Unit 5- States of Consciousness

1
Unit 5- States of Consciousness
2
Consciousness

• Awareness of yourself and the environment.
• The experience of conscious behaviors can include
  thoughts, sensations, and memories

3
Stream of Consciousness

• Conscious experience is continuous and constantly
  changing, without pause and without breaks.
  Thoughts, emotions, actions, sensations,
  memories, etc. blend seamlessly together. All
  the while, though, we are aware that this is
  happening.

4

• Levels of Consciousness

5

• Consciousness current level of awareness
• Nonconscious body processes that we are not
  aware of, but are active
• Preconscious information out of awareness, but
  memories are easily accessible
• Subconscious information out of awareness,
  memories arent easily accessible
• Unconscious information out of awareness, no
  actual memories may even exist, though behavior
  is still affected?

6

• Biological Rhythms - natural life cycles that
  help to guide our levels of awareness and our
  behaviors

7

• Annual Cycles Seasonal changes affecting moods,
  appetite, sleep patters
• Twenty-Eight Day Cycle Female Menstrual Cycle
• Ninety-Minute Cycle Sleep Cycle
• Twenty-Four Hour Cycle Daily cycle of levels of
  alertness, hormones, body temperature, etc. also
  known as

8
Circadian Rhythms

• A cycle or rhythm that is roughly 24 hours long.
  The cyclical daily fluctuations in biological and
  psychological processes.

9
Circadian Rhythms

• IE.
• Peak Mental Alertness at 900 AM and 900 PM
• Low Mental Alertness at 300 AM and 300 PM
• Peak Physical Strength at 1100 AM and 700 PM
• Peak Sensations at 300 AM and 600 PM
• Peak Sensitivity to Pain at 300 AM and 500 PM
• Peak Degrees of Sleepiness at 300 AM and 300 PM

10
Circadian Rhythms

• The circadian rhythms related to wakefulness and
  sleep are controlled by the suprachiasmatic
  nucleus (SCN), which is a cluster of neurons in
  the hypothalamus

11
The Sleep-Wake Cycle

• The SCN is connected to the visual system of the
  body.
• When there are decreased levels of light, the SCN
  triggers the pineal gland to release melatonin,
  which causes sleepiness and reduced activity
  level
• When there are increased levels of light,
  melatonin levels decrease and conscious awareness
  level increase

12

• When there are increased levels of light,
  melatonin levels decrease and conscious awareness
  level increases

13
Free-Running Circadian Rhythms

• Experiments in which all environmental time cues
  are removed no clocks, and light is
  artificially controlled
• Two important findings
• The body creates its own sleep-wake cycle that is
  roughly one-hour off of normal sleep and wake
  times
• Systems that are normally synchronized lose their
  connectedness

14
Jet Lag Symptoms

• Crossing time zones, disrupt circadian rhythms,
  and produce
• Sleep disturbances
• Initiating and maintaining sleep
• Daytime fatigue and sleepiness
• Physical complaints
• Gastrointestinal distress
• Headaches
• General malaise

15
Jet Lag Symptoms cont.

• Cognitive difficulties
• Reduced decision making, concentration,
  forgetful, slowed reaction time
• Poor psychomotor coordination
• Mood disturbance
• Depression, apathy, lethargy
• Recovery?

16
Jet LagVariables

• 25-30 of people are minimally affected
• Equal number highly susceptible
• Morning types (larks) more affected than night
  types (owls)

17
Shift WorkBlue Collar Jet Lag

• 55 night shift workers report nodding off or
  falling asleep at work at least 1 time/week
• gt30 report such incidents occur more than 3
  times/week

18
SLEEP !!!!!

• On average, humans sleep 22 years of their
  lifetime.

19
Why do we sleep?

• Restorative Theory of Sleep
• Sleep promotes physiological processes that
  restore and rejuvenate the body and the mind
• NREM bodily restoration and REM mind
  restoration

20
Why do we sleep?

• Adaptive Theory of Sleep
• Unique sleep patterns of different animals
  evolved over time to promote survival and
  environmental adaptation. Sleep patterns evolved
  as a way of preventing a particular species from
  interacting with the environment when doing so is
  most hazardous.

21
Adaptive Theory of Sleep

• IE. The fiercest and strongest sleep the most,
  and at their convenience

• The weakest and most vulnerable sleep in shorter
  bursts and for the least amount of time.

22
Sleep

• There are 2 different types of sleep
• REM Sleep type of sleep during which rapid eye
  movements and dreaming occur and voluntary muscle
  activity is suppressed
• NREM Sleep quiet, typically dreamless sleep in
  which rapid eye movements are absent

23
Stages of Sleep Pre-Sleep

• Pre-Sleep
• As you transition from wakefulness to sleep
  (drowsy stage), you may experience some type of
  hypnagogic hallucinations and/or myoclonic jerks
• You may hear a loud crash, hear someone call your
  name, feel a sensation of floating, smell
  something burning, see a variety of colors
• Involuntary muscle spasms

24
four NREM sleep stages

• STAGE 1 ALPHA Waves
• Transitional stage from wakefulness to sleep
• First 5-10 minutes of sleep
• Gradually disengage from the sensations of the
  surrounding world
• Still able to regain consciousness easily at this
  point
• Some hypnagogic experiences continue here

25
four NREM sleep stages

• Stage 2 (Theta waves)
• 15-20 minutes
• Breathing becomes rhythmical
• Some small muscle twitches
• Brain activity begins to slow down
• Sleep Spindles - Quick bursts of brain activity
  that last for a second or two

26
four NREM sleep stages

• Stages 3 and 4 (Delta waves)
• Replenishing chemical supplies, growth hormones
  released, fortifying the immune system
• Heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing drop to
  their lowest levels

27
four NREM sleep stages

• by Stage 4
• Slow delta waves
• the sleeper is nearly oblivious to the outside
  world, and may take 15 minutes or more to regain
  consciousness from this level

28
four NREM sleep stages

• Stage 4
• It is possible to carry conversations, answer
  the phone, walk in this stage and never remember
  it
• Most sleeping disorders occur during this time

29
Stages of Sleep back again

• By the time a sleeper has reached Stage 4, they
  have been asleep for about 60 minutes total.
• After Stage 4 has been reached, the sleeper
  cycles back from Stage 3 to Stage 2 in a matter
  of minutes and enters REM Sleep.

30
(No Transcript)
31
Stages of Sleep

• REM Sleep
• The brain becomes more active and generates
  small, fast brain waves
• Visual and motor neurons fire during this stage,
  but voluntary muscle movements are suppressed
  (paralysis)

32

• REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
• recurring sleep stage
• vivid dreams
• paradoxical sleep
• muscles are generally relaxed, but other body
  systems are active

33
REM Sleep is often referred to as Paradoxical
Sleep because

• Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration
  increase, muscles twitches, heightened sexual
  arousal
• The first REM stage lasts about 15 minutes the
  first sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes total

34

• REM Rebound Sleep
• The less time we spend in REM sleep one night,
  the longer amount of time we will spend in REM
  sleep the next night

35
Beyond the first 90 minutes

• Sleepers cycle between NREM and REM sleep
  throughout the night
• Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes

36
(No Transcript)
37
(No Transcript)
38
Just before and after REM sleep, you typically
change body positions
39
As the night progresses, Stages 3 and 4 get
shorter and REM sleep increases, up to 40 minutes
at a time
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
Electroencephalagram (EEG)

• Measures electrical activity in the brain
• Visualized as brain waves

43
(No Transcript)
44
Stages of Sleep

• When you are awake and alert, brain waves known
  as Beta Waves are generated in the brain
• After your head hits the pillow, you close your
  eyes, and your muscles begin to relax, the brain
  begins to generate Alpha Waves as you prepare for
  sleep
• After you begin to sleep, the brain generates
  Theta Waves
• The deepest parts of sleep are characterized by
  Delta Waves

45
Once you are in the simulation, check out slides
10 through 14 to figure out whats going on or
just jump right to slide 15 and enter the
experiment!

• When is someone dreaming?
• See if you can tell
• Click on the weird dream to enter the experiment!

46
Sleep DYSFUNCTIONS
47
Sleep Disorders

• Insomnia
• A condition in which a person regularly
  experiences an inability to fall asleep, to stay
  asleep, or to feel adequately rested by sleep.

48
Sleep Disorders

• Sleepwalking (somnambulism)
• Usually within the first three hours of sleep
• The sleeper typically has the ability to navigate
  around objects, albeit poorly coordinated and in
  a stiff, automatic manner

49
Sleep Apnea
50

• A sleep disorder in which the person repeatedly
  stops breathing during sleep

• Carbon-dioxide builds up in the blood, causing a
  momentary awakening, during which the sleeper
  snorts or gulps for air

51
(No Transcript)
52

• Narcolepsy

• A sleep disorder characterized by excessive
  daytime sleepiness and brief lapses into sleep
  throughout the day

• Though narcoleptics can fall asleep at any time,
  arousals usually trigger sleep laughter, anger,
  surprise, sex
• Narcoleptics instantly lose muscular control, and
  enter REM sleep. The dreams are often terrifying.

53

• Night Terrors
• occur within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep,
  usually during Stage 4
• high arousal- appearance of being terrified
• Right back to sleep usually no memory of the
  event
• Nightmares
• occur towards morning
• during REM sleep

54
More Sleep Disorders

• Sleep Bruxism

• Enuresis Bed Wetting

55
Sleep Deprivation

• 8 hours is generally suggested for adults, but
  the typical adult sleeps less than 7 hours a
  night.
• 9 hours is generally suggested for teenager, but
  the typical teen sleeps only about 6 hours a
  night.

56

• Effects of Sleep Loss
• fatigue
• impaired concentration
• immune suppression
• irritability
• slowed performance
• Accidents
• planes autos and trucks

57
Dreams

• 25 of a nights sleep spent dreaming (about 2
  hours) (6 yrs of your life)
• Sleep Thinking much more common
• Vague, uncreative thoughts about real-life events

58
Sleep and Dreams

• Dreams are a sequence of images, emotions, and
  thoughts passing through a sleeping persons
  mind.

• Notable for their hallucinatory imagery,
  discontinuities, and delusions

59
Dreams

• 5 Basic Characteristics
• Emotions can be intense
• Content/organization are usually illogical
• Bizarre sensations
• Even bizarre detail is uncritically accepted
• Dream images are difficult to remember

Dreams are unfolding episodes of mental images
(story-like)
60
Remembering Dreams

• We dream every night but often dont remember.
• We remember dreams that occur close to waking.

61
Sleep and Dreams

• A lucid dream is the act of consciously
  perceiving and recognizing that one is dreaming,
  enabling a more cogent ("lucid") control over the
  content and quality of the experience.

62
Dream Theory

• Sigmund Freud (1900)
• The Interpretation of Dreams
• wish fulfillment
• (disguised fulfillment of repressed wishes)
• discharge otherwise unacceptable feelings
• Sex and Aggression

63
Sleep and Dreams When is a cigar just a cigar?

• The manifest content of a dream is the literal
  storyline and events that occurred
• The latent content of a dream is the
  interpretation of the unconscious drives, wishes,
  and desires that created the dream (the symbolism)

64
Activation Synthesis

• 1973- researchers Allan Hobson and Robert
  McCarley set forth another theory that threw out
  the old psychoanalytical ideas.
• Dreams erupt from neural activity that spreads
  upward from the brainstem.
• Dreams are the brains attempt to make sense out
  of random neural static

65
Information Processing and Memory Consolidation

• Rebuilds neural connections
• Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix the days
  experiences in our memory, since REM sleep helps
  to facilitate memory
• IE. It was found that on average, student who get
  As and Bs sleep 25 minutes more a night than
  lower achieving students

66
Dream Interpretationhttp//www.myjellybean.com/as
trology/dream/e_dreams.htmhttp//www.dreammoods.
com/dreamdictionary/
67

• Doris's Dream"I am at my friend Betty's house.
  I call Ann up to make an appointment to get my
  hair highlighted. I speak to the receptionist at
  the beauty parlor. I speak in a Russian accent.
  She asks when I can come. I say in a couple of
  days. I think that might be Wednesday. She asks
  'Are you sure because we are changing things
  around here implying that it won't be good if I
  change my mind and cancel the appointment. After
  speaking to her, I realize that I don't need to
  have my hair highlighted yet, because my hair
  hasn't grown out yet. But George and I go on the
  'A' train to the beauty parlor. It goes through a
  neighborhood that I have never seen before. The
  train travels outside. George gets out at a stop
  as if he nonchalantly is doing something. The
  train leaves without him. I wave to him and feel
  bad that he is not on the train.