Module 6: Consciousness ,
Sleep and Dreams
Different States of Consciousness
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Consciousness covers the many different levels of
awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings. It might
include creating images in one’s mind, following one's
thought processes , or having unusual emotional
occurrences.
[You can tell if your conscious, if you are aware of your
existence and your own thoughts.]
Continuum of Consciousness refers to a broad range of
experiences , from being sharply alert to being
completely unaware and unresponsive.
Daydreaming

Daydreaming is when
you fantasize or
dream while you are
awake. This state
requires minimal
alertness .
Altered States of Consciousness
(ASC)

Altered states of
consciousness:
–
–
–
–
–
sleep,
psychoactive drugs,
meditation,
hypnosis
or lack of sleep.
These all create a state that is
different from the usual
consciousness.
Sleep
 Sleep
is a behavior
AND an altered state
of consciousness
 We spend about a
third of our lives in
sleep.
Sleep and Dreams

Sleep has five important
stages that involve the
many types of
consciousness and
awareness ,etc.

Dreaming occurs when
we are asleep and is a
type of consciousness
(REM). In our dreams, we
witness a handful of
surprising visual and
auditory detailed images.
These dreams can be
related in odd ways and
are usually in color.
Unconsciousness

Unconsciousness is
the lack of sensory
awareness and
alertness, that can be
induced by disease,
trauma, anesthesia
and or a blow to the
head.
B. Rhythms of Sleeping
and Walking
Chronobiology: the study of forces
that control the body at different
times of the day, month or year.
Daily: ?
Monthly: ?
Annual: ?
Circadian Rhythm and
Biological Clocks

Circadian rhythm: Many
of our behaviors display
rhythmic variation, or
behavioral changes that
occur every 24 hrs.
 One cycle lasts about
24 hours (e.g. sleepwaking cycle).
 Light is an external cue
that can set the
circadian rhythm.
 Some circadian rhythms
are endogenous
suggesting the
existence of an internal
(biological) clock.

Biological clocks are a
timing system
embedded in our
genetics that control
and regulate
physiological
responses for
different periods of
time.
Circadian Problems and Treatments
The most common circadian problems are
accidents, jet lag, and resetting the clock
 melatonin ( a hormone given by the pineal
gland), has proved to help those with
disrupted circadian clocks, sleep better.
 Light therapy is used to reset the circadian
clocks and to treat those who suffer from
sleeping disorders.

C. World Of Sleep
Stages of Sleep

The stages of sleep are when the electrical
activity and physiological responses, in the
brain, changes through the many periods
of sleep. (Stages 1-4 (NREM) and REM)
Sleep Stages During a Night
EEG Changes During Sleep

Electrophysiological
instruments can be used in
the sleep laboratory to assess
the physiological changes that
occur during an episode of
sleep.
Non- REM Sleep
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Non- REM sleep (80% of
your sleep) is separated
into stages 1,2,3, and 4
1: the shift from being
awake to sleep and lasts
1-7 minutes. You
gradually lose alertness
to your surroundings and
experience drifting
thoughts.
2: The start of sleep
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3: You are asleep for 3045 minutes
4: The deepest sleep
occurs in this stage. [It is
the hardest to be
awakened from]
Heart rate , respiration
, temperature, and blood
flow to the brain
decrease by growth
hormone.
REM Sleep
Rapid eye movement, [REM], is when your
eyes move from side to side, under your
lids.
 Muscles are paralyzed.
 It makes up the remaining 20% of sleep
time.
 Increase in length throughout night
 Dreaming and nightmares takes place in
this state.
 Essential part of sleep: REM rebound

Sequence of Stages
Usually REM occurs after the second stage
of sleep (after 90 minutes).
 You go through the sleeping stages and
REM ,approximately 5-7 times a night.

Sleep Duration in Mammals
© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E
Theories of Dreaming

Psychoanalytic: Dreams represent
disguised symbols of repressed desires
and anxieties.
– Manifest versus latent content
Biological: Dreams represent random
activation of brain cells during sleep.
 Cognitive: Dreams help to sift and sort
the events of the day. Reorganization of
the brain
 Resolve Problems: Dreams help us to
work out unsolved problems from
waking life

Sleep Disorders and
Disturbances
INSOMNIA
NARCOLEPSY
SLEEP APNEA
NIGHT TERRORS
INSOMNIA
THE INABILITY TO GET
ENOUGH SLEEP
CAUSES:
• DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
• GETTING OUT OF
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM
NARCOLEPSY
DISORDER IN WHICH A
PERSON FALLS ASLEEP
NO MATTER WHAT IS
GOING ON
PERSON CAN GO INTO
INSTANT “REM”
•
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YouTube - Narcolepsy
News From CNN
SLEEP APNEA
BREATHING STOPS
WHEN SOMEONE IS
ASLEEP
PERSON DOESN’T
USUALLY KNOW IT’S
HAPPENING, BUT IT
CAUSES A SEVERE
DISRUPTION OF REM
SLEEP, THUS LEADING TO
EXHAUSTION

YouTube - CNN - Sleep
Apnea and Weight
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YouTube - Snoring &
Sleep Apnea Solution
•
HEAVY SNORING CAN BE
A SIGN
•
E. Questions About
Sleep
NIGHT TERROR
(INCUBUS ATTACKS)
NIGHTMARES THAT OCCUR
DURING NREM SLEEP
WHEN THE BODY IS NOT
PREARED FOR A DREAM
ASSOCIATED WITH PANIC
• VERY
REAL/TRAUMATIZING
• MOST OFTEN HAPPEN IN
CHILDREN

YouTube - Do Your
Children Have Night
Terrors?
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YouTube – Night Terror
Home Videos
•
HOW TO TREAT:
• DIET
• REGULAR SLEEP CYCLE

How much sleep do I need?- Infants 17 hours,
Toddlers 10 hours , Adolescence and Adulthood 10
hours, Old Age 6.h Hours.
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Why do I sleep?- Repair Theory- sleep is mainly the
restorative process that helps repair the body. Adaptive
theory- sleep is mainly used to protect early humans &
animals from nocturnal predators.
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What If I Miss Sleep?- Sleep deprivation weakens the
body’s immune system, which produces a risk of
contracting viruses and infections. It also causes
irritability, unhappiness, hallucinations and problems
performing cognitive activates.
Myths of Sleep
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Everyone needs 8 hrs of sleep per night to
maintain good health.
Learning of complicated subjects such as
calculus can be done during sleep.
Some people never dream.
Dreams last only a few seconds.
Genital arousal during sleep reflects dream
content.
• May be a useful index of physical versus
psychological causes of impotence in males
Citations
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Plotnik, Rod (2002). Introduction to Psychology. Pacific Grove,
nnC.A.: Wadsworth Group.
Siegel, Jerome M. (2008). Sleep. Retrieved December 29, 2008,
nnfrom Encarta Online Deluxe Web site:
nnhttp://www.semel.ucla.edu/sleepresearch/encarta/Article.htm