Outline and evaluate one or more biological rhythms (24 marks) There are three main biological rhythms in psychology, Circadian, Infradian and Ultradian. Circadian Rhythms last 24 hours, ultradian rhythms last less than 24 hours and infradian rhythms last longer than a day but less than a year. Ultradian rhythms are bodily rhythms that last for less than 24 hours, such as the feeding patterns of many animals, and the stages of sleep which last 90 minutes in total. For example, there are 5 stages of sleep. In stage 1, the heart beat slows down, muscle tension is reduced and alpha waves are replaced by slower theta waves.
Discuss lifespan changes in sleep (24marks) By Rebecca Cox Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness. The sleep –wake cycle is an example of a circadian rhythm, as we have one main phase of sleeping and waking with takes place over twenty four hours. However within the time that we are asleep there is another cycle; the sleep cycle itself. This is known as an ultradian rhythm since on complete turn of the cycle from slow wave sleep one to the end of REM takes less than twenty for hours. As new born babies grow to adults there are major changes in the amount of sleep and kind of sleep that a human experiences.
Both pads and tampons need to be changed regularly (at least every four hours). Using tampons has been associated with an increased risk of a rare illness called toxic shock syndrome. Follicular phase The follicular phase starts on the first day of menstruation and ends with ovulation. Prompted by the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland releases follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). This hormone stimulates the ovary to produce around five to 20 follicles
Behavior Change Project Goal: The target problem behavior this behavior change project was to increase my behavioral deficit of daily exercise. My ultimate goal was to engage in at least 45 minutes of continuous physical activity each day for at least 5 days a week. The baseline data collected from my daily self-monitoring of the target behavior over a two week period, found that I was exercising an average of about 30 to 45 minutes a day, 1 to 3 days per week. I would either exercise in the morning, after I wake-up, or in the evenings, after I return home. My goal for changing this target behavior did not specifically relate to increasing the intensity of my exercise, as I did not have a way to measure this variable (e.g.
The 5 immediate physiological responses to exercise The five immediate physiological responses to exercise are heart rate (HR), Stroke Volume (SV), Cardiac Output (CO), ventilation and lactate levels. These five physiological responses change during different levels of exercise and are different pre and during exercise. The responses also vary for trained and untrained athletes. Heart rate can be defined as the number of times the heart beats per minute. There are three different values of heart rates; resting HR (at a steady state/pre exercise), Working HR (working at 65%- 75%, during exercise) and max HR which is the maximum your heart should pump at for extended periods of time and is calculated by 220 minus your age.
The most important biological activity occurring in all humans and animal species is sleep. The average person will have spent a cumulative total of between 20 and 25 years asleep by 70 years of age. Sleep affects many of behavioral and physiological functions, such as memory, cognitive ability, immune function and hormone secretion. Sleep deprivation has been found to have numerous effects on both behavioral and physiological functioning. Moreover, the effects will be cumulative, so a mild reduction in sleep per night can be after a period of time, result in significant functional deficits.
1. ANALYSE WHY LIFE EXPECTANCY HAS INCREASED OVER THE LAST CENTURY Life expectancy in the human race has risen dramatically in the past century (Harris, 2009) reaching its highest level for both males and females on record (Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2006). Japan currently has the longest surviving individual with a life span averaging 84 years for both men and women (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2006). According to Rooney et al (2004) the term life expectancy is defined as ‘’the number of years that somebody can expect to live, according to statistics (p. 1084). Over the last 100 years, the expectancy of life has increased and the overall goal is to live a long and healthy life.
Biological rhythms and sleep Circadian rhythms Circadian rhythms occur once every 24 hours. The most common circadian rhythm is the Sleep/wake cycle. Normally our sleep/wake pattern is entrained by external factors, such as clocks, meal times and daylight changes. These are external cues, also known as Exogenous Zeitgebers. We also have a free-running cycle governed by our endogenous body clock (our endogenous pacemaker).
However, our bodies are effectively paralysed, said to be nature's way of preventing us from acting out our dreams. After REM sleep, the whole cycle begins again. REM sleep The first rapid eye movement (REM) period usually begins about 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep. We have around three to five REM episodes a night. Although we are not conscious, the brain is very active - often more so than when we are awake.
The first lies in the fact that the first two or so years of ones life, the most formative ones for learning, are also the ones in which the most REM sleep occurs. It follows that during this time of the greatest REM sleep, we experience the greatest number of dreams. The second physiological fact that lends credence to this theory is that our brain waves during REM sleep, as recorded by machines measuring the brain's electrical activity, are almost identical in nature to the brain waves during the hours we spend awake. This is not the case during the other phases of sleep. Psychological theorists of dreams focus upon our thoughts and emotions, and speculate that dreams deal with immediate concerns in our lives, such as unfinished business from the day, or concerns we are incapable of handling during the course of the day.