Chapter 4 Consciousness Extensive

4.1

• Consciousness- awareness of everything going on around, at any time
• There are multiple streams of consciousness

4.2

• Waking consciousness is how we spend most of our time, which includes: thoughts, sensations, feelings, and alertness
• altered states of consciousness have controlled processes and automatic processes
• altered states can feel fuzzy, but increase alertness
• conscious awareness can be divided, by focusing on one task and thinking about something else, which can be dangerous whether it is texting and driving or talking and driving

-controlled processes require undivided attention (ex. driving, conversing, and note-taking)

-automatic processes require less attention (ex. walking, brushing hair)

• forms of altered states can include daydreaming, meditating, sleeping, and being hypnotized

  -drugs can cause an altered state as well (ex. caffeine, alcohol, tobacco)

4.3

• most biological processes occur daily (ex. sleep cycle, heart beat, body temperature, production of body chemicals, and rise/fall of blood pressure)
• the sleep cycle and body temperature are controlled by the hypothalamus, specifically in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (known as the internal clock)
• the pineal gland secretes melatonin, which secretes or stops secreting according to daylight
• going against the circadian rhythm can cause illness, low productivity, and accidents
• higher body temperature is linked to alertness and lower is linked to sleepiness

4.4

• chemicals used up during the day are replenished during sleep
• cellular damage is repaired
• brain plasticity is enhanced
• growth of body and repair during the deepest sleep stages because enzymes secrete more
• sleep helps form memories and strengthens them
• symptoms of sleep deprivation: irritability, lack of attention, staring off, and hands trembling
• increased risk of alzheimer’s, obesity, and insulin resistance that could cause diabetes
• weak immune system and possibly delay in puberty
• longer sleep can be linked to having a healthier heart, decreased risk of heart disease and stroke

4.5

non-REM (NREM) sleep- any stage of sleep that is not REM

N1: light sleep

-people may not know they were asleep

-may experience hypnogogic images or hallucinations; hypnic jerk

N2: sleep spindles

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

-brief bursts of brain activity

N3: delta waves come in

-deepest stage of sleep

-growth hormones are released

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

4.6

• causes of insomnia are both psychological and physical

• sleep apnea can cause heart problems, low quality of sleep, and depression

• narcolepsy is a type of “sleep seizure”

  4.7

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