Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

activation-synthesis theory
Hobson’s 
theory that the brain produces random 
electrical energy during REM sleep 
that stimulates memories stored in the 
brain.
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150 Chapter 
5 
States of Consciousness
PsychWork
SLEEP TECHNOLOGIST
Name: 
Brandon Liebig
Position: 
Sleep Technologist, Central Sleep 
Diagnostics, Northbrook, IL
Education: 
BFA, Studio Art, University of Nebraska 
at Omaha; Graduate of Accredited Sleep 
Technology Education Program, University of 
Massachusetts Memorial Hospital Sleep Center, 
Worcester, MA; Certifi ed by the Board of 
Registered Polysomnographic Technologists
Although each of us spends the majority of our time sleeping, 
sleep—or rather a lack of it—is a state that is problematic for 
many people. For those seeking treatment for sleep disorders, 
sleep technologist Brandon Liebig is on the front lines, assisting 
in clinical assessments, helping to monitor and test patients, 
and participating in the development of treatment procedures. 
As Liebig notes, “Patients seen in the sleep lab often have 
complicated medical backgrounds and health needs, and some 
may have cognitive limitations/disabilities or coexisting psy-
chological conditions in addition to their sleep symptoms.” 
“Sleep technologists must recognize the particular needs of 
a patient and adjust their style of providing care to best suit 
the patient and promote the best possible outcomes, both for 
the patient’s experience in the sleep lab and the data collected 
in research studies,” he added. 
“Often, patients may fi nd it stressful, unfamiliar, and some-
times uncomfortable to sleep in a lab setting with the sensors and other equipment 
attached to their bodies. Sleep technologists use their knowledge of psychology to pro-
vide the patient with understanding, reassurance, respect, and patience,” said Liebig.
Other sleep problems are less common than insomnia, although they are still 
widespread. For instance, some 20 million people suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep 
apnea is a condition in which a person has diffi culty breathing while sleeping. The 
result is disturbed, fi tful sleep, and a signifi cant loss of REM sleep, as the person 
is constantly reawakened when the lack of oxygen becomes great enough to trig-
ger a waking response. Some people with apnea wake as many as 500 times dur-
ing the course of a night, although they may not even be aware that they have 
wakened. Not surprisingly, such disturbed sleep results in extreme fatigue the next 
day. Sleep apnea also may play a role in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) , a 
mysterious killer of seemingly normal infants who die while sleeping (Aloia, 
Smith, & Arnedt, 2007; Gami et al., 2005; Tippin, Sparks, & Rizzo, 2009). 
Night terrors are sudden awakenings from non-REM sleep that are accompanied 
by extreme fear, panic, and strong physiological arousal. Usually occurring in stage 
4 sleep, night terrors may be so frightening that a sleeper awakens with a shriek. 
Although night terrors initially produce great agitation, victims usually can get 
back to sleep fairly quickly. They are far less frequent than nightmares, and, unlike 
nightmares, they typically occur during slow-wave, non-REM sleep. They occur 
most frequently in children between the ages of 3 and 8 (Lowe, Humphreys, & 
Williams, 2007). 
Narcolepsy is uncontrollable sleeping that occurs for short periods while a person 
is awake. No matter what the activity—holding a heated conversation, exercising, or 
driving—a narcoleptic will suddenly fall asleep. People with narcolepsy go directly 
from wakefulness to REM sleep, skipping the other stages. The causes of narcolepsy 
are not known, although there could be a genetic component, because narcolepsy 
runs in families (Billiard, 2008; Ervik, Abdelnoor, & Heier, 2006; Mahmood & Black, 
2005; Nishino, 2007). 
We know relatively little about sleeptalking and sleepwalking, two sleep distur-
bances that are usually harmless. Both occur during stage 4 sleep and are more 
common in children than in adults. Sleeptalkers and sleepwalkers usually have a 
vague consciousness of the world around them, and a sleepwalker may be able to 
walk with agility around obstructions in a crowded room. Unless a sleepwalker wan-
ders into a dangerous environment, sleepwalking typically poses little risk. And the 
common idea that it’s dangerous to wake a sleepwalker? It’s just superstition (Baruss, 
2003; Guilleminault et al., 2005; Lee-Chiong, 2006).
Sleepwalking (along with sleeptalking) 
are more common in children than 
adults, and they both occur during 
stage 4 of sleep.
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