UNIT 5 – STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

24.1 – Describe the effects of sleep loss, and identify the major sleep disorders. Sleep loss = sleep debt (that must be repaid) Sleep deprivation leads to: 1) difficulty focusing 2) diminished productivity 3) increase in the tendency to make mistakes 4) increase in irritability and fatigue 5) weight gain 6) sleep loss is also a predictor of depression

24.1 – Describe the effects of sleep loss, and identify the major sleep disorders.

24.1 – Describe the effects of sleep loss, and identify the major sleep disorders. 1) Insomnia: the inability to fall or stay asleep. 2) Narcolepsy: falling suddenly and without warning into REM sleep at any time of the day or in inappropriate situations/locations. 3) Sleep Apnea: temporary cessation of breathing during sleep. 4) Night Terrors: occur in NREM sleep Stage 3 – can be frightening: high physiological arousal; usually there is not recollection of events (primarily occurs in children). 5) Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)/Sleep Talking: occurs in NREM sleep Stage 3. 6) Nocturnal Enuresis (bedwetting): occurs in NREM sleep Stage 3. 7) Nightmares: occur in REM sleep. 8) REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: acting out dreams; connected with damage to lower brain centers (brain stem), common in older men. 9) Sleep Bruxism: grinding teeth during sleep.

24.2 – Describe the most common content of dreams. Dreams: a story-like sequence of events, images, or sensations; they occur most vividly in REM sleep. People often wonder why they have certain dreams, and some have reported that they can directly affect their dreams. This is referred to as lucid dreaming, and during it, the individual has control over a dream’s storyline. Other people who are awakened during REM sleep have difficulty recalling their dreams. Evidence has shown that during REM sleep, the frontal lobe areas are inactive, which makes it hard to form new memories. In addition, the neurotransmitters – dopamine, norephinephrine, and serotonin – are reduced during sleep. These neurotransmitters are needed for forming new memories. Researchers have also noted that any mental or physical activity during sleep is hard to remember. For example, people have reported that they do not remember getting up or going to get a drink of water.

24.2 – Describe the most common content of dreams. What we Dream: 1) Manifest Content: according to Freud, consists of the remembered meaning of the dream. 2) Latent Content: according to Freud, the symbolized part of the dream. Freud thought the symbols of the latent content represent the deep-seated wishes of the unconscious.

24.3 – Identify proposed explanations for why we dream. 1) Wish Fulfillment: Sigmund Freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety valve to discharge unacceptable feelings. The dream’s manifest content (apparent) may also have symbolic meanings (latent content) that signify our unacceptable feelings. 2) Information Processing: dreams may help sift, sort, and fix a day’s experiences in our memories. 3) Physiological Function: dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation to develop and preserve neural pathways. Neural networks of newborns are quickly developing; therefore, they need more sleep. 4) Activation-Synthesis Theory: suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural activity. Dreams make sense of this activity. 5) Cognitive Development: some researchers argue that we dream as a part of brain maturation and cognitive development.

24.3 – Identify proposed explanations for why we dream.

24.3 – Identify proposed explanations for why we dream. All dream researchers believe we need REM sleep. When deprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep, we show increased REM sleep called REM Rebound.