Section B — Coach Brain — Stress, Sleep, and the Brain
This section covers Chapter 3, Lessons 3.1 through 3.4.
Part A — Vocabulary (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
1. The stress response is:
A) A weakness B) The body's coordinated set of reactions to a challenge — involves the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis, mobilizing energy and alertness C) Always harmful D) Only present in adults
2. The HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) is:
A) A type of muscle B) The hormonal pathway that produces cortisol in response to stress signals and to circadian timing C) The same as the autonomic nervous system D) Only a sleep concept
3. Cortisol is:
A) A vitamin B) A hormone produced by the adrenal glands; peaks in the morning (cortisol awakening response), declines through the day, supports alertness and energy mobilization C) The same as melatonin D) A bone
4. Eustress is:
A) Always harmful B) Productive stress — the right amount of challenge that sharpens focus and supports growth (think pre-game butterflies) C) The same as panic D) Only present in athletes
5. Distress is:
A) Always good B) Destructive stress that exceeds the body's capacity to recover — chronic, unresolved, impairs sleep, mood, cognition, and health C) The same as eustress D) A type of vitamin
6. Memory consolidation is:
A) Forgetting things on purpose B) The process by which new experiences shift into longer-term memory — much of this happens during sleep, especially in REM and certain non-REM stages C) A type of attention D) Only in adults
7. The glymphatic system is:
A) A type of muscle B) A brain-cleanup system most active during deep sleep — clears metabolic waste from the brain's spaces C) The same as the lymphatic system in the body D) A type of food
8. BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is:
A) A type of cell B) A protein that supports neuron growth, plasticity, and survival — increased by exercise and adequate sleep C) A bone D) A muscle
9. Physiological sigh is:
A) An emotional reaction B) A research-supported breath pattern — a double inhale followed by a long exhale — that helps shift the autonomic system toward calm in less than a minute C) A type of yawn D) Always dangerous
10. Sleep debt is:
A) Money owed B) The accumulated gap between sleep your body needs and sleep it gets; builds over multiple nights, repays slowly C) Always erased by one good night D) A type of food
Part B — Concept Comprehension (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
11. The two branches of the autonomic nervous system are:
A) Hypothalamus and pituitary B) Sympathetic ("fight or flight") and parasympathetic ("rest and digest") C) Sleep and wake D) Memory and attention
12. A healthy cortisol pattern shows:
A) Flat all day B) A sharp morning rise (the cortisol awakening response), gradual decline through the day, lowest around bedtime C) Peak at midnight D) Always rising
13. Chronic (long-term) stress combined with poor sleep tends to:
A) Improve memory and mood B) Disrupt cortisol patterns, impair sleep further, reduce cognitive function, increase mood difficulties, and weaken immune function C) Have no effect D) Make people taller
14. The brain "cleanup" function of the glymphatic system is most active during:
A) Hard exercise B) Deep sleep (slow-wave sleep) C) Studying D) Waking activity
15. Exercise affects the brain through several pathways, including:
A) Only burning calories B) BDNF release supporting neuroplasticity, improved blood flow and oxygen delivery, better sleep quality, and stress-recovery benefits C) Only making you tired D) Replacing the need for food
16. The physiological sigh shifts the body toward calm by:
A) A double inhale that maximally inflates the lungs, followed by a long exhale that engages the vagus nerve and parasympathetic system B) Hyperventilating quickly C) Holding breath underwater D) Forced shouting
17. Sleep debt:
A) Can be repaid by one weekend nap B) Repays slowly across multiple nights and is best avoided by protecting sleep consistently C) Has no effect on cognition D) Builds only in adults
18. Adolescent mental health concerns:
A) Are personal weaknesses to be hidden B) Are real, common, and treatable; a trusted adult, school counselor, or healthcare provider is the right resource — and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) are available 24/7 C) Always go away on their own D) Cannot be discussed
19. Coach Brain at Grade 8 teaches mental health as:
A) A moral failure B) Universal physiology — every brain handles stress, sleep, and recovery, and understanding the science is the first step C) Something only adults experience D) A topic to avoid
20. Coach Brain's main message at Grade 8 is:
A) Stress is always good B) Stress, sleep, and movement form one interconnected system; understanding the science gives you tools, and asking for help when something feels off is part of using those tools well C) The brain is fixed and cannot change D) Sleep is optional
Part C — Application (30 points, 6 points each)
Write 3-5 complete sentences for each question.
21. Describe the cortisol awakening response and its role in normal daily energy. Why is it a healthy feature, not a stress problem?
22. Explain the difference between eustress and distress. Give one example of each from a middle schooler's life.
23. Why does sleep matter for the brain beyond just feeling rested? Use the words memory consolidation and glymphatic system in your answer.
24. Describe the physiological sigh — what it is, how to do it, and what nervous system effect it produces. When during the school day might it be useful?
25. Resource awareness. A friend confides they have been feeling persistently hopeless and have had thoughts about hurting themselves. What do you do? Name at least two specific resources that exist for this. (988 Lifeline; Crisis Text Line text HOME to 741741; plus parent / school counselor / trusted adult.)
Continue to Section C — Coach Sleep.