States of Consciousness

1. States of Consciousness

2. States of Consciousness • Consciousness – the awareness of ourselves and our environment • Ex: awake • Altered States – unaware of ourselves and our environment • Ex: Sleep

3. How do we know if we’re in an altered state? • Brain Waves differ on an EEG • Functional activity on an fMRI or PET scan

4. Levels of Consciousness We know that various levels exists beyond the conscious level. • Selective Attention • Mere-exposure effect • Priming • Blind sight • Automatic processing Taiwanese Letter Example

5. Biological Rhythms Annual Cycles: seasonal variations (bears hibernation, seasonal affective disorder) 28 day cycles: menstrual cycle. 24 hour cycle:circadian rhythm (biological clock) – regular bodily rhythms like temperature and wakefulness. 90 minute cycle: sleep cycles.

6. Altered States • Brain waves on EEG • Increased or decreased Brain activity in certain areas of the brain on fMRI or PET

7. Sleep • Circadian Rhythm – pattern of biological functioning that occurs on a roughly 24-hour cycle. • Sleep • Temperature • Melatonin - sleep hormone released by the pineal gland into the bloodstream. • Suprachiasmatic nucleus – cell clusters in hypothalamus causes pineal gland to produce melatonin • When light strikes the retina the hypothalamus’ SCN lower production of melatonin by the Pineal Gland • Decreasing light causes the SCN to increase production of melatonin, leading you to sleep

8. Circadian Rhythm Body Temp – rises in morning, peaks during the day, dips for time in early afternoons (siesta time), drops again before we go to sleep Thinking sharpest, memory most accurate at peak of arousal Circadian rhythm is affected by travelling across time zones, shift work – spending next day outdoors will help reset your clock Too much Artificial light or dark cave delays sleep and makes our 24 hr cycle a 25 hr cycle.

9. Circadian Rhythm

10. Sleep • Awake • Betawaves - alert state • Alpha waves - the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state • Conscious • Sleep – periodic natural loss of consciousness • Slowed breathing and irregular brain waves • Theta waves, Delta waves

11. Sleep Cycle • 5 Stages of Sleep • Takes about 90-100 minutes to pass through the 5 stages. • Brain’s waves will change according to the sleep stage • NREM - The first four stages • REM - The fifth stage

12. Stage 1 • Stage 1: • Slow breathing, irregular heart beat • Hallucinations – sensory experiences that occur without a sensory stimulus • Hypnagogic sensations - strange and extremely vivid sensations • Feeling like you’re falling or floating • Hear someone calling your name • Alpha & Theta waves

13. Stage 2 • Begins 20 min. into sleep • Theta Waves that get progressively slower. • Sleep Spindles…shortbursts of rapid brain waves. • Gets longer throughout the night • Sleeptalking can occur

14. Stages 3 • Slow wave sleep. • Theta & Delta waves. • Delta waves - large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep • Vital for restoring body’s growth hormones and good overall health (same for stage 4 • Lasts about 30 min • Difficult to awaken • Vital for restoring body’s growth hormones and good overall health (same for stage 4 • Sleeptalking can occur

15. Stage 4 • Delta waves. • Lasts about 30 min • Difficult to awaken • Bed Wetting and Sleep walking, sleep talking*, • Night Terrors – sleep disorder, high arousal appear being terrified • Seldom wakeup fully • Not nightmares (REM) • Start to ascend back through stage 3, 2, REM then….. *Sleep talking can occur at any stage of sleep

16. REM Sleep • Rapid Eye Movement – fast jerky eye movements = dreaming • Paradoxical sleep – • internally aroused, externally calm. • Brain waves resemble wakefulness, but body is at rest • Body is essentially paralyzed, relaxed muscles • Gets longer throughout the night • Dreams occur during REM • emotional, story-like, richly hallucinatory, including visual, auditory, and other sensory details • Genital arousal • REM Rebound – attempt to catch up on lost REM • REM sleep with be more frequent and longer

17. Typical Nights Sleep

18. Stages of Sleep

19. Sleep Stages Alpha waves Theta waves

20. The rhythmic bursts of brain activity that occur during Stage 2 sleep are called • Alpha waves • Circadian rhythms • Sleep spindles • Delta waves • Amplitude waves

21. Nightmares occur in which stage of sleep • Stage 1 • Stage 2 • Stage 3 • Stage 4 • REM

22. After flying from California to New York, Arthur experienced a restless, sleepless night. His problem was most likely caused by a disruption of his normal • Dopamine production • Hypnagogic sensations • Alpha wave patterns • Beta wave patterns • Circadian Rhythm

23. The hypnagogic sensations of falling or floating are most likely to occur during which sleep stage? • Stage 1 • Stage 2 • Stage 3 • Stage 4 • REM

24. Sleep talking may occur during • Stage 1 • Stage 2 • Stage 3 • Stage 4 • Any Stage

25. The brain waves associated with REM sleep are most similar to • Awake • Stage 2 • Stage 3 • Stage 4 • NREM

26. Why Do We Sleep? • Variations in sleeping patterns • may be genetically influenced • Infants spend 2/3 of the day sleeping • Adults – 1/3 of the day • Cultural influences • US 8 hrs, but sleeping less than a century ago (lightbulb) • Unhindered would sleep 9 hrs • People in countries without electric lights generally sleep longer. • Sleep debt – amount of sleep you need but are not getting over a period of time • can’t be paid off with one long marathon

27. The Effects of Sleep Loss • US Navy and NIH studies • 7.5- 9 hrs /night felt energized and happier • Age and sleep loss • Teens need 8-9 hrs if not, function below peak • Chronic sleep loss • Makes you fatter - Increases ghrelin (hunger arousing hormone) and decreases leptin (hunger-suppressing hormone, stress hormone cortisol increases = body makes more fat • Suppresses immune cells that fight off infection • Alters metabolic and hormonal functioning that mimics aging, causes hypertension and memory impairment • Irritability, slow performance impaired, creativity, concentration and communication • Reaction time slows, errors on visual tasks increase

28. The Effects of Sleep Loss Spring and fall time changes – higher accidents and traffic fatalities

29. Sleep Theories • Sleep theories • Sleep protects • Sleep helps recuperation • Memory storage • Sleep and creative thinking • Sleep and growth

30. Sleep Disorders

31. Insomnia • Persistent problems falling asleep • Effects 10% of the population • Primary versus Secondary Insomnia

32. Because he has difficulty falling asleep at night, Dr. Hogan doesn't go to bed until very late. Before he retires, he tries to wear himself out by running around the block several times. Then he treats himself to a beer and perhaps a pizza while preparing for the next day's early morning classes. What specific advice would you give Dr. Hogan to help him fall asleep?

33. What advise should you give to someone with insomnia? • No caffeine past noon • Avoid high food intake at night • Avoid alcohol before bedtime • Sleep on regular schedule • Manage stress level • Keep clocks out of sight

34. Narcolepsy • Suffer from sleeplessness and may fall asleep at unpredictable or inappropriate times. • Directly into REM sleep • Less than .001 % of population. Click above to see Skeeter the narcoleptic dog.

35. Sleep Apnea • A person stops breathing during their sleep. • Wake up momentarily, gasps for air, then falls back asleep. • Very common, especially in heavy males. • Can be fatal.

36. Night Terrors • Not a nightmare. • Most common in children (boys) between ages 2-8. • Racing pulse, gasping for air, screaming incoherently, can’t be awakened

37. Somnambulism • Sleep Walking • Most often occurs during the first few hours of sleeping and in stage 4 (deep sleep). • If you have had night terrors, you are more likely to sleep walk when older.

38. Sleep Deprivation has been shown to • Increase attentiveness to highly motivating tasks • Decrease weight • Reduce hypertension • Diminish immunity to disease • Decrease narcolepsy

39. Slow wave sleep promotes • Effective memory • REM rebound • Narcolepsy • Obesity • Insomnia

40. Chronic sleep debt is most likely to promote • Sleep apnea • Obesity • Narcolepsy • Night Terrors • Nightmares

41. Dreams • Dreams - A sequence of images, emotions and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind • Hallucinatory imagery • Discontinuity • Incongruities • Dreamers delusional acceptance • Often forgotten

42. Dreams Theories Freud’s Theory of Dreams 2. Activation Synthesis Theory 3. Information Process Theory 4. Physiological Function 5. Cognitive Development

43. Freud’s Theory of Dreams • Dreams are a roadway into our unconscious. • Manifest Content (storyline) • Latent Content (underlying meaning)

44. Manifest Content

45. Latent Content • Unresolved hostility • Avoiding sexual intimacy • Emotional conflict • Desire for something you can’t have (wish-fulfillment ) • Repressed fear or worry • Hidden aversion or perversion • Hidden sexual desires

46. Activation-Synthesis Theory • Our Cerebral Cortex is trying to interpret random electrical activity we have while sleeping. • That is why dreams sometimes make no sense. • Biological Theory • Areas that process visual images (not in visual cortex) and limbic system are active, but not the frontal lobe

47. Information-Processing Theoryaka Memory Consolidation Theory • Dreams are a way to deal with the stresses of everyday life – more dreaming when more stress or trauma. • Dreams help us sort out the days events and consolidate memory during REM

48. Physiological Function Theory • Brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural networks • REM sleep provides stimulation for the brain • Newborns neural networks develop rapidly & newborns spend much of sleep time in REM

49. A Lifetime of Sleep

50. Cognitive Development Theory • Dreams are part of brain maturation and cognitive development • Dreams draw on our concepts and knowledge • Dreams get more complex as we age • Before age 9 dreams like a slide show and less like an active story