Consciousness and Sleep

Flashcards covering key concepts related to consciousness and sleep, including definitions of sleep stages, disturbances, and psychoactive substances.

Consciousness

State of being aware of oneself, one's thoughts, and/or the environment.

Inattentional Blindness

Attention failure to notice an unexpected visual stimulus while performing other attention-demanding tasks.

Circadian Rhythm

Daily patterns that roughly follow the 24-hour cycle of daylight and darkness.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

Master inner clock nested within the hypothalamus that regulates alertness and sleepiness.

Sleep Disturbance

Disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy, or REM sleep behavior disorder that disrupt normal sleep.

REM Sleep

Rapid Eye Movement sleep that is associated with dreaming and characterized by bursts of eye movements.

Theta Waves

Brain waves indicative of the early stages of sleep.

Non-REM Sleep

Stages of sleep that do not involve dreaming, consisting of stages 1 to 4.

Sleep Paralysis

Temporary paralysis that occurs just before falling asleep or upon waking up.

Hypnagogic Hallucinations

Hallucinations occurring at transition points between waking and sleeping.

Delta Waves

Brain waves that characterize deep sleep.

Psychoactive Drugs

Substances that contain chemicals causing changes in psychological processes associated with conscious experiences.

Stimulants

Drugs that increase CNS activity, including caffeine and cocaine.

Depressants

Drugs that inhibit CNS activity, including alcohol and barbiturates.

Hallucinogens

Psychoactive drugs that can produce hallucinations and alterations of mood.

Awake Stage

The state indicating alertness and consciousness.

Microsleep Episodes

Brief episodes of sleep that occur when a person is normally awake.

Lucid Dream

A dream in which the dreamer is aware of dreaming and may be able to control the dream.

Sleep Deprivation

A condition resulting from not getting enough sleep, leading to deterioration of mental and physical well-being.

Narcolepsy

A neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness.

Cataplexy

Sudden episodes of total loss of muscle tone or strength while awake.

Sleepwalking

An episode of walking or performing other complex behaviors while asleep.

Khat

A plant chewed for its stimulating and euphoric effects.

Krokodil (Desomorphine)

A cheap opioid alternative made by combining toxic substances that lead to severe health issues.