DREAM JOURNAL
DIRECTIONS
States of Consciousness (2-4% of AP Exam)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReX7qKU2yc
What is consciousness?
•What are you thinking of right
now?
•5 minutes ago?
•What will you be thinking about
in 2 minutes?
•Consciousness =
• Your individual awareness of
your unique thoughts, memories,
feelings, sensations and
environment.
• Is constantly shifting & changing
Thanks to technology Consciousness is
making a scientific come back
•William James - was
interested in consciousness.
He wanted to study it’s
function.
•However, how would one do
that?
•brain imaging tools &
increased emphasis on
cognitive psychology =
consciousness can be studied
from a scientific perspective
Levels of Consciousness
Consciousness is NOT like an on/off switch. We are NOT conscious or
unconscious.
Some (mostly) agreed upon States of Consciousness:
•
Conscious Level - What you are currently aware of, including
yourself & environment.
•
Nonconscious Level - Body processes controlled by your mind
that are not usually (or ever) aware of... Heartbeat, respiration,
digestion, etc.
•
Preconscious Level - Information about yourself & environment
that you are NOT currently thinking about, but could be. You aren’t
currently thinking about your favorite toy as a child, but if asked
about it, you would be.
•
Subconscious Level - Information we are not currently aware of,
but we know must exist due to behavior. (Great example: Mere
Exposure Effect - when we prefer stimuli we have seen before
over novel/new stimuli, even if we do not consciously remember
seeing the old stimuli.)
•
Unconscious Level - Psychoanalytic psychologists believe some
events & feelings are unacceptable to our conscious mind & are
repressed. (Many psychologists object to this concept as difficult or
impossible to prove)
What is the nature of sleep?
•Most people think of sleep as a state of
unconsciousness, punctuated by brief
periods of dreaming.
Sleep is actually a state of
altered
consciousness,
characterized by certain
patterns of brain activity
and inactivity.
Fun Facts about Sleep
• Most adults need seven or eight hours' sleep a night
• Famous figures like, Margaret Thatcher, Napoleon
and Florence Nightingale only needed four
• A cat sleeps for an average of 12 hours a day
• Most of our dreams occur during rapid-eye
movement (REM) sleep. We have around three to five
REM episodes a night
• Narcolepsy is a medical disorder that impacts 1 in
approximately 2,000 people in the USA--narcolepsy a
condition that causes them repeatedly to fall asleep in
the middle of a meal, at the wheel of a car or in midconversation
• An adult sleeping for eight hours will burn
approximately 50 calories
• A giraffe sleeps for an average of 1.9 hours a day
• Almost two thirds of the population claim they do not
get enough sleep
Why do we sleep?
•The exact function of sleep is unknown,
but according to the evolutionary theory,
sleep evolved to conserve energy and
protect us from predators.
•According to the repair/restoration theory,
sleep is thought to be necessary for
restorative value, both physically and
psychologically.
•Need for sleep varies among individuals,
but ranges from 20 hours for infants to 6
hours for adults in their 70s
•STAGES OF SLEEP = http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/sleepcycle.html#lesson
Loss of Sleep…
• suppressed immune
system
• impaired creativity and
concentration
• slowed performance
and misperceptions on
monotonous tasks
Benefits of Sleep
•restoration of energy
• repairing of brain and body
tissue
•release of growth hormones
Stages of Sleep
http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/sleepcycle.html#lesson
•Each night, we go through
four to five cycles of
distinct sleep stages.
•Each stage has its own
rhythm and corresponding
changes in brain activity
and behavior.
•The average person
progresses through the
stages of sleep 3 to 6 times
per night.
Stage 0
•This period of falling asleep is also called the
hypnagogic state. (hip-na-gog-ic)
•relaxed with eyes closed
•brain briefly emits alpha waves = associated
with absence of concentrated thought and
relaxation
Stage I
•sensory images and slow rolling eye
movements
•theta waves on an EEG-- lower in
amplitude and frequency than alpha
waves
•pulse slows more, muscles relax,
breathing uneven
•If awakened during this stage, you
would report that you were “just drifting.”
•Lasts from 30 seconds to about 10 mins.
Stage II
•Brain waves shift to lower frequency
•Eyes roll slowly from side to side
•About 50% of our sleep time is in stage
II
Stage III
•About 30 minutes into sleep= drift
down into a deeper level of sleep
• larger-amplitude delta waves
begin to sweep your brain every
second or so
Stage IV
•Deepest sleep
•Often difficult to wake
•Delta Waves occurring more than
50% of the time
•If awakened by a loud noise = may
feel disorientated
•Talking out loud, sleepwalking, and
bed-wetting—all of which may occur
at this stage—leave no trace on the
memory
Rapid Eye Movement =REM sleep
•muscles are more relaxed, eyes begin to move
rapidly
•pulse rate becomes irregular
•levels of adrenal and sexual hormones in blood rise
•face or fingers twitch
•large muscles in your arms and legs are paralyzed
•brain shows waves that closely resemble those of a
person fully awake = REM sleep is called active
sleep
Stages of Sleep--REM
•Stages I-IV are called NREM
(non-REM) or quiet sleep.
•It is during REM sleep that
almost all dreaming normally
takes place.
•REM sleep lasts about 15-45
minutes after which you retrace
the steps to Stage IV.
Sleep Disorders:
Dyssomnia &
Parasomnia
•Psychologists divide sleep disorders into
two major diagnostic categories:
•1) Dyssomnias: problems in the amount,
timing, and quality of sleep
•2) Parasomnia: abnormal disturbances
occurring during sleep
Sleep Disorders:
Dyssomnia
•Insomnia:
•“lack of sleep”
•persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep,
or wake up too early
•10% of the population
•serious insomnia = other medical or psychological
disorders also (alcohol and other drug abuse,
anxiety disorders, and depression)
•most popular treatment = drugs—either over the
counter pills or prescription tranquillizers and
barbiturates (which decrease Stage 4 and REM
sleep therefore affect the quality of sleep)
Sleep
Disorders:
Dyssomnia
•Sleep Apnea:
•“no breathing”
•repeated interruption of breathing during sleep
•air passages to the lungs are physically
blocked or the brain stops activating the
diaphragm
•may kill neurons in the brain critical for
learning and memory
•can also lead to high blood pressure, stroke,
heart attack
Sleep
Disorders:
Dyssomnia
•Narcolepsy:
•sudden and irresistible onset of sleep during normal
waking hours
•afflicts one person in 2000
•runs in families
•REM-like sleep suddenly intrudes into the waking
state of consciousness
•sudden attacks of muscle weakness or paralysis
•Long daily naps and stimulant or antidepressants
may help reduce the frequency
Sleep Disorders:
Parasomnias
•Nightmares: Anxiety-arousing dreams generally
occurring near the end of the sleep cycle, during
REM sleep
•Night Terrors: Abrupt awakenings from NREM
(non-rapid-eye-movement) sleep accompanied by
intense psychological arousal and feeling panic
•Sleep walking: Tends to accompany night terrors
also occurs during NREM sleep.
•Sleep talking occurs in REM and NREM sleep
•These events are more common in children, but
they can also occur in adults, usually during
times of stress or major life events.
Help with Sleep Disorders
During the Day:
•Exercise—it works away tension
•Avoid Stimulants—coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate
•Avoid Late Meals & Heavy Drinking
•Stop Worrying—focus on problems at a set time earlier in the
day
•Use Pre-sleep Rituals—follow the same routine every night
In Bed:
•Use progressive muscle relaxation-tense and relax muscle
groups
•Yoga-type gentle exercises to help relaxation
•Imagine yourself in a tranquil setting
•Use deep breathing
Circadian Rhythm (see article)
Circadian 24 hour biological processes that
may be interrupted by exposure to light
Resets biological clock by affecting
suprachiasmatic nucleus and pineal gland
which secretes melatonin.
Jet lag & shift work can also knock
circadian rhythms out of sync.
★ Our 24 hour biological clock.
★ Our body temperature & awareness
changes throughout the day.
★ It is best to take a test or study
during your circadian peaks.
How can the circadian rhythm
help explain jet lag?
BBC Documentary: Consciousness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNc52LmHgUs