Chapter 6 - Consciousness, Sleep, and Dreams

Construct

concept requiring a belief in something that cannot be seen or touched but that seems to exist

How is consciousness a construct

believed to exist, but unable to physically measure it

consciousness 

the organism’s awareness of, or possibility of knowing, what is happening inside or outside itself

subconscious 

consciousness just below our present awareness

example of subconscious

feeling that people are acting strangely towards you

unconscious

thoughts or desires about which we have no direct knowledge

found in the unconscious 

thoughts 

male monthly cycle

Males become listless, slightly depressed, and different from usual

example of annual cycle

approaching summer - people slow down and lose energy and bird migration

biological clock

Internal chemical units that control regular cycles in parts of the body

examples of biological clock 

internal temperature and kidneys 

free running cycle

cycles set up by biological clocks that are under their own control, ignoring the environment

sleep wake cycle at birth

Babies want to eat and sleep at odd times during the day and night. After 20 weeks parents have trained the babies to fit the adults’ schedule.

entrainment

The process of altering the free-running cycle to fit a different rhythm

number of hours of natural rhythm of humans without entrainment

25 hours

reason for entraining to a 24 hour cycle

24 hour clock

circadian rhythm

sequences of behavioral changes that occur every 24 hours

low point

3-5 AM, low temperature, low blood pressure, and weakness

results of study on air pilots 

Pilots started to fall asleep while flying on an average of 32 times a month. 

twilight state of sleep

relaxed state just before we fall asleep

when does twilight state occur

before we fall asleep

How does sleep restore the body

New cells are made, chemicals the brain used up during the day are restored, and body hair grows most rapidly

signals the shift from twilight state into stage one sleep

alpha waves disappear

characteristics of REM sleep

rapid eye movement, increases in length as night’s sleep progresses, vivid dreams, nightmares, paralyzed body, and essential part of sleep

why do people often feel that they cannot run away during dreams

they are paralyzed

how often REM periods occur

every 90 minutes

longest REM period 

9 hours sleep = 85 minutes of REM

closest to being awake

REM

beta waves

brain wave that signals awakeness

alpha waves

brain wave that signals relaxation before going into stage 1 sleep

delta waves

signals deep sleep 

beginning delta and delta

brain waves of a person in REM sleep

characteristics of NREM sleep

Non-rapid eye movement, decreases in length as night’s sleep progresses, vague, partial images and stories, night terrors, sleepwalking and talking in sleep, less essential part of sleep

sleepwalking and sleep talking occur

NREM sleep

3 hypothesis of why we dream 

1. Process information: gas station: “at the pump” for chemicals, processing last day or week 

2. Dreams are designed to help work out unsolved problems left over from the day. Unsolved problems “sleep on it”; rest or less distraction or forgetting may provide a solution.

3. Random stimulation: cleaning out, pinball firing of different regions results in unusual or bizarre narratives/images. 

why are we more tired after a day of hard studying 

To restore the chemicals, we have to cut off the outside world to keep new problems which requires more work from getting in