Section: Coach Sleep — Why Sleep Matters
This section covers Chapter 1, Lessons 1.1 through 1.4.
Part A — Vocabulary (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
1. NREM sleep refers to:
A) The dreaming portion of sleep B) Stages 1-3 of sleep, comprising 75-80% of a night, with progressively deeper stages C) Sleep that occurs only during naps D) Stage 4 sleep only
2. REM sleep is associated with:
A) Growth hormone release B) Vivid dreams, emotional processing, and creative connections; about 20-25% of sleep C) Tissue repair only D) The deepest physical stillness of the night
3. Sleep architecture refers to:
A) The shape of the bedroom B) The pattern and structure of sleep stages across a night, typically 4-6 cycles of about 90 minutes C) The brain's structure during sleep D) Type of mattress recommended for teens
4. The glymphatic system is:
A) A digestive organ B) The brain's waste-clearance system, about 60% more active during deep sleep C) Active only during REM D) Located in the spinal cord
5. Circadian rhythm is:
A) A 12-hour biological cycle B) A roughly 24-hour internal clock regulating sleep-wake, hormones, and temperature C) A seasonal rhythm only D) The same as heart rate
6. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is:
A) A small brain region in the hypothalamus serving as the master circadian clock, reset by light B) A hormone produced by the thymus C) A sleep medication D) Located in the brainstem
7. Sleep debt is:
A) Money owed to a sleep doctor B) The cumulative deficit between sleep needed and sleep obtained, which is not fully repaid by weekends C) Always fully reversible with one good night D) An issue affecting only older adults
8. Sleep spindles during Stage 2:
A) Are the same as REM dreams B) Are neural bursts (12-14 Hz) that facilitate hippocampus-to-cortex memory transfer C) Are muscle twitches D) Occur only in deep sleep
9. Blue light (460-480 nm):
A) Has no effect on sleep B) Is the strongest melatonin suppressor of the visible spectrum and is high in screens and daylight C) Promotes melatonin release D) Is invisible to the human eye
10. Chronotype refers to:
A) An eating pattern B) A person's natural tendency toward morning or evening preference, which shifts later during adolescence C) The amount of sleep needed D) A pathological sleep disorder
Part B — Concept Comprehension (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
11. Growth hormone is primarily released during which sleep stage?
A) Stage 1 B) Stage 2 C) Stage 3 (deep sleep) D) REM
12. During adolescence, melatonin onset shifts later by approximately:
A) 15-30 minutes B) 1-2 hours C) 3-4 hours D) Adolescent melatonin onset does not shift
13. The Van Dongen study on chronic 6-hour sleep found that after two weeks, cognitive impairment was equivalent to:
A) Mild fatigue B) One missed night of sleep C) Two consecutive nights of total sleep deprivation D) No measurable impairment
14. REM sleep is concentrated primarily in:
A) The first half of the night B) The second half of the night C) Equally distributed throughout the night D) The first 30 minutes of sleep
15. The SCN is primarily reset by:
A) Food intake B) Exercise C) Light exposure D) Alarm clocks
16. "Social jet lag" refers to:
A) Fatigue from social events B) Circadian disruption from sleeping late on weekends and early on weekdays C) Travel-related jet lag D) Fatigue caused by social media
17. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase amygdala reactivity by approximately:
A) 10% B) 30% C) 60% D) 100%
18. The optimal study strategy for long-term retention is:
A) One marathon session the night before B) Spaced repetition with sleep between sessions C) Studying only on weekends D) Listening to lectures while asleep
19. Subjective adaptation to sleep loss means:
A) The body fully recovers after one weekend of long sleep B) People feel "fine" while objectively still impaired by sleep loss C) Sleep needs decrease with age D) Caffeine fully replaces sleep
20. Microsleep refers to:
A) Sleep that occurs in very small beds B) Involuntary 1-30 second sleep episodes in severely sleep-deprived people, often without awareness C) Sleep lasting under 4 hours total D) The shortest stage of REM
Part C — Application (30 points, 6 points each)
Write 2-4 complete sentences for each question. Show your reasoning.
21. Explain why sleeping 6 hours is not "almost as good" as sleeping 8 hours. Use the concept of how sleep stages are distributed across a typical night to support your answer.
22. A classmate says "I'm a night owl — I just don't need much sleep." Using what you learned about chronotype and subjective adaptation, evaluate this claim.
23. Describe how you would design a study plan for a test in 5 days using the spaced repetition + sleep strategy. Be specific about what you would do on each of the 5 days.
24. A parent tells their teenager "just go to bed earlier." Using what you learned about melatonin timing and the adolescent circadian shift, explain why this advice is limited and what additional changes might help.
25. Explain the phrase "your alarm is at war with your biology" using the adolescent circadian shift and typical school start times. What does this mean for student well-being?
Continue to the next section.