 14 hertz waves.

  • 2

    One cycle through the stages of sleep lasts approximately 90 minutes, and as time passes, more time will be spent in stage one and less time will be spent in stage three.

  • 3

    Recuperation theories propose that wakefulness disrupts homeostasis, while adaptation theories propose that we evolved to sleep at night because darkness is dangerous.