【4】States of Consciousness



Consciousness - state of being aware of internal and external stimuli

Sleep - decreased levels of physical activity; reduced sensory awareness

Wakefulness - high sensory awareness, thought, and behavior

Biological rhythms - cycle of bodily change that maintains homeostasis in the body

  •  Circadian rhythms -  takes place over 24 hours
Sleep regulation - how the brain switches between sleep and wakefulness

Sleep

  • - sleep rebound - when someone falls asleep faster after being sleep deprived; 1 type of homeostatic regulation
  • - can be tracked using EEG (electroencephalography) which measures brain waves
  • - sleep-wake cycles are controlled by the thalamus, hypothalamus, (for slow wave sleep) and the pons (for REM sleep)
    • is regulated by melatonin which is secreted by the pineal gland
  • - regulates and secretes hormones eg. melatonin, luteinizing hormone
  • - stimulates growth and follicles

Disruptions of Normal Sleep

Jet lag - when a person's internal circadian rhythm and their environment are misaligned
  • Symptoms - fatigue, sluggishness, irritability, insomnia (difficulty in falling/staying asleep)
Sleep Debt - leads to decreased levels of alertness and mental efficiency; caused by sleep deprivation

Hypotheses on why we Sleep

Adaptive
  • for us to restore resources that were used during the day
  • to avoid predators in the dark
  • evolutionary pressure
    • maintaining healthy weight, decreasing stress, increasing mood, coordination, cognition, and memory formation
Cognitive
  • insufficient sleep disrupts cognitive functions
  • benefits: improved creative thinking, language, judgement, and processing emotional information
    • Sleeping after learning a new task can improve performance

4 Stages of Sleep

  • differentiated by brain wave activity
  • divided into 2 categories 
    • Non-REM sleep - made up of 3 stages
    • REM sleep - aka rapid-eye movement sleep; your eyes dart around while your eyes are closed; brain waves are similar to those that are awake
Non-REM
Stage 1 (drifting to sleep)
  • heart rate and respiration slows down
  • muscles become less tense
  • core body temperature drops slightly
  • Early - produces alpha waves (8-13 Hz)
  • Late -  produces theta waves (4-7 Hz) 
Stage 2 (going into a state of deep relaxation)
  • theta waves are produced
    • waves are sometimes interrupted by sleep spindles
    • Sleep spindles - random bursts of higher frequency brain waves; important for learning and memory
    • K-complexes - spikes of high amplitude patterns; also appears as a response to external stimuli
Stage 3 (deep-sleep)
  • produces delta waves (less than 3 Hz)
  • heart rate and respiration slows down more
    • If the person has increased alpha waves during stage 3, the person will not feel refreshed when waking up
Stage 4 (REM Sleep)
  • brainwaves become similar to those observed when a person is awake
  • when dreams happen
  • muscles get paralyzed
Sleep cycles (~90 minutes long)
  • An average night has 5 cycles (~7.5 hours)
    • As we go though each cycle, stage 3 will shorten and REM sleep lasts longer
    • stage 1: 5 mins
    • stage 2: 20 mins
    • stage 3: 10 mins
    • stage 4: 30 mins
  • REM rebound - when REM sleep is interrupted

Dreams

Sigmund Freud believed that dreams can give insight for dealing with problems in our unconscious mind
  • Manifest content - storyline of a dream
  • Latent content - hidden meaning of a dream
Collective unconscious - theoretical repository of information that is shared by everyone; certain symbols in dreams reflect universal ideas with meanings that are similar for all people regardless of culture or location

Problem-solving theory of dreaming - mind tries to solve issues that exist while you're awake while you're unconscious.

Sleep Disorders

  • 30-50% of the population experiences some type of sleep disorder in their lifetime
Dyssomnias - abnormalities in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep 

        Insomnia - inability to sleep/can't maintain sleep

        Narcolepsy - inability to stay awake; random periods where a person enters REM 
        sleep for a few minutes; might be caused by irregularity in the production of orexin 
        in the hypothalamus

        Sleep Apnea - repeated stops in breathing while sleeping; associated with obesity 
        and alcohol consumption
                                - people wake up after 1-2 mins of not breathing
                                - SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) - fatal for babies

        Somnambulism - sleepwalking (+ sleeptalking); does not occur during REM sleep

        Night terrors - screaming, crying, jerky movements while in deep sleep
                               - overlaps with somnambulism; can create motions of being attacked; 
                                  the person who experiences these will not have memories of it

Substance Abuse

dependence - happens when the person keeps using a substance to avoid unpleasant feelings associating with not taking it
                        - caused by not wanting experience withdrawal symptoms

tolerance - over time, more of a substance is needed to get desired effect; doesn't always lead to dependency on that substance

withdrawal - causes symptoms from not taking from not taking a substance someone's dependent on

psychoactive drugs - chemicals that change perceptions and mood; stimulates release of dopamine; 3 types
  • depressants - calms down neural activity and slows down body functions
    • Ex. alcohol (not a stimulant or disinhibitor though it acts like one)
      • brain activity that controls judgement and inhibition slows down
      • the urges you would feel while sober are more likely to be acted upon when drunk
      • alcoholism - alcohol -> tolerance -> withdrawal -> problematic use; can cause brain shrinkage
        • women have less digestive enzymes for alcohol than men
        • consequences: impaired judgement, alcohol poisoning, blackouts, lowered self-awareness/zoning out, slowed nerve regeneration, nerve death
      • expectancy effects - believing in the effects of alcohol can cause us to act in ways we believe we would when drunk; expectation of its effects influence behavior
    • barbiturates (tranquilizers) - commonly used as sleep and anti-anxiety meds
      • this plus alcohol results in a lethal depressant 
      • consequences - lowered nervous system activity, memory and judgement
    • opiates - (opium/narcotics) - depress neural activity, reduces pain and anxiety
      • Ex. morphine, heroine, codeine, methadone
      • Side effects: increased feelings of pleasure, constricting of pupils, slowed breathing, lethargy
      • Repeated use can cause the brain to stop producing endorphins and withdrawal symptoms are intense can lead to an overdose (lethal)
  • stimulants - excite neural activity and speeds up functions
    • addiction causes a crash when withdrawal sets in
    • Side effects: pupils dilate, breathing rate increases, blood sugar levels rise, reduced appetite, increase in energy and self-confidence
    • Ex. caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy
      • nicotine - in tobacco
        • E-cigs - can make regular smoking more addictive + toxic chemicals; does NOT help people quit smoking
        • 1/7 smokers who try to stop, will.
        • Withdrawal symptoms - craving, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, distractibility
      • cocaine - stimulant that temporarily increases alertness and a euphoria rush (depletes brain's supply of NT, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine)
        • After 1 hour of taking, a crash occurs; increase in agitation and depression when drug wears off
        • Effects of cocaine are dependent on dosage and the user's expectations of taking it
      • Amphetamine -  speeds up neural activity, body functions; causes mood changes
        • Methamphetamine - stronger variant; reduces base levels of dopamine over time
  • hallucinogens - psychedelic; distort perceptions, make up sensory images
    • visual cortex and emotional centers are stimulated
    • hallucinations range from simple shapes to dream-like experiences
    • creates symptoms similar to near death experience
    • seeing a bright light, replaying old memories, out of body experiences
    • Ex. synthetic (LSD, ecstasy) or natural (marijuana)
      • Ecstasy - synthetic halllucinogen that blocks serotonin reuptake which produces feelings of euphoria and social intimacy 
        • Side effects: dehydration, increased blood pressure, decreased sleep, immunity, and memory
      • LSD - aka acid; causes feelings of euphoria, detachment, and panic
        • user's mood and expectations can affect experience
      • Marijuana - contains THC; heightened sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes, and smells
        • ranges from producing a relaxing effect to a euphoric high
        • impairs motor and coordination skills
        • Side effects: agitation, psychosis, chronic bronchitis, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts, depression, impaired memory

Altered States of Consciousness

hypnosis - makes a person relax and open to suggestion; might experience seeing things that aren't there; able to unlock repressed memories
        posthypnotic suggestion - instructions given to hypnotized people after they wake 
        up
  • Neodissociative theory - hypnosis splits the mind into 2 parts
    • 1st part obeys the hypnotist
    • 2nd parts acts as a hidden observer
meditation - techniques that train attention
        MSBR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) - tool used in medical settings to help 
        alleviate stress, pain and anxiety; increases alpha and theta brain wave activity



























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