Variations in Consciousness Chapter 5

On the Nature of Consciousness  consciousness- the awareness of internal and external stimuli  three levels of awareness –Nonconscious (biological functions) –Preconscious (not current awareness) –Unconscious (below conscious thought)

Consciousness and Brain Activity  Consciousness arises from activity in networks of neural pathways –Brain wave patterns are measured by EEG (electroencephalograph)  beta- normal waking thought, alert problem solving  alpha- deep relaxation, blank mind, meditation  theta- light sleep  delta- deep sleep

Biological Rhythms and Sleep  circadian rhythms- the 24 hour biological cycles found in humans and other species –regulate sleep, BP, hormonal secretion, urine production, body temp –persist even when external cues are eliminated

The Sleep and Waking Cycle STAGE 2 sleep spindles minutes STAGE 3 delta waves 30 minutes Deep sleep STAGE 4 delta waves deepest sleep 30 minutes REM SLEEP rapid eye movement dreaming 40 – 60minutes STAGE 1 theta waves light sleep hypnic jerks 1-7 minutes Cycle REPEATS about 4 times/night

Problems in the Night: Sleep Disorders Unit 4

Insomnia  chronic problems in getting adequate sleep –difficulty falling asleep –difficulty remaining asleep –persistent early morning awakening  Associated with… – daytime fatigue, impaired concentration, depression, increased health problems

Sleep Disorders Narcolepsy  sudden and irresistible onset of sleep during normal waking periods  directly from wakefulness to REM  Episodes lasts about minutes Sleep Apnea  frequent, reflexive gasping for air that awakens a person and disrupts sleep  breathing ceases for minimum of 10 seconds  accompanied by snoring

Sleep Disorders Nightmares  anxiety arousing dreams leading to awakening from REM sleep  Vivid dreams resulting in difficulty getting back to sleep  Emotional disturbances in children Night terrors  abrupt awakenings from NREM accompanied by intense autonomic arousal and feelings of panic  Inconsolable, no recollection of incident  common in children 3-8 years old

The World of Dreams

The Contents of Dreams  Familiar settings with cast of characters dominated by friends, family  Certain dreams more common than others –misfortune, aggression, flying, falling, teeth, failing test, chased  Self centered around internal conflicts and resolutions

Wish Fulfillment  Freud’s theory  People fulfill ungratified needs from waking hours through wishful thinking in dreams –manifest content- the plot of a dream at a surface level –latent content- hidden or disguised meaning of the events in the plot

Problem- Solving View  dreams provide opportunity to work through everyday problems and emotional issues in one’s life –connection exists between waking and sleeping thought

Activation Synthesis Model  dreams are by-product of bursts of activity stemming from subcortical areas in the brain  dreams are the side effects of neural activation that produces wide awake brain waves during REM sleep