Consciousness: Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs Ch. 4

• $Consciousness-$ $person’s awareness of various mental processes$
• Waking Consciousness- thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and there is alertness
• Altered State of Consciousness- shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared ordinary consciousness
• Circadian Rhythm- bodily rhythm that cycles over a 24-hour period
• Hypothalamus- influences pituitary-endocrine system

Necessity of Sleep

• Humans need on average 7-8 hours per night
• $Microsleeps-$ $brief sidesteps into sleep lasting only a few seconds$
• $Sleep deprivation-$ $any significant loss of sleep:$

$-problems in concentration (cognitive impairment)$

$-irritability$

$-droopy eyelids$

-radio broadcaster stayed up for 5-6 days and hallucinated

• $Restorative Theory-$ $sleep is necessary for growth and repair of the body$
• Adaptive Theory- sleep patterns evolved to assist organisms to avoid predators by sleeping when predators are most active

Brain Wave Patterns

• Electroencephalograph (EEG)- measure of sleep stage based upon dominant type of brain wave activity
• Alpha Waves- indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep
• Theta Waves- indicate the early stages of sleep
• Delta Waves- long, slow brain waves that indicate the deepest early stage of sleep
• Beta Waves- smaller and faster brain waves, typically indicating either awake or REM sleep

REM Sleep and Dreaming

• Non-REM (NREM)- any stage but not REM (stages 1-4)
• Hypnagogic Images- vivid visual events
• Hypnic Jerk- knees, legs, whole body jerks

N1: light sleep

-people may not know they were asleep

-may experience hypnogogic images or hallucinations; hypnic jerk

N2: sleep spindles (1-2 sec activity)

-experiences slow heart rate, shallow breathing, body temperature drop

-brief bursts of brain activity

N3: delta waves are pronounced

-deepest stage of sleep

-growth hormones are released

-these waves make up 20%-50% of brain activity

• Rapid Eye Movement (REM)- eyes move rapidly, high brain activity and likely dreaming, body extremely relaxed; aka paradoxical sleep

-vivid dreams during REM sleep

• REM Rebound- increased REM sleep when deprived on earlier nights
• REM Behavior Disorder (RBD)- failure of mechanisms that blocks movement of voluntary muscles, allows person to act out nightmares

-we cycle into REM 5 times for 90 min each time per night

Stage 4 Sleep Disorders

• Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)- occurring during deep sleep, an episode of moving around or walking around in one’s sleep
• Night Terrors- relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully, without nightmare or recall
• Nightmares- bad dreams occurring during REM sleep

Problems during Sleep

• Insomnia- inability to get sleep, stay asleep, or get quality sleep
• Sleep Apnea- disorder in which the person stops breathing for 10 seconds-30 seconds or more
• Narcolepsy- sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning
• Cataplexy- sudden loss of muscle tone
• Sleep Paralysis- the inability of the voluntary muscles to move during REM sleep

Dreams

• Freud- dreams as wish fulfillment
• Manifest Content- actual dream
• Latent Content- dream’s true hidden meaning
• Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis- dreams created by the higher cortex
• $Activation-Information-Mode (AIM) Model-$ $information accessed during waking hours can have an influence on the synthesis of dreams$

Hypnosis

• $Hypnosis-$ $state of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to suggestion$
• Dissociation- divided state of conscious awareness

4 elements of hypnosis-

Theories of Hypnosis

• Hypnosis as Dissociation
• Social-Cognitive Theory- hypnotized are not in an altered state but merely playing the role of them in the situation

Psychoactive Drugs

• $Psychoactive Drugs-$ $drugs capable of influencing perception, mood, cognition, or behavior$
• Physical Dependence:
• Tolerance- more drug needed to achieve same effect
• Withdrawal- symptoms including nausea, pain, tremors, irritability, high blood pressure, and possible hallucinations and delirium, resulting from lack of addictive drug in body systems
• Psychological Dependence- drug needed to continue feeling of emotional or psychological well-being

Stimulants

• Stimulants- drugs that speed up the functioning of nervous system
• Amphetamine- synthesized drugs (made in labs)
• Cocaine- natural drug; produces euphoria, energy, power, and pleasure

Milder Stimulants

• Nicotine- in tobacco
• Caffeine- in coffee, tea, most sodas, chocolate, and many over-the-counter drugs

Depressants

• Depressants- drugs that decrease the functioning of nervous system
• Barbiturates- sedative effect
• Benzodiazepines- lower anxiety and reduce stress

Alcohol

• Alcohol- classified as a depressant

-initial effects depresses or inhibits control centers in frontal lobes; person loses inhibitions (appears to stimulate)

-later effects more clearly depressant; slurred speech; mental confusion; in-coordination; unconsciousness

• Narcotics- opium-related drugs that suppress pain by stimulating nervous system’s receptor sites for endorphins
• Opium- from opium poppy from which all narcotic drugs are derived
• Morphine- used to treat severe pain
• Heroin- extremely addictive

Hallucinogens

• PCP- synthesized drug that can cause stimulant, depressant, narcotic, or hallucinogenic effects
• MDMA (Ecstasy or X)- can have both stimulant and hallucinatory effects
• Stimulatory Hallucinogenics- drugs that produce a mixture of psychomotor stimulant and hallucinogenic effects
• LSD- powerful synthetic hallucinogen
• Hallucinogens- cause false sensory messages, altering perception of reality
• Marijuana- mild hallucinogen derived from a particular type of hemp plant