Consciousness and Sleep Tori Olker WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS Consciousness The subjective experience of perceiving oneself and one s surroundings We are conscious of things we can report But are animals conscious Or people who can t speak Examples prayer alcohol sleep meditation hypnosis SLEEP AND SLEEP DISORDERS Natural altered state of consciousness o Measure brain activity during sleep with EEG Five Stages o Stage 1 Transition from wakefulness to sleep 5 minutes Hypnagogic sensations leg twitch something coming at your face minutes o Stage 2 Brief bursts of brain activity called sleep spindles 20 o Stage 3 and 4 Deeper sleep HR temperature and breathing decrease to their lowest points Slow delta waves signify decreased brain activity o REM sleep REM Rapid Eye Movement REM Go back from Stages 4 to 3 to 2 and then REM One whole cycle takes about 90 minutes Paradoxical Sleep externally calm internally active o Heart rate and breathing increase but muscles are essentially paralyzed o Lots of brain activity vivid dreams everyone dreams every night only remember if you woke up during your dream Sleep stages cycle during the night more REM as night goes on SLEEP Brain still processes information outside of conscious awareness o Roll around on bed but not fall off o Some noises will still awaken us auditory cortex is active FUNCTION OF SLEEP But WHY do we sleep Restorative Theory o Sleep repairs the body after each day o Helps consolidate memories and facilitates learning Evolutionary Theory o Conserves energy o Reduces risk of death due to night predators NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP REM Rebound Sleep deprivation affects mood performance and attention o Throws off normal sleep cycle and circadian rhythm o Impairs immune system o Decreases attention and motor responses o After several days hallucinations and paranoia o Death in rats after 3 weeks without REM WHY DO WE DREAM Most scientists do not believe that dreams have special meaning Freud dreams reflect unconscious motivations sexual desires Activation synthesis we dream because our brains are aroused during Neurocognitive theory dreaming is just like thinking except we can t REM control it APPLICATION Alcohol and sleep medication o These reduce amount of REM sleep o REM rebound easily develops Studying o All nighters are terrible things o Don t study in the bed SLEEPING TIPS Don t eat big meals or do lots of physical activity before sleeping Keep the same sleep schedule every day even if you get less sleep on the weekends consistency is the most important aspect Avoid caffeine at night Avoid long naps during the day Use bed only for sleep sex Don t watch the clock Get out of bed if you don t fall asleep within 20 30 minutes adjusting positions in bed 2 3 times try again when you feel tired JET LAG Morning light resets our circadian rhythms Much harder to adjust when flying east o Easier to lengthen your day than get up earlier Tips o Adjust your sleep schedule a few days before leaving o Sleep on the plane if it is night at your destination stay awake in daytime o If you ve traveled east expose yourself to bright lights upon awakening if west use light in the evening to stay up later SLEEP DISORDERS Night terrors o Sudden episodes of screaming sweating confusions o NOT nightmares Dreamer often doesn t remember the next day Occurs during stages 3 and 4 sleep nightmares are in REM Narcolepsy opposite of insomnia o Sudden unexpected sleep attacks Enter REM sleep immediately o Cataplexy lose of muscle tone under strong emotions o Tired during the day Sleep Disorders Tori Olker SLEEP WALKING Happens to a minority of people People get up walk around and usually go to the bathroom eat some food and or have a conversation with someone Fully asleep Occurs during stages 3 and 4 not REM Almost always totally harmless Shows that the motor cortex is still functioning and active while other parts of the brain are asleep REM behavior disorder very rare condition in which sleepers act out their dreams o Brain stem structures don t function properly SLEEP APNEA Brief stoppage of breathing snoring Dangerous and leads to not feeling rested Wake up during the night because they are not getting enough oxygen Typically happens in people who are overweight and obese usually males and most of the time African Americans Suddenly wake up during sleep catch their breath and go back to sleep They are exhausted the next day EEG can show brain movements during sleep CPAP continuous positive air pressure machine that helps someone who has sleep apneia sleep better Hypertension high blood pressure can lead to sleep apneia INSOMNIA Most common sleeping disorder Having trouble falling and staying asleep If you get less than 6 hours of sleep and are really tired during the day researchers would probably diagnose you with insomnia If it takes you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep researchers would probably diagnose you with insomnia Sleep apnea and insomnia lead to reduced REM sleep TREATMENT OF INSOMNIA Historically many medications have been used to treat insomnia o Benzodiazepine anxiety medicine Zanex and Valium not supposed to use often o Antihistamines Benadryl not supposed to use often o Hypnotics Ambien and Lunista increase the neurotransmitter GABA main inhibitory neurotransmitter Don t interfere with REM sleep as much as the other two However Ambien has been used recreational Ambien short lasting Use if you have trouble falling asleep Lunista Use if you have trouble staying asleep PSYCHOLOGISTS WAY TO HELP INSOMNIACS 1 Sleep hygiene least potent Making sure the insomniac has a comfortable sleeping place 2 Relaxation training 3 Stimulus control teach insomniac from only sleeping and having sex in the bed If you can t fall asleep within 30 minutes you need to get up 4 Sleep restriction If someone goes to bed at 11 p m but doesn t fall asleep until 2 a m you move their sleep time to 2 a m By compressing their sleep schedule it gets their body more used to sleep HYNOSIS Used to help people with psychological disorders Hypnosis a condition of increased suggestibility It s considered an altered state of consciousness Unlike sleep people under hypnosis o Walk around and respond to the world o Are awake but relaxed Developed by Anton Mesmer o He used magnets and his hands because he thought that he could change redirect blood and magnetic fluids 2 components of hypnosis o The induction getting the person in a really relaxed and focused state Sitting down lying down