PSY 111 1st Edition Lecture 24 NREM sleep disorders Hypersomnia Hypersomnia condition marked by excessive sleepiness during normal waking hours Restless legs syndrome patients have crawly or cramping feelings in their legs REM sleep disorders REM sleep behavior disorder RBD Paralysis or large muscle groups that occurs during REM sleep is incomplete or absent Allows the person to act out their dreams Dream enacting behaviors can include kicking grabbing yelling etc Function of REM Sleep Dreams Helps in information processing People can shift through daily experiences Organize and store relevant information May function as mental housekeeping erasing trivial and unnecessary memories Effects of sleep deprivation Sleep deprivation Decreased cognitive performance Increases in negative moore Negative impact on the immune system Altered states of consciousness Meditation Technique that involves focusing attention on an object or a word One s breathing in order to bloack out all distractions Known to enhance well being Regular meditation Depressed individuals are better able to controle and modulate their emotions Shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels Can help individuals lose weight Can help with chronic pain Altered states of consciousness Psychoactive Substances Psychoactive drugs Substance that alter mood perceptions or thoughts Brains of alcoholics respond differently to visual and auditory stimuli Reasons for substance abuse Heredity Some people are more prone to abuse psychoactive substances due to genetic characteristics Psychosocial factors Bad coping skills some people deal with stress and or pain by abusing psychoactive substances Presence of violence in families predicts substance abuse Adolescents who use drugs are more likely to abuse them later in life Neural organization Types of psychoactive substances Stimulants Also called uppers E G nicotine Category od drugs that speed up activity in the central nervous system Suppress appetite Cause person to feel more awake alert and energetic In higher doses anxiety restlessness sleeplessness shakiness Stimulants amphetamines Increase arousal Relieve fatigue Improve alertness Give rush of energy Can cause Confusion paranoia manic behaviors may lead to antisocial behaviors Withdrawal exhaustesd derpressed extremely hungry Stimulants cocaine Stimulates the reward or pleasure pathways in the brain Continued use cause these systems to fails to function normally Withdrawal symptoms the inability to feel pleasure Depressants Drugs that decrease activity in the central nervous system Slow down bodily functions Reduce sensitivity to outside stimulation Sometimes called downers Depressants alcohol The more alcohol a person consumes the more their CNS is depressed Can cause aggression in men Decrease a person s ability to form new memories Depressants narcotics Derived from the opium poppy Produced both pain relieving and calming effect Opium affects the brain but it also paralyzes the intestinal muscles Hallucinogens Category of drugs also called psychedelics Can alter perceptions of time and space and produce hallucinations Hallucinogens usually magnify the mood of the user at the time of the drug being taken Hallucinogens marijuana THC active ingredient in marijuana impairs attention and motor coordination Interferes with perception of space and time Can also impact the ability to form new memories