States of Consciousness sleep – dreams – hypnosis - drugs

Consciousness What does it mean to be “conscious”? Consciousness is AWARENESS of ourselves and our environment. Our conscious attention is selective. We can choose to focus on something in particular, like our breathing, a phrase (mantra) or the scenery that you pass as you drive home. consciousness experiments 50% of people fail to see the gorilla when concentrating on counting the passes

Sleep* Why do we need sleep? Sleep protects us How much sleep do we need? (according to the National Institutes of Health-2007) newborns Sleep helps us recuperate (repair tissue & build-up our immune system / fight infection) Sleep improves cognitive functioning (accidents are more likely when one is sleep deprived) Sleep helps us grow 18 hours hours teens 9 hours adults 7-8 hours kids elderly 5-6 hours Sleep helps us cope emotionally

Scheduling a good night's sleep could be one of the smartest health priorities you set. It's not just daytime drowsiness you risk when shortchanging yourself on your seven to eight hours. Possible health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep can involve the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. reasons not to skimp on sleep Source: US News & World Report - Sarah Baldauf - Oct 16,

1)Less may mean more. For people who sleep under seven hours a night, the fewer zzzz's they get, the more obese they tend to be, according to a 2006 Institute of Medicine report. This may relate to the discovery that insufficient sleep appears to tip hunger hormones out of whack. Leptin, which suppresses appetite, is lowered; ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, gets a boost.

2) You're more apt to make bad food choices. A study published this week in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with obstructive sleep apnea or other severely disordered breathing while asleep ate a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat, and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.

3) Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance, its precursor, may become more likely. A 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people getting five or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic, while those with six hours or fewer were 1.7 times more likely.

4) The ticker is put at risk. A 2003 study found that heart attacks were 45 percent more likely in women who slept for five or fewer hours per night than in those who got more.

5) Blood pressure may increase. Obstructive sleep apnea, for example, has been associated with chronically elevated daytime blood pressure, and the more severe the disorder, the more significant the hypertension, suggests the 2006 IOM report. Obesity plays a role in both disorders, so losing weight can ease associated health risks.

6) Auto accidents rise. As stated in a 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine, nearly 20 percent of serious car crash injuries involve a sleepy driver--and that's independent of alcohol use.

7) Balance is off. Older folks who have trouble getting to sleep, who wake up at night, or are drowsy during the day could be 2 to 4.5 times more likely to sustain a fall, found a 2007 study in the Journal of Gerontology.

8) You may be more prone to depression. Adults who are chronically sleep deprived report more mental distress, depression, and alcohol use. Adolescents suffer, too: One survey of high school students found similarly high rates of these issues. Middle schoolers, too, report more symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem.

9) Kids may suffer more behavior problems. Research from an April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that children who are plagued by insomnia, short duration of sleeping, or disordered breathing with obesity, for example, are more likely to have behavioral issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

10) Death's doorstep may be nearer. Those who get five hours or less per night have approximately 15 percent greater risk of dying-- regardless of the cause--according to three large population-based studies published in the journals Sleep and the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Biological Rhythms and Sleep* Circadian Rhythms occur on a hour cycle and include sleep and wakefulness. Termed our “biological clock,” it can be altered by artificial light. Illustration © Cynthia Turner 2003 Morning Light triggers the suprachiasmatic nucleus (in the hypothalamus) to decrease melatonin from the pineal gland Evening Fading light triggers the suprachiasmatic nucleus to increase melatonin. Doctors and researchers are reporting an increase in illness related to decreased melatonin production – why do you think this might be happening?

As our body prepares for sleep, our body temperature changes Goes down as we go to sleep Goes up as we wake up

Measuring sleep: About every 90 minutes, we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages. Sleep Stages Hank Morgan/ Rainbow

90-Minute Cycles During Sleep With each 90-minute cycle, stage 4 sleep decreases and the duration of REM sleep increases.

stage 1 stage 2 stage 3 stage 4 REM Light sleep – easy to awaken Hypnagogic jerks Theta waves Slightly deeper sleep Sleep spindles Deeper sleep Delta waves Deepest sleep Delta waves Sleep walking Growing (in kids) Sleep talking Wetting the bed Night terrors Dreaming Rapid eye movement Paradoxical sleep

 Insomnia: A persistent inability to fall asleep.  Narcolepsy*: Overpowering urge to fall asleep that may occur while talking or standing up.  Sleep apnea: Failure to breathe when asleep. Sleep Disorders*

Children are most prone to:  Night terrors: The sudden arousal from sleep with intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions (e.g., rapid heart rate, perspiration) which occur during Stage 4 sleep.  Sleepwalking: A Stage 4 disorder which is usually harmless and unrecalled the next day.  Sleeptalking: A condition that runs in families, like sleepwalking. Sleep Disorders

What We Dream  Negative Emotional Content: 8 out of 10 dreams have negative emotional content.  Failure Dreams: People commonly dream about failure, being attacked, pursued, rejected, or struck with misfortune.  Sexual Dreams: Contrary to our thinking, sexual dreams are sparse. Sexual dreams in men are 1 in 10; and in women 1 in 30. Manifest Content: A Freudian term meaning the story line of dreams.

Why We Dream  Wish Fulfillment: Sigmund Freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety valve to discharge unacceptable feelings. The dream’s manifest (apparent) content may also have symbolic meanings (latent content) that signify our unacceptable feelings.  Information Processing: Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix a day’s experiences in our memories.

Why We Dream 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.

Why We Dream 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. 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.