Consciousness Chapter 4 Consciousness No single stream of consciousness multiple channels each handling its own tasks people must organize their conscious experience Awareness of everything around you inside of your own head at any given moment o Used to organize your behavior thoughts sensations and feelings o Generated from a set of action potentials 1 Waking consciousness thoughts feelings sensations clear and organized 2 Altered states of consciousness shifts in the quality or pattern of mental activity Types of Consciousness 2 different kinds Daydreaming Hypnotic state Meditative state Increased alertness Divided attention Sleep Sleep the Circadian Rhythm circa diem about a day approximately 24 hrs key players suprachiasmatic nucleus SCN of the hypothalamus pineal gland and melatonin When it gets dark the SCN triggers the secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland making us feel sleepy When it gets light the SCN stops the secretion of melatonin allowing the body to waken The higher the body temperature the more alert we are the lower the body temperature the sleepier we are Other Factors Related to Sleep Serotonin Sleep regulation Body temperature Adenosine As builds up become more sleepy Caffeine adenosine antagonist What happens if you don t sleep Microsleeps brief periods of sleep that last only a few seconds Missing a single night of sleep Problems with concentration and simple task performance Sleep deprivation symptoms Trembling hands inattention staring off to space droopy eye lids general discomfort psychological symptoms i e irritability depression mania hallucinations Impaired immune system functioning increased inflammatory response Extended sleep deprivation Missing multiple days of sleep no sleep or reduced levels Significant impairment in functioning Long term sleep deprivation and health Obesity Randy Garner 1965 o Fatal familial insomnia Why do we sleep Adaptive Theory of Sleep sleep is a product of evolution We want to stay safe from predators Explains why we sleep when we sleep Evidence Relationship b w amount of time particular animals sleep and status on the food chain Restorative Theory of Sleep sleep is necessary for physical health Explains why we sleep in general Evidence most bodily growth and cellular repair occur at night in deepest stages of sleep 2 kinds of sleep REM Rapid Eye Movement sleep Active sleep Dream during this stage Voluntary muscles are paralyzed Non REM sleep Restful sleep Voluntary muscles are not paralyzed EEG and Sleep Stages Use an EEG to record brain wave activity and determine what stage people are in When people are awake and alert beta waves very small fast When people are relaxed and drowsy alpha waves slightly larger slower Non REM Theta waves replace alpha waves even slower Stage 1 sleep N1 Light sleep people will deny they were sleeping Hypnic jerk is common Some people hallucinate falling into this stage called hypnogogic images or hallucinations Non REM Body temperature drops heart rate slows and breathing becomes shallower Stage 2 sleep N2 Characterized by sleep spindles Theta waves continue during this stage If awakened people are aware that they were asleep Non REM Stage 3 delta waves start slowest and largest Stages 3 4 N3 Stage 4 deepest sleep During this stage that body growth occurs If you wake a person up during this stage will be disoriented REM Sleep Body temperature rises to almost waking temperature eye lids move and heart rate increases Brain waves resemble beta waves 90 of dreams take place in REM sleep REM paralysis voluntary muscles are paralyzed Progression of Sleep Stages Importance of REM sleep Experience more REM sleep after a stressful day Experience more non REM sleep after physically demanding day If deprived of REM sleep experience REM rebound the following night Infants engage in more REM sleep than adults Period of brain growth and development Sleep and Aging Why do we dream According to Freud wish fulfillment People s repressed conflicts and events cause them problems Dreams are symbolic representations of past conflicts desires and events stemming from childhood Manifest content versus latent content o E g opening locked door at the end of a hallway Activation Synthesis Hypothesis Dreams are produced by the pons Inhibits movement Sends signals to the cortex Activation Information Mode Since frontal lobes are basically shut down dreams are sometimes bizarre Information gathered while awake can have an influence on the synthesis of dreams Model Sleep Disorders Narcolepsy Slip into REM sleep during the day or fall asleep due to excessive sleepiness Also problematic is the issue of cataplexy loss of muscle tone REM Behavior Disorder REM Voluntary muscles are supposed to be paralyzed but aren t As a result people move around act out dreams often nightmares Rare disorder More common among men over 60 But can impact young men and women too Somnambulism AKA Sleepwalking Fairly common 20 Occurs during deep sleep Get up and move around More common especially in children Night Terrors Night terror experiences of extreme fear and panic during sleep Comparison to nightmare Night terror takes place during non REM Nightmare takes place during REM sleep sleep so children can thrash about People usually remember their nightmares whereas they don t usually remember night terrors Insomnia Inability to get to sleep stay asleep or get good quality sleep Psychological causes e g worrying and physiological causes e g caffeine pain Behavioral treatments and pharmacological treatments Treating Insomnia Sleep Hygiene Don t lay in bed for more than 20 minutes Keep a regular sleep schedule Use the bed for sleep only Avoid using alcohol to fall asleep Avoid using caffeine and nicotine around bedtime Avoid or limit napping Create a good environment for sleeping dark cool no distracting noises Sleep Apnea Disorder in which people stop breathing for nearly a minute or more Treatments Nose device Lose weight CPAP device Surgery Hypnosis State of consciousness in which a person is especially susceptible to suggestion Four elements of hypnosis o Person told to focus on what is being said o Person told to relax and feel tired o Person told to accept suggestions o Person told to use vivid imagination What are some possible uses of hypnosis Relaxation Pain control reduce food cravings or quit smoking difficult NOT appropriate for recovering repressed memories Who responds to hypnosis 80 of people have some response 40 of
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