States of Consciousness Chapter 5

The Sleep Cycle Circadian Rhythm: Regular bodily rhythm that occurs on a 24-hour cycle Occurs in five stages Stage 1 Brief May experience hallucinations or falling sensation

Stage 2 About 20 minutes Characterized by periodic bursts of rapid, rhythmic brainwave activity Stage 3 Brief, transitional

Stage 4 Brain emits large, slow delta waves About 30 minutes Hard to awaken Leave non-REM sleep and ascend through Stages 3 and 2

REM sleep - rapid eye movement sleep Rapid, irregular breathing and eye movements Vivid dreams commonly occur Essentially paralyzed

Sleep Cycle -cont- Repeats itself about every 90 minutes Stage 4 gets briefer and REM and Stage 2 periods get longer

Functions of Sleep Protection Restores and repairs brain tissue Restores and rebuilds memories Feeds creativity Growth

Problems of Sleep Deprivation Can cause Irritability Slowed performance and reaction time Impaired creativity, concentration and communication Weight gain Illness Chronic sleep debt changes metabolic and hormonal functioning to mimic aging

Sleep Disorders Insomnia Narcolepsy - uncontrollable sleep attacks Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep Effects 1/10 adults Treated with better sleep habits and prescription drugs Narcolepsy - uncontrollable sleep attacks Sleep attacks usually last less than 5 minutes Effects 1/2000 Treated with prescription drugs

Sleep apnea - breathing temporarily stops during sleep Associated with obesity Effects 1/20 Treated with a CPAP air machine Night terrors - occur during Stage 4 sleep Child usually has no recollection of this happening and it disappears w/age

Why do we dream? To satisfy our own wishes To file away memories Freud’s belief; not accepted by most psychologists To file away memories To develop and preserve neural pathways To reflect cognitive development

Hypnosis 20% of population is highly hypnotizable Hypnosis cannot: Enhance recall of forgotten events Force people to act against their will Help drug or alcohol addictions Hypnosis can: Help headaches, asthma, obesity and stress related skin disorders Relieve pain

Drugs and Consciousness Misconceptions about addiction Addictive drugs do not quickly corrupt Addictions can be overcome voluntarily

Psychoactive Drugs Depressants – drugs that calm neural activity and slow body functions Alcohol, barbiturates, opiates Stimulants – temporarily excite neural activity and arouse body functions Caffeine, meth, nicotine, cocaine, ecstasy

Hallucinogens – distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input LSD, Ecstasy, marijuana

Influences on Drug Use Biological predisposition Psychological factors Feeling that life is meaningless Significant stress or depression Social influences Barron environment – nothing else to do Access to plentiful, cheap drug supply Access to money