1. Altered States of Consciousness Chapter 7
Sleep and Dreams
Section 1

2. Main Idea
Sleep – an essential state of consciousness- involves stages and periods of dreaming.

3. Objectives Describe the research related to sleep and dreams.
List and discuss sleep disorders.

4. Vocabulary Consciousness REM sleep Circadian Rhythm Insomnia
Sleep Apnea
Narcolepsy
Nightmares
Night Terrors
Sleepwalking

5. How important is sleep? Vital to mental health.
Sleep is a state of altered consciousness, characterized by certain patterns of brain activity and inactivity.
Lack of sleep can cause many problems.

6. Consciousness
State of awareness, including a person’s feelings, sensations, ideas, and perceptions.
Altered States of Consciousness - mean people have different levels of awareness.
Sleep falls into this catagory
Ranges
Alertness to Non-alertness
Freud’s Levels of Consciousness (page 184)

7. Why Do We Sleep? Theories
Restorative – allows people to “charge up their battery”
Time for the brain to recover from exhaustion and stress
Primitive Hibernation – conserve energy
Adaptive Strategy to keep humans from harms way at night

8. Stages of Sleep - Stage I
– pulse slows, muscles relax, breathing uneven, brain waves irregular
Last about 10 minutes
Theta Waves – lower in amplitude and frequency

9. Stages of Sleep - Stage II & III
II- Brain waves shift from low amplitude, high frequency waves to high amplitude, low frequency waves
II- Eyes slowly roll from side to side
III- Deeper sleep
III- Large amplitude delta waves sweep brain every second or so

10. Stages of Sleep - Stage IV
Deepest Sleep
Hard to wake a person
Large, regular delta waves
No memory of actions at this stage
Stage in which you enter REM Sleep

11. REM Sleep
Serves psychological functions of building efficient learning and memory processes
Rapid Eye Movement
Pulse rate and breathing irregular
Levels of adrenal and sex hormones rise
Face and finger twitches
Large muscle groups paralyzed
Brain waves similar to person that is awake
Active Sleep where most dreaming occurs

12. How Much Sleep? Length of time needed depends on Circadian Rhythm
Age
Individual
Circadian Rhythm
Biological clock that is genetically programmed to regulate physiological responses within a hour time span
Environment and 24 Hour Day dictate sleep cycles
Jet Lag

13. Jet Lag
Occurs when circadian rhythms do not match the external clock time.
Recovery takes one day for each hour of time change
Symptoms
Tired
Disoriented

14. Sleep Disorders Insomnia Sleep Apnea Narcolepsy Nightmares
The failure to get enough sleep at night
Sleep Apnea
Sleep disorder in which a person has trouble breathing while sleeping
Narcolepsy
Condition characterized by suddenly falling asleep or feeling very sleepy during the day
Nightmares
Unpleasant dreams
Night Terrors
Sleep disruptions that occur during Stage IV, involving screaming, panic, or confusion
Sleepwalking
Walking or carrying out behaviors while asleep
Sleep Talking
Talking during sleep

15. Dreams Mental activity that takes place during sleep
Usually occurs during REM sleep
The longest dream is usually toward the end of the night and the one most people will remember

16. Content of Dreams Usually dreams are rather dull
The ones we remember and talk about are the more exciting ones
Tend to incorporate everyday activities
Negative Emotions make up the largest percentage of content (nightmares)

17. Dream Interpretation
Freud – believe dreams may contain clues to thoughts the dreamer is afraid to acknowledge in his or her waking hours.
Inuits – believe dreams contain hidden meanings and that people enter the spiritual world where they interact with those who have died.

18. Criticism of Dream Analysis
Some think dreams serve no function
Dreams are the product of random brain cells being stimulated
Problem-solving model
Dreams remove unneeded material

19. Daydreaming Low level of awareness Involves fantasizing
Involves idle, but directed thinking while awake
Happens when we are bored or during a time where we don’t need to pay much attention
Purpose:
Remind us of or prepare us for events in the future
Improve creativity
Allows us to control our emotions

20. Altered States of Consciousness Chapter 7
Drugs and Consciousness
Section 3

21. Main Idea & Vocabulary
Psychoactive drugs interact with the central nervous system to alter consciousness.
Psychoactive Drugs
Marijuana
Hallucinations
Hallucinogens
LSD

22. Objectives Describe the effects drugs have on consciousness.
Define Drug Abuse

23. Use and Perception of Marijuana
A Letter to Parents (p. 197)
Psychoactive Drugs – chemicals that affect the nervous system and result in altered consciousness. It alters a person’s mood, perception, and behavior.
Caffeine - stimulants
Alcohol - depressants
Marijuana and LSD – hallucinogen
(See Chart 7.4 page 198)

24. How Drugs Work
Drugs are carried in the blood stream to various parts of the body
Drug molecules hook onto the ends of nerve cells (neurons) and send out their own chemical messages.
Mouse Party

25. Marijuana
The dried leaves and flowers of Indian hemp that produce an altered state of consciousness when smoked or ingested
Effects:
Varies depending on setting and past use
Enhanced perception of senses
Enhanced feelings of present state of mind, both positive and negative
Not physically addictive, but psychologically addictive
Negative Side Effects
Damaging to lungs
Disrupts memory function
Difficulty in carrying out mental and physical tasks
May have an impact on IQ

26. Hallucinations
Perceptions that have no direct external cause – seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things that do not exist.
Causes
Hypnosis
Meditation
Drugs
Withdrawal
Psychological breakdowns
Sleep deprivation
Dreaming and Daydreaming
Emotional Times
Similar across cultures
Often in color

27. Hallucinogens Drugs that often produce hallucinations
A.K.A. Psychedelics
Create a loss of contact with reality
Create false body image
Cause loss of self, dreamlike fantasies and hallucinations
Example: LSD – most potent

28. LSD Synthetic Substance Very powerful LSD trip can last 6-14 hours
Effects
Intense and rapidly changing perceptions
Experience based on mood of person
Hallucinations involving geometric forms evolving into surrealistic impossibilities
Walls that seem to breathe or pulsate
Senses intermingle
Sound seen and visual stimuli heard
Distorting of time
Disconnection with body – observer of self
Fixation of attention on a single object for hours
Panic Reaction
Impaired Thinking, although user thinks they think better than ever.

29. Opiates A.K.A. Narcotics Produce Analgesia – pain reduction
Opium
Morphine
Heroin
Produce Analgesia – pain reduction
Produces Euphoria – pleasurable state
Produces Constipation
Physically addicting
Overdose results in loss of breathing control and respiratory failure leading to death

30. Alcohol
Most widely used and abused mind-altering substance in the U.S.
Depressant that serves to inhibit brain function
Effects: dependant on amount and frequency of drinking and body weight
General loosening of inhibitions
Slurred speech, blurring vision, impaired judgment and memory
Permanent brain and liver damage
Personality change with prolonged, heavy use
Some effects of alcohol use may be psychological based on a believe of how you should feel and act

31. Drug Abuse
Drug abusers are people who regularly use illegal drugs or excessively use legal drugs.
Reasons:
Avoid boredom
Fit in with Peers
Gain self-confidence
Forget problems
Relax and feel good
Risks:
Death or Injury
Damage to health
Legal consequences
Destructive Behavior
Loss of Control

32. Treatment
Addiction – overwhelming and compulsive desire to obtain and use drugs
Treatment:
Must admit there is a problem
Enter a treatment program / therapy
Must remain drug free
Support groups can be helpful