CONSCIOUSNESS Define: consciousness is our awareness of
ourselves and our environment.
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CONSCIOUSNESS We will explore altered states of consciousness
Sleep Hypnosis Drug induced
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SLEEP Our sleep/wake cycle is a circadian rhythm, meaning one
cycle takes about a day to complete. It is regulated by the
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) located in the hypothalamus.
Melatonin is a critical hormone that brings on sleep and it
released by the pineal gland when daylight changes. Staring at an
electronic device at night can distort your bodys perception of
nighttime leading to insomnia.
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STAGES OF SLEEP
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4 distinct stages repeating every 90-100 minutes Non-REM Stage
1: Also known as twilight sleep, duration ~5 minutes, often
includes vivid images, sensations of falling or floating, muscle
twitches and jerks will often occur; alpha & theta brain waves
Non-REM Stage2: duration ~20 minutes, experiences include rapid,
rhythmic brainwave activity, sleep talking may occur during this
stage; sleep spindles: sudden bursts of brain wave activity occur
in this stage. It is presumed their purpose is to maintain a state
of tranquility
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STAGES OF SLEEP Non-REM Stage 3: transitional sleep to stage 4
~30 minutes, brain emits large, slow delta waves, difficult to wake
during this stage of sleep (and into stage 4), typically when bed
wetting and sleep walking will occur in children. Auditory cortex
is still responsive, but only some sounds will wake us like our
name or a babys cry.
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STAGES OF SLEEP Each cycle last ~90-100 minutes. This
illustrates about 7-8 hours of sleep:
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STAGES OF SLEEP You then ascend out of stage 4, through stage 3
and 2 and enter REM sleep (rapid eye movement). REM sleep: duration
~10 minutes, brain waves become rapid and sharp, much like being in
stage 1 sleep. Heart rate increase, breathing becomes rapid and
irregular, eyes dart around, sexual arousal, dreams occur that are
often story-like and emotional. Everyone dreams, just some dont
remember them.
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STAGES OF SLEEP The motor cortex is active during REM sleep,
but the brainstem blocks its messages leaving muscles so relaxed
you are almost paralyzed. This is known as paradoxical sleep. The
cycle repeats itself with stage 4 getting progressively shorter and
then disappears and REM gets longer. Therefore, if you deprive
yourself of sleep, you deprive yourself of primarily REM
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STAGES OF SLEEP REM rebound: after being sleep deprived, it is
found that people will fall into REM more quickly and stay their
longer. Whats the point of REM? Why is it so important? Recent
research finds that there is a necessary cleaning process that
occurs during sleep, specifically during REM
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/18/236211811/b
rains-sweep-themselves-clean-of-toxins-during-sleep
http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx
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DREAMS Freud: Dreams is the outlet for our unacceptable
feelings and desires. He believed the manifest (literal) content of
the dream is a censored version of the latent (hidden) content
which he believed was usually of a sexual nature. He felt they were
the key to our inner conflicts.
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DREAMS Information processing theory claims that dreams may
help us sift, sort and fix the days experiences into our memories.
This is supported by studies that show REM increases following
stressful experiences or intense learning periods. Research also
shows that repeated patterns of brain activity of wakeful
acitivities illustrate themselves when we sleep.
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DREAMS Activation-synthesis theory claims that the associate
brain activity of REM sleep stimulates the sleeping brain
developing and preserving the neural connections. Neural activity
from the brainstem spreads upward and dreams are the brains way of
making sense of the impulses. Its as if the conscious part of our
brain cannot help but try to organize this activity. Essentially,
though, the dream is meaningless waste.
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DREAMS And here are some more thoughts on dreams: V sauce: Why
do we dream? (youtube.com)
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COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES Insomnia:
persistent problems in falling or staying asleep. treatment:
medication, therapy to deal with stress, better sleep habits &
environment
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COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES Narcolepsy:
experience periodic, overwhelming sleepiness; in severe cases the
person will collapse into immediate REM sleep with loss of muscle
tension. High risk of automobile accidents. Reduced amounts of
hypocretin may be most likely cause Treatment: medication, therapy,
healthy lifestyle changes
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COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES Sleep apnea:
(typically occurring in overweight men) intermittent cessation
(stopping) of breathing during sleep, their body awakens them to
breathe resulting in disrupted sleep. Suffers are less rested,
irritable, also at risk of increased traffic accidents.
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COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES Night terrors:
(typically occur in children) person may sit up or walk around,
talk incoherently, experience doubling of heart rate and breathing
rates, and appear terrified. Sufferers seldom remember the episode.
These are not nightmares because it occurs during stage 4 sleep.
They may
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HYPNOSIS State of consciousness in which a person is especially
susceptive to suggestion. Can be used to reduce pain, create
temporary states of amnesia, and affect sensory perception It
cannot increase physical strength, enhance memory, or regress a
person to childhood
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DIFFERENT THEORIES OF HYPNOSIS What is known: The power is in
the hypnotized openness to suggestion. To some degree everyone is
suggestible. Anyone who can turn attention inward, relax, and
imagine is able to experience some degree of hypnosis, and if lead
to expect hypnotic responses, one likely will. (1989 UConn
experiment)
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DIFFERENT THEORIES OF HYPNOSIS In terms of therapy, hypnosis
and positive suggestions, like placebos, change peoples
expectations, but unlike placebos, involve no deception. Hypnosis
can relieve pain. Some theories suggests this is dissociation of
the sensation from the emotional state of pain. Another theory is
selective attention, focus on something else (think athletes and
Lamaze).
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DIFFERENT THEORIES OF HYPNOSIS Is it an altered state of
consciousness? Since similar behaviors have been seen in
un-hypnotized people, it implies that hypnosis is not an altered
state. Social influence theory suggests that hypnotized subjects
are caught up in a role they are playing. Divided- consciousness
theory suggests is caused by splitting our awareness/attention,
like being on autopilot.
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ADDICTION, TOLERANCE, WITHDRAWAL Addiction is the physical and
psychological need for a drug. People rarely become addicted to
psychoactive drugs used for medicinal purposes. Therapy is not
always needed to overcome addictions. Addiction-as-a-disease
mentality may cause more harm than good if people choose to use it
as a crutch for overcoming their habits. Highly debatable
topic.
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ADDICTION, TOLERANCE, WITHDRAWAL Tolerance occurs when the drug
user requires larger and larger doses to experience the drugs
effect. Withdrawal is the bodys response to the absence of a drug
to which it has grown accustomed
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PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS 3 categories of psychoactive drugs
(chemicals that change perceptions and moods): 1. Depressants: calm
neural activity and slow body functions (examples: alcohol,
barbiturates, and opiates)
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PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS 2. Stimulants: excite neural activity and
arouse body functions (examples: caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines,
and cocaine)
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PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS 3. Hallucinogens: distort perceptions and
evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input. (examples:
marijuana, PCP, LSD)