Consciousness, Stages of Sleep, & Dreams I. Consciousness Conscious is: Waking Consciousness Defined: Altered State of Consciousness Defined: Most of waking life Fuzzy, organized, bizarre thoughts Examples: being under the influence of certain drugs, daydreaming, being hypnotized, or achieving a meditative state II. Biology of Sleep The sleep- wake cycle is an example of a circadian rhythm. A circadian rhythm is: Other examples of circadian rhythms:
III. Role of Hypothalamus Inside the hypothalamus, the (SCN), which functions as the internal clock, tells people to wake and when to fall asleep. As daylight decreases, the SCN tells the pineal gland to secrete, which makes a person feels sleepy. As daylight increases, the SCN tells the pineal gland to stop secreting melatonin. Melatonin is used to treat jet lag and shift work sleep problems. As the day goes by, serotonin, which is associated with sleepiness. **this is correlation, not necessarily causation The higher the body temperature, the alert people are, and vice versa. **this is correlation, not necessarily causation Circadian rhythms actually take place over hours naturally, but the SCN resets the biological cycle to a 24- hour day. IV. Sleep Deprivation & The Importance of Sleep Microsleeps: When people miss just one night of sleep, simple tasks are disrupted ( more or less) than complex tasks. Sleep deprivation: Staying up late to cram for a test results in losing more information than a person gains because sleep is important for and the ability to well. Typical symptoms of sleep deprivation:
Even moderate sleep loss is a serious problem for cognitive abilities and physical abilities, although most people are unaware of their problems in functioning. Theories for Why We Sleep o Adaptive theory of sleep: o Restorative theory of sleep: Adults need about - hours of sleep, though some rare individuals only need 4-5 and other need more than 9. V. Kinds of Sleep REM (rapid eye movement). Defined: Non- REM sleep II. Defined: I. Although an active type of sleep, voluntary muscles are inhibited. Deeper, more restful sleep Body free to move around VI. Types of Brain Waves: Beta waves Alpha waves Theta waves
VII. Stages of Sleep Non- REM State One: Light Sleep o If awakened, people do not believe they were asleep. o Experience vivid visual events called. o occurs, which may have something to do with our ancestors sleeping in trees. Non- REM Stage Two: Sleep Spindles o Body temperature, heart rate, breathing becomes and, and EEG shows signs of sleep spindles, which are lasting a second or two. Non- REM Stage Three and Stage Four: Delta Waves Roll In o Large, slow waves known as waves appear in stage 3, and when these waves make up 50% of the brain activity, the person has entered stage sleep. o Pituitary gland releases (GH) and the body is at its level of functioning. o People are in a deep sleep and difficult to awaken. o Children need this stage so their bodies will. REM sleep o Body temperature, move rapidly, heart beats, and brain waves resemble waves. o Associated with dreams, including the more vivid and bizarre dreams. o During REM, the voluntary muscles are paralyzed, a condition known as.
Non- REM sleep helps recover from a demanding day, while REM sleep helps recover from an stressful day. REM rebound: Two myths: that lacking REM makes people paranoid/mentally ill and that memory occurs mainly in REM. Babies spend (more / less) time in REM than adults, and can move around in REM sleep. VIII. Sleep Disorders Nightmares, defined: REM behavior disorders, defined: Sleepwalking (somnambulism): o hereditary in part Night terrors, defined: o Night terrors are different from nightmares because nightmares are easily remembered and are in REM sleep, while night terrors occur in non- REM sleep and are not often remembered.
Insomnia, defined: o Caused by psychological factors (worrying, trying too hard to get to sleep, or having anxiety) and physiological factors (too much caffeine, indigestion, aches and pain). Sleep apnea, defined: o Primary cause of sleep apnea is obesity o Can be controlled by losing weight, with a device that delivers air called a CPAP device, or with surgery to remove the uvula Narcolepsy: o Can cause injury if the person is standing or operating machinery when these sleep attacks occur IV. Dreams Freud believed dreams to be based on unconscious motives and wish fulfillments. The content is what the actual dream is, and the content is the hidden meaning of it. Activation- synthesis hypothesis, defined: o essentially, a dream is way of thinking while asleep, based not on the outside world but instead based on people s memories