Psychology - Consciousness
Danger of pulling a study all-nighter:
evidence suggests that sleep consolidates memory
the brain takes what happened during the day and processes that into the cortex storage during sleep
if we pull an all-nighter, the brain doesn’t have time to consolidate information
information may be lost with us the next day
Adaptive theory of sleep: animals and humans evolved different sleep patterns to avoid being present during their predator’s normal hunting times
Restorative theory of sleep: sleep is necessary for the physical health of the body, chemicals we use during the day are replenished
Two kinds of sleep:
REM
relatively active type of sleep
most dreaming takes place in this stage
voluntary muscles are turned off
heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing all increase
makes up 20% of sleep
occurs in shallow stages of sleep
most of the body is paralyzed
dreams can occur in non-REM, but are most likely to occur here
Rebound Effect: if awakened from REM, when allowed to sleep again, people go right back to REM
Non-REM (stages 1,2,3,4)
much deeper stage of sleep
more restful sleep
body muscles are free to move
after a bad day, people seem to spend more time in non-REM sleep
growth hormones are released in high amounts
Four stages of sleep:
Stage 1
images appear in your mind like photos
transition stage between wakefulness and sleep
lasts just a few minutes
still aware of the sounds around you
stages 1 and 2 dominate the 2nd half of sleep
Stage 2
makes up half of our sleep
harder to wake up from
Stage 3 & Stage 4
these stages of sleep are the 2 deepest levels
first half of your sleep is dominated by stages 3 & 4
stage 4 is most likely to occur at the start of the night
Sleep Disorders:
Nightmares
bad dreams that take place during REM sleep
children tend to have more nightmares than adults
children have more nightmares because they are in REM longer
Night Terrors
a rare disorder that is more likely to happen in children and stop by puberty
a state of panic happening in non-REM sleep
symptoms include sitting up, screaming, running around the room, flailing
it’s rare to remember what happened during the episode, but some people can remember vividly
Sleep Walking
also known as somnambulism (som means “sleep” and embolism means “walking”)
occurs in about 20% of the population, due to heredity
typically occurs during stage 3 deep sleep
much more common in children, occurs more frequently in males
A sleepwalker may sit up in bed, walk around the house, look in the fridge and eat, and even get into a car.
Sleepwalkers don’t remember their episodes
Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to sleep, stay asleep, get a good amount of sleep, or waking up early consistently
Some tips could be going to bed when you are sleepy, don’t use electronic before bed, only sleep in your bed, and get used to a regular sleep schedule
Sleep Apnea
People who tend to snore every night loudly have sleep apnea
A person stops breathing for 20 seconds or more, and when that happens there is silence followed by a gasp
Causes an unrestful sleep
Serious issue, about 5-25% of adults in the US have it
Causes a person who be sleepy during the day and have heart problems
Some infants can experience this due to immaturity of the brain stem, often associated with SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) but isn’t necessarily caused by it
Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning
Effects 1 in every 2,000
A sudden sleep seizure during a waking states
Symptoms of excessive daytime tiredness that can happen when someone is experiencing strong emotions
Medication is being developed to treat it
Cataplexy
narcolepsy on steroids
connected to narcolepsy
collapsing, muscles stop working
happens with stress or strong emotions
hard to wake up after
aware of people attempting to help when asleep
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
possible sleep disorder
tied with sleep apnea
a baby goes to sleep and never wakes up
Daydreams:
fantasies people construct when they are awake
more under control of the person that dreams
more likely to connect to whats going on around us
average person spends about 10% of their life daydreaming
super day dreamers: 2-4% of the population can spend up to 50% day dreaming
Downsides:
missing important info
unsuitable for certain jobs
danger that people believe their daydreams
Upsides
relieves stress
enhances creativity
Meditation:
Meditation: a series of mental exercises to refocus attention and achieve a trance-like state of consciousness
Mantra: a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated to induce meditation or prayer
Mindfulness Meditation: involves focusing on the present moment and letting other thoughts and distractions fade away
Guided Visualization/Meditation: listen to and follow specific instructions during the session; visualizing self in favorite place (beach, forest, etc)
Movement Meditation: walking, stretching, running, working, gardening, painting, cleaning, yoga
Manta Meditation: normally involves the repetition of a mantra
sacred words or phrases to help focus the mind on achieving a state of relaxation
“peace”, “hope”, “calm”, “i am focused”, or “i am worthy”
Certain types of prayer can be forms of mantra meditation “the Lord is my shepherd, i shall not want”, praying the rosary
Potential uses and benefits of meditation
Physical benefits:
reduces stress and boosts immune system
reduces stress levels for cancer patients and contributes to lowering risk of reoccurrence
lowers resting heart rate and blood pressure
reduces the risk of heart disease and heart attacks
improves quality of sleep
increases melatonin levels
can help manage chronic pain
Mental benefits:
can slow the constant stream of thoughts going through our mind
reduces negative emotions
increases self awareness
reduces stress, anxiety, depression
decreases impulsivity and reactivity
improves creativity
Spiritual benefits:
experience more balance
inner calm and peace
increases feelings of compassion and belonging
develops inner “bliss”, not dependent on external factors
feeling more connected to a higher power
Danger of pulling a study all-nighter:
evidence suggests that sleep consolidates memory
the brain takes what happened during the day and processes that into the cortex storage during sleep
if we pull an all-nighter, the brain doesn’t have time to consolidate information
information may be lost with us the next day
Adaptive theory of sleep: animals and humans evolved different sleep patterns to avoid being present during their predator’s normal hunting times
Restorative theory of sleep: sleep is necessary for the physical health of the body, chemicals we use during the day are replenished
Two kinds of sleep:
REM
relatively active type of sleep
most dreaming takes place in this stage
voluntary muscles are turned off
heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing all increase
makes up 20% of sleep
occurs in shallow stages of sleep
most of the body is paralyzed
dreams can occur in non-REM, but are most likely to occur here
Rebound Effect: if awakened from REM, when allowed to sleep again, people go right back to REM
Non-REM (stages 1,2,3,4)
much deeper stage of sleep
more restful sleep
body muscles are free to move
after a bad day, people seem to spend more time in non-REM sleep
growth hormones are released in high amounts
Four stages of sleep:
Stage 1
images appear in your mind like photos
transition stage between wakefulness and sleep
lasts just a few minutes
still aware of the sounds around you
stages 1 and 2 dominate the 2nd half of sleep
Stage 2
makes up half of our sleep
harder to wake up from
Stage 3 & Stage 4
these stages of sleep are the 2 deepest levels
first half of your sleep is dominated by stages 3 & 4
stage 4 is most likely to occur at the start of the night
Sleep Disorders:
Nightmares
bad dreams that take place during REM sleep
children tend to have more nightmares than adults
children have more nightmares because they are in REM longer
Night Terrors
a rare disorder that is more likely to happen in children and stop by puberty
a state of panic happening in non-REM sleep
symptoms include sitting up, screaming, running around the room, flailing
it’s rare to remember what happened during the episode, but some people can remember vividly
Sleep Walking
also known as somnambulism (som means “sleep” and embolism means “walking”)
occurs in about 20% of the population, due to heredity
typically occurs during stage 3 deep sleep
much more common in children, occurs more frequently in males
A sleepwalker may sit up in bed, walk around the house, look in the fridge and eat, and even get into a car.
Sleepwalkers don’t remember their episodes
Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to sleep, stay asleep, get a good amount of sleep, or waking up early consistently
Some tips could be going to bed when you are sleepy, don’t use electronic before bed, only sleep in your bed, and get used to a regular sleep schedule
Sleep Apnea
People who tend to snore every night loudly have sleep apnea
A person stops breathing for 20 seconds or more, and when that happens there is silence followed by a gasp
Causes an unrestful sleep
Serious issue, about 5-25% of adults in the US have it
Causes a person who be sleepy during the day and have heart problems
Some infants can experience this due to immaturity of the brain stem, often associated with SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) but isn’t necessarily caused by it
Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning
Effects 1 in every 2,000
A sudden sleep seizure during a waking states
Symptoms of excessive daytime tiredness that can happen when someone is experiencing strong emotions
Medication is being developed to treat it
Cataplexy
narcolepsy on steroids
connected to narcolepsy
collapsing, muscles stop working
happens with stress or strong emotions
hard to wake up after
aware of people attempting to help when asleep
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
possible sleep disorder
tied with sleep apnea
a baby goes to sleep and never wakes up
Daydreams:
fantasies people construct when they are awake
more under control of the person that dreams
more likely to connect to whats going on around us
average person spends about 10% of their life daydreaming
super day dreamers: 2-4% of the population can spend up to 50% day dreaming
Downsides:
missing important info
unsuitable for certain jobs
danger that people believe their daydreams
Upsides
relieves stress
enhances creativity
Meditation:
Meditation: a series of mental exercises to refocus attention and achieve a trance-like state of consciousness
Mantra: a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated to induce meditation or prayer
Mindfulness Meditation: involves focusing on the present moment and letting other thoughts and distractions fade away
Guided Visualization/Meditation: listen to and follow specific instructions during the session; visualizing self in favorite place (beach, forest, etc)
Movement Meditation: walking, stretching, running, working, gardening, painting, cleaning, yoga
Manta Meditation: normally involves the repetition of a mantra
sacred words or phrases to help focus the mind on achieving a state of relaxation
“peace”, “hope”, “calm”, “i am focused”, or “i am worthy”
Certain types of prayer can be forms of mantra meditation “the Lord is my shepherd, i shall not want”, praying the rosary
Potential uses and benefits of meditation
Physical benefits:
reduces stress and boosts immune system
reduces stress levels for cancer patients and contributes to lowering risk of reoccurrence
lowers resting heart rate and blood pressure
reduces the risk of heart disease and heart attacks
improves quality of sleep
increases melatonin levels
can help manage chronic pain
Mental benefits:
can slow the constant stream of thoughts going through our mind
reduces negative emotions
increases self awareness
reduces stress, anxiety, depression
decreases impulsivity and reactivity
improves creativity
Spiritual benefits:
experience more balance
inner calm and peace
increases feelings of compassion and belonging
develops inner “bliss”, not dependent on external factors
feeling more connected to a higher power