Consciousness & Sleep

Consciousness & SleepTodays Goal: Define the levels of consciousness and the stages of the sleep cycle.

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How many statements are true for you?I need an alarm clock to wake me up.Its a struggle for me to get out of the bed in the morning.Weekday mornings I hit the snooze button several times.I often fall asleep watching TV.I feel tired, irritable, stressed-out during the week.I have trouble concentrating & remembering.I often need to nap during the day.I often feel drowsy while driving.I often fall asleep after heavy meals.I often fall asleep in boring meetings or in warm rooms.I often sleep extra hours on the weekends.I fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed.

ConsciousnessAwareness of ourselves & environmentPreconscious Not in immediate awareness, but can easily be brought to conscious levelNonconsciousInvoluntary processes (digestion, respiration, etc.)Unconscious Deep, hidden mind (difficult to bring to conscious awareness)Dual processing (two-track mind)We function at conscious and unconscious levels at onceEver get to school and forget driving there?

Circadian RhythmBiological clock controls our regular bodily rhythms of 24-hour cycle, keeps body in synchSuprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) regulates gland production of melatoninBody temperature, blood pressure, metabolism fluctuate

Biological clock (in brain) controls circadian rhythmsMakes sure body is in synch

Sleep Cycle/Stages90 minute cyclesEEG brain wave activityStages 1-4 = NREM sleepREM sleep

Electrooculograms eye movementElectromyograms muscle tension

Todays Goal: Define the levels of consciousness and the stages of the sleep cycle.

NREM/REM SleepNREM (non-rapid-eye-movement)75% of sleepRestores the bodyStages 3 & 4 decrease in additional sleep cycles REM (rapid-eye-movement25% of sleepRestores brainVivid dreamsBody immobileIncreases in time with additional sleep cyclesAwake & alert Beta wavesFaster, irregular waves 15-45 peaks per second

Awake but relaxed Alpha wavesSmooth, regular waves10 peaks per sec.

NREM Stage 1Theta waves~10 min.Transition from wakefulness to sleepHypnagogic state brief dreamlike experienceHypnic jerks (body shutting down)

13NREM Stage 2Theta wavesSleep spindles brief bursts in wave frequencyInfo-processing/memory, tuning out noisesK Complexes brief bursts in wave amplitude (in response to noise)

Stages 3 & 4Delta waves~30-40 min. of cycleBlood pressure dropsSlowed breathingTissue growth, repairsGrowth hormone

15REM SleepParadoxical sleepBrain is active but body is immobileVivid dreamsCortisol (stress hormone) drops Helps immune system

16Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle

Theories of Sleep & Sleep DisordersTodays Goal: Why do we sleep and what happens when disorders prevent us from getting good sleep?

21Why Do We Sleep?ProtectsRestore & repairMaking memoriesCreative thinkingGrowth

Sleep DeprivationGenetic & cultural influences on how much sleep we needLack of sleepTakes a long time to repay sleep debtSleep deprivation = weight gainSuppresses immune systemEffects similar to agingFatal accidentsREM rebound if sleep deprived, spend more time in REM

Insomnia

Hypersomnia

Narcolepsy

Sleep Apnea

Somnambulism (Sleepwalking)

Night Terrors

Theories of DreamingFreuds wish-fulfillmentManifest content storyline of dreamLatent content underlying meaning

Info-processingSort out days events & experiences, make memoriesTheories of DreamingPhysiologicalBrain stimulation develops & preserves neural pathways

Activation-synthesisRandom neural firing, our brains create meaning

Cognitive developmentReflect persons cognitive dev. & understanding