Sleep and Dreams Psychology

consciousness

state of present awareness (serial processing) that involves a person's feelings, sensations, and perceptions

unconsciousness

parallel processes information simultaneously on multiple tracks

subconsciousness

just below our present awareness, stores previous life experiences beliefs, memories, and skills

memory

involves bringing the information from you consciousness and storing it in your unconsciousness

circadian rhythms

periodic physiological fluctuations that occur on a 24 hour cycle, includes sleep and wakefulness (disrupted during transcontinental flights)

suprochiasmatic nucleus

small section of the hypothalamus containing 20,000 clusters of cells the regulate sleep

sleep cycle stage one (time and waves)

lasts 10 minutes, produces theta waves

sleep cycle stage two (time and waves)

lasts 20 minutes, produces theta waves

sleep cycle stage three (time and waves)

lasts 30 minutes, produces delta waves

sleep cycle stage four (time and waves)

lasts 30 minutes, produces delta waves

sleep cycle stage REM

increased brain activity, most dreams occur

sleep cycle stage one (what happens)

sensation of floating or falling

sleep cycle stage two (what happens)

body temperature and heart rate decreases

sleep cycle stage three (what happens)

transition between light and deep sleep

sleep cycle stage four (what happens)

deep sleep, known for sleepwalking and other things like that

sleep cycle

1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, REM, 2

EEG

device used to measure sleep waves by used electrodes attached to the head

sleep deprivation causes

fatigue, impaired concentration, irritability, depressed immune system, vulnerability

insomnia

inability to get enough sleep

nightmares

dreams scary enough to wake, are remembered in the morning

night terrors

scary dreams, dreamer may seem to be awake, not remembered in the morning

narcolepsy

brain disease in which a person falls instantly into sleep

sleep apnea

a person's breathing often stops in their sleep

lucid dreaming

to dream while knowing you're dreaming

REM rebound

a tendency for REM sleep to increase after REM sleep deprivation

activation-synthesis hypothesis

the cerebral cortex creates storyline for dreams

hypnosis

an induced trance-like state in which the subject is highly susceptible to suggestion

post hypnotic suggestion

a suggestion made during a hypnosis session to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized

meditation

practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit

tolerance

a user's brain adapts its chemistry to offset a drug's effect

physical dependency

going off a drug one was previously dependent on results with physical pain and intense cravings

psychoactive drugs affect...

the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum

depressants

drugs that reduce neural activity and disrupt memory

disinhibition

the increase of harmful tendencies after drug usage

methamphetamines

drugs made using chemicals which triggers the release of dopamine

ecstasy

a stimulant drug that is used for euphoric and hallucinogenic effects

marijuana

the more it's used the greater the risk of anxiety, depression, and possibly schizophrenia

cocaine

blocks the reuptake of neurotransmitters

near-death experiences

after a close brush with death, people report moving through a dark tunnel with a light at the end of it

hallucinations

seeing, hearing, or feeling things that don't exist

hallucinogens

drugs cause hallucinations and dream-like fantasies