In experiments,participants averaged 12 or more hours of sleep a day for the first few days of unrestricted sleep.They then settled back to 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a day.The unusually lengthy sleep time of the first few days suggests that participants began these experiments with
A) sleep apnea.
B) narcolepsy.
C) low melatonin levels.
D) a sleep debt.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that participants averaged 12 or more hours of sleep for the first few days suggests that they were making up for a sleep debt. This indicates that they may not have been getting enough sleep prior to the experiment, and their bodies needed to catch up on the missed sleep. Options A and B (sleep apnea and narcolepsy) are unlikely since the participants were able to sleep for such long periods of time, and low melatonin levels could potentially affect the quality of sleep but not necessarily the quantity.

In Experiments,participants Averaged 12 or More Hours of Sleep a Day