Theories of sleep

1
Theories of sleep

• Restoration (Oswald Horne)
• The function of sleep is to allow body to be
  repaired and restored
• Oswald (1980) REM for brain SWS for body
• Horne (1988) core sleep (REM SWS) vs.
  optional sleep

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2
Restoration theory

• Main predictions
• Deficits in functioning during sleep deprivation
• Rebound following deprivation
• Increase in REM during brain growth,
  reorganisation repair
• Increase in SWS during illness, recovery from
  injury

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3
Effects of sleep deprivation

• Animal studies tend to support restoration
• Prolonged sleep deprivation causes immune failure
  death
• Studies of humans produce less clear-cut results
• Confounding effects of stress etc.

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4
Rebound

• Generally, people catch up on sleep following
  deprivation
• Not all lost sleep is reclaimed
• About 70 of lost SWS and about 50 of lost REM
  typically recovered
• Only some sleep is necessary

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5
Growth reorganisation

• Reduction in sleep over lifespan
• Highest in infants highest REM in early years
• Some changes in adolescence

5yrs
24 hour period
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Age
6
Illness injury

• Sleep does increase during illness and recovery
  from injury
• Total sleep time increases during illness
• REM increases during recovery from brain injury,
  ECT drug withdrawal
• SWS deprivation can cause physical symptoms

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7
Evaluation

• Much evidence is consistent with the restoration
  view
• Main problem comes from apparent lack of serious
  biological malfunction during sleep deprivation
  in humans

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