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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

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