Consciousness

Chapter 7 – Myers Psychology

Levels of Consciousness •Normal or waking Consciousness – active conscious that you are currently thinking about•Preconscious – information that is not conscious but is retrievable into conscious awareness•Non-conscious: we are unaware of it happening–Heartbeat, breathing, etc.

Consciousness – continued

Unconscious level • Sigmund Freud - Psychoanalytic approach• Repressed thoughts and feelings drive behaviors

– Difficult/impossible to prove (not widely accepted)

Subconscious level • Information that we are not consciously aware of but we know

must exist due to behavior– Mere exposure effect

Altered States

Anything that enhances or diminishes consciousness

Drugs, supplements, deprivation of sustenance…

Most common is SLEEP

Sleep

• Sleep is a behavior and an altered state of consciousness

• Fast Facts: – 1/3 of lifetime (25 years) spent in sleep• 6 of these 25 are spent dreaming (approx. 100,000 dreams in a

lifetime)– Need for sleep varies (20 hours for infants)– Every animal sleeps

Theories of Sleep • Protects

• Our sleep suits our ecological niche – fits our environment• Hides us from harm; animals with least fear of predation sleep

least

• Restorative• Conserving energy for daylight hours, recuperating from

exhaustion/stress• Literally repairing neurons (weaken unused connections and

strength others)

Theories of Sleep - continued

• Remembering• Restores and rebuilds our fading memories of the day’s

experiences• Increases creative thinking

• Growth process• Pituitary releases growth hormones

Biological Rhythms

• Defn: periodic physiological fluctuations

• Annual cycles – migration, hibernation, humans – experience seasonal variations in appetite, sleep length, and moods– SAD(Seasonal Affective Disorder) – people become

depressed at the same time of year

Biological Rhythms – continued

• 28-day cycles – menstrual cycle

• 24-hour cycle – varying and falling alertness, body temperature, and growth hormone secretion.

• 90-minute cycle – cycle through various stages of sleep.

Circadian Rhythm• the “biological clock” • Regular body rhythms (body temp, and wakefulness

for example) that occur on a 24-hour cycle– High alertness portion of this cycle shifts as we age

(“owls” “larks”)• Retirement homes vs. dorms

Circadian Rhythm – Continued • Jet Lag – crossing time zones

– Spend the 1st day outdoors – helps you assimilate

• Shift work sleep disorder – work hours overlap normal sleep hours can lead to insomnia

• Suprachiasmatic Nucleus – pair of pinhead-sized clusters of 20,000 cells that control the circadian clock, located In hypothalamus – Partly does this by causing pineal gland to regulate melatonin

Stages of Sleep (repeats ~ every 90 minutes)

“Quiet sleep”- NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement)•Stage 0 (Awake, relaxed): relaxed with eyes closed

– You don’t know when you fall asleep (characteristic of sleep – state you don’t know you are in until you are out)

– But, an EEG will show exactly when you fell asleep• alpha waves

Stages of Sleep NREM, continued

• Stage 1: 30 seconds – 10 minutes– theta waves– hypnagogic (hypnic) jerks (usually falling or floating)– other hallucinations – false sensory experiences; seeing

something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

• Stage 2: 40-50% of sleep, 20 minutes– sleep spindles – bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain activity– sleep talking possible during this or later stages

• Stage 3: transition stage– beginning of delta waves (“slow-wave sleep” = stages 3

and 4)

Stages of Sleep NREM, continued

• Stage 4: about 30 minutes, decreases as night goes on– deep sleep, 20-50% delta waves, brain responds to

sounds– Sleepwalking and bedwetting

Function of Non-REM sleep:– Body tissues are restored, pituitary releases growth

hormone, body re-energizes

Stages of Sleep NREM, continued

Sleep Cycle

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 3 Stage 2 Stage 1 REM

(repeat)

REM Sleep • Resembles nearly-awake stage 1 sleep• Heart rate and breathing increase, approx. every ½ minute your eyes

dart around• Nearly all dreams occur in REM

• Vivid and story-like• 25% of night’s sleep (approx. 100 min per night)• temporary paralysis

Function of REM Sleep

• Necessity demonstrated by “REM Rebound”– Intoxication increases SWS (Slow-wave sleep) Stage 4,

resulting in REM Suppression – After removal of suppressant, rebound occurs

• hormones are released that counteract fatigue, irritability, and inattention

• Nervous system development (provided neural stimulation needed)

• Memory consolidation (esp. procedural memory)

Sleep Duration

• Take a one minute to think and write:– How much sleep is necessary? Explain your

thoughts.

Sleep Duration – Continued • What accounts for differences among individuals?– Genetics (identical twins more similar than fraternal)– Cultural (2001 Gallup avg = 6.7 / night, 1942 avg. = 7.6

hours)Sleep Debt: your body is not forgiving!

Age & Condition Avg. Sleep per Day

Newborn Up to 18 hours

1-12 months 14-18 hours

1-3 Years 12-15 hours

3-5 Years 11-13 hours

5-12 Years 9-11 hours

Adolescents 9-10 hours

Adults + elderly 7-8(+) hours

Pregnant women 8(+) hours

Effects of Sleep Deprivation – Causes problems with• Confusion• Attention - Causing accidents

– Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, Three Mile Island accidents, BP oil spill• Misperceptions• Hand tremors, droopy eye-lids, focusing, sensitivity to pain• Suppressed immune systems (even cancer – people who sleep 7-

8 hours per night outlive the sleep deprived).

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/sleep-deprivation-observed-21-volunteers-16120599

Sleep Deprivation - Continued

• Randy Gardner - 1964– 17 year old high school student– 264 hours (about 11 days), no stimulants• Wanted to show that he could break the record without

negative consequences. • Day 4 he thought a street sign was a person. • Day 11 he was asked by a reporter to continually subtract 7

starting with 100. He stopped at 65, and said he forgot what he was doing.

Sleep Deprivation

• Peter Tripp - 1950s disc jockey – 201 hour wake-a-thon, used some drugs (controlled

by psychiatrists)• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko9MdrVW

vHM

Sleep Disorders • Dyssomnias – sleeping disorders that make it difficult to get

to (or remain) asleep – insomnia, sleep apnea, alcohol-dependent sleep disorder

– Insomnia – Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep• Onset Insomnia – Takes a long time (30 + min) to fall asleep• Maintenance Insomnia – awakening after a short period of sleep• Early Morning Awakening – 30-60 before person intends to rise

• Often worsened by worry over sleep loss

Sleep Disorders - Continued

– Sleeping pills and alcohol trigger SWS, not REM, so it just makes it worse.

Solutions? – Relax before you go to bed– Avoid caffeine– Exercise regularly (not late at night)– Sleep on a regular schedule

• Sleep apnea – temporary cessations of breathing during sleep – causes wakefulness– 1 in 20 people– Serious cases require a mask-like device to open airways

• Narcolepsy – uncontrollable sleep attacks (often directly in to REM sleep)– Narcoleptic Dog (

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zVCYdrw-1o)

Sleep Disorders - Continued

Sleep Disorders – continued

• Parasomnias – involve abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping:– Bruxism – severe teeth grinding– Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)– Somnambulism (Sleepwalking)– SIDS (crib death)– Jet Lag

Sleep Disorders - continued

• Night terrors – high arousal and appearance of being terrified; Stage 4, seldom remembered.

• Nightmares v. Night terrors– Mares – unpleasant dreams, REM sleep, memories– Terrors – physical symptoms, Stage 4, no memori