States of Consciousness

States of Consciousness

ConsciousnessWhat is it?

Our awareness of ourselves and our environment

Some types of consciousness occur spontaneouslyDaydreaming

Drowsiness - sleep

Dreaming

3Some types of consciousness are Physiologically InducedHallucinations

Food or Oxygen Starvation

4Some types of consciousness are Psychologically InducedMeditation

Hypnosis

Sensory Deprivation

5Parallel ProcessingBeneath the surface, subconscious information processing occurs simultaneously on many parallel tracks

For example, the ability to monitor a shape as well as a color of an object

Conscious ThoughtUnlike parallel processing of subconscious information, conscious processing takes place in sequenceConsciousness- relatively slow and has limited capacityConsciousness is natures way of keeping us from thinking and doing everything at once

DaydreamingMostly involves the familiar details of our livesExample- imagining an alternative approach to something we have to do or picturing ourselves explaining to an instructor why a paper will be late

Some daydreams help us prepare for future events by keeping us aware of our unfinished business and giving us a chance to mentally rehearseSleep

9Sleep and DreamsHow do our age-old biological rhythms influence our daily functioning and our sleep and dreams?What exactly is sleep, and why must we have it?What and why do we dream?

SleepJust one of many types of consciousness we experience

Comprises several states of consciousness

Even when sleeping our brains and bodies continue to work11Biological RhythmsDefinition- periodic physiological fluctuations Over varying time periods our bodies fluctuate, and with them our mindsEmphasizes mood fluctuations due to seasonal affective disorders

Example: winter time- everyone gets depressed

Sleep is affected by Biological Rhythms or CyclesAll of us have biological clocks/rhythmsAn internal mechanism controlled by our hypothalamusCoordinates hormones, metabolism, body temperature, heart rate, and arousalThey vary from person to person

13Biological RhythmsAnnual Cycles bears hibernate once a year and people experience variations in moods and sleep due to change of seasons

28 day cycles female menstrual cycle

24 hour cycles (Circadian Rhythm) Varying and falling alertness, body temperature, growth hormone secretionhuman wake and sleep cycle circadian rhythms

90 minute Cycles-We cycle through various stages of sleep

Circadian RhythmAnother name for our 24 hour biological clock Your internal clock that releases melatoninHormone that makes us feel tired less = alertOur body temperature and awareness changes throughout the day It is best to take a test or study during your circadian peaks WHY?? What happens when you ignore your biological clock?

How can the circadian rhythm or biological clock help explain jet lag?15Circadian RhythmsAre you a Lark or Owl?Morning lovers= LarksEvening-Energized- Owls

Thinking is sharpest and memory most accurate when people are a their daily peak in circadian arousalReports show- College students typically perform better as the day goes on, whereas adults tend to perform best in the morning and performance levels dwindle throughout the day

Did your biological clock reset?!?

Functions of Sleep1. It is a protective function Adaptive theory of sleep

2. It restores body tissues that are depleted during daily activitiesThis is called the restorative theory of sleep 3. It helps us conserve energy

Why do we sleep?? 18Sleep ResearchEEG electroencephalographs records brain waves EMG electromyographs records muscle activity (usually around the mouth)EOG electrooculographs records eye movement EKG electrocardiographs records the activity of the heart

Ways we can study sleep19The Sleep FraternityAlpha, Beta, Delta, and ThetaBrain waves line tracings summarizing activity in the brainPicked up by EEGThey vary in amplitude (height) and frequency (cycles per second - cps)Types of Brain WavesBeta normal thought process Alpha deep relaxation, meditation Theta light sleep Delta deep sleep20Sleep StagesThere are 5 identified stages of sleepIt takes about 90-100 minutes to pass through the 5 stagesThe brains waves will change according to the sleep stage you are inThe first four stages are known as NREM (non-REM sleep)The fifth stage is called REM sleep (rapid eye movement)

21Stage One A transition stage between wake and sleepIt usually lasts between 1 and 7 minutes and occupies approximately 2-5% of normal night of sleepBreathing and heart rate slow and body temperature declineBrief periods of alpha waves, give way to theta waves

Hypnic jerks and hallucinations can take place brief muscle contractions and vivid sensory experiences

22Stage TwoThis follows stage 1 and respiration rate, heart rate, muscle tension, and body temperature continue to declineLasts 10 25 mins. Mixed EEG activity Sleep spindles occurBrief bursts of high frequency brain waves

23Stage Three and FourStages three and four are Delta sleep or slow wave sleep (SWS) and may last 15-30 minutes each

Brain activity slows down dramatically Body repairs and regenerates tissues, re-grows bone, and builds up the immune system

24Stage Three and Four cont.The deepest stage of sleep and the most restorative

In children delta sleep is what makes children unawakeable or dead asleep during most of the night

After stage 4 the cycle reverses itself

When the sleeper reaches what should be stage one they go into a fifth stage REM sleep

25Stage Five REM SleepREM rapid eye movementVery active stage of sleep (that is in the brain) Breathing, heart rate and brain wave activity quicken 20-25% of nights sleep (can change with age)you are temporarily paralyzed but most of your internal body systems are active (Paradoxical Sleep)

EEG shows beta waves (resemble those of alert people)Vivid dreams can occurFrom REM, you go back to Stage 2

26A Typical Sleep CycleStage 1 2 3 4 3 2 REM - 2

People go through about 4 sleep cycles during one night, with REM getting longer and longer as the night passes

The longest REM stage lasts about 40-60 minutesand it is the last of the night(This is why we remember this dream more easily)27How much sleep do we need?We all need different amounts of sleep depending on our age and genetics

But we all sleep about 25 years on average

How do you feel when you dont get enough sleep??Are you sleep deprived??28Sleep Disorders and Problems

29Sleep DeprivationResearch shows getting insufficient sleep can have negative effects on health, productivity, and performance

Deprived of REM, people usually experience a REM rebound effect spending more time in REM in subsequent nights to make up for lost REM time

30

31InsomniaProblems falling or staying asleep

Has to be Reoccurring not your once in a while (I have a big test tomorrow) having trouble getting to sleep episode

http://More info on Insomnia

32Sleep Apneathe temporary stopping of breathing during sleepCauses numerous momentary reawakening (loud snorers)

sleep apnea info

33SleepwalkingOccurs when a person arises and wanders about while remaining asleep

The episode can be very brief (a few seconds or minutes) or can last for 30 minutes or longer.

Most often occurs during stage 3 & 4 of sleep and most often earlier in the night

sleepwalking basics34OthersNight terrors characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified occur in stage 4 and are not often remembered

Bruxism teeth grinding

35Other Sleep DisordersKlein-Levin Syndrome people sleep for excessive amounts of timeHypnophobia fear of going to sleepHypnalgia dream pain Myoclonus sudden jerking of a body part

36Fun Facts about Sleeping!The record for the longest period without sleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes during a rocking chair marathon. It's impossible to tell if someone is really awake without close medical supervision. People can take cat naps with their eyes open without even being aware of it.Certain types of eye movements during REM sleep correspond to specific movements in dreamsElephants sleep standing up during non-REM sleep, but lie down for REM sleepSeventeen hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%.