Variations in Consciousness

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Variations in Consciousness

• Are you awake right now? How about in 20 minutes?

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Levels of Awareness

• Conscious
• Subconscious
• Unconscious

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How we measure levels of awareness

• EEG
• EMG
• EOG
• All used in sleep research

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Circadian Rhythms

• 24 hour or 25 hour?
• Ignoring circadian rhythms

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Awake (resting)
Alpha waves
Beta waves
Stage 1 sleep
Theta waves
Stage 2 sleep
Sleep
spindle
k complex
Seconds
Stage 3 sleep
Delta waves
Stage 4 sleep
Delta waves
REM sleep
Theta waves
Beta waves
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Fig9_5
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Freuds theory of dreams

• Freud believed that nothing
• we did occurred by chance every action and
  thought is motivated by our unconscious at some
  level.
• While we try to repress our urges and impulses
  they have a way of coming to the surface in
  disguised forms such as dreams.

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• Freud understood the symbolic nature of dreams
  and believed dreams were a direct connect to our
  unconscious.
• Freud was preoccupied with sexual content in
  dreams. 

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• Thoughts repressed during the day also have a way
  of being fulfilled in your dreams. Freud believed
  that every imagery and symbol that appears in a
  dream have a sexual connotation.  Anxiety dreams
  were seen as a sign of repressed sexual impulses

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Adlers theory of dreams

• Alfred Adler (1870 -1937) believed that dreams
  should be brought into our waking life and
  interpreted in order to understand our waking
  problems.
• He saw that you can draw resources from your
  dream and incorporate them into solving waking
  problems. 

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• Adler saw dreams as a way of overcompensating for
  your shortcomings in your waking life.

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Activation-Synthesis Model

• States that dreams represent random and
  meaningless neural activity
• States that the pons sends out millions of nerve
  impulses and the cortex tries to make sense of
  these signals.
• May create feelings, emotions, random movements,
  perceptions and meaningless images

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Cartwright

• Problem-solving view work out problems over the
  course of the night

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Dream Themes

• Falling failing
• Being attacked or pursued-procrastination
• School, teachers, studying dreaming of
  greatness
• Arriving too late need I say more? (actually,
  failure)
• Being naked in public (vulnerability)

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Sleep apnea

• Most Common Symptoms
• -Loud Snoring-Waking up non refreshed and having
  trouble staying awake during the day-Waking up
  with headaches-Waking up during the night
  sometimes with the sensation of choking-Waking
  up sweating

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• Mild Sleep Apnea is usually treated by - losing
  weight, sleeping on your side are often
  recommended. There are oral mouth devices (that
  help keep the airway open) on the market that may
  help to reduce snoring in three different
  way. Sleep Apnea is a progressive condition (gets
  worse as you age) and should not be taken
  lightly.

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Types of Sleep apnea

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common type
  and is due to an obstruction in the throat during
  sleep. The pauses in breathing may be approx. 10
  to 60 seconds between loud snores. The narrowing
  of the upper airway can be a result of several
  factors including inherent physical
  characteristics, excess weight, and alcohol
  consumption before sleep.

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Types of sleep apnea

• Central Sleep Apnea - caused by a delay in the
  signal form the brain to breath . With both
  obstructive and central apnea you must wake up
  briefly to breathe, sometimes hundreds of times
  during the night. Usually there is no memory of
  these brief awakenings, however, the person will
  report being very tired. WHY???

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Narcolepsy

• Symptoms
• Excessive sleepiness.-Temporary decrease or loss
  of muscle control, especially when getting
  excited.-Vivid dream-like images when drifting
  off to sleep or waking up.-Waking up unable to
  move or talk for a brief time.

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• TREATMENT There is no cure for narcolepsy. The
  excessive daytime sleepiness may be treated with
  stimulant drugs. Basic lifestyle adjustments
  such as keeping a good sleep schedule, improving
  diet, increasing exercise and avoiding "exciting"
  situations may also help to reduce the effects of
  excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy.

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Insomnia

• -Difficulty falling asleep-No problem falling
  asleep but difficulty staying asleep (many
  awakenings)-Waking up too early
• How much sleep does a person need?
• Enough to feel alert during the day. Typically 7
  to 9 hours (varies from person to person) of good
  quality sleep.

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• Transient and short-term insomnia generally occur
  in people who are temporarily experiencing one or
  more of the following
• - stress - environmental noise- extreme
  temperatures change in the surrounding
  environment- sleep/wake schedule problems such
  as those due to jet lag - medication side
  effects

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Treatment of insomnia

• Relaxation Therapy. There are specific and
  effective techniques that can reduce or eliminate
  anxiety and body tension. As a result, the
  person's mind is able to stop "racing," the
  muscles can relax, and restful sleep can occur.

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• Sleep Restriction. Some people suffering from
  insomnia spend too much time in bed
  unsuccessfully trying to sleep.
• They may benefit from a sleep restriction program
  that at first allows only a few hours of sleep
  during the night. Gradually the time is increased
  until a more normal night's sleep is achieved.

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• Reconditioning. Another treatment that may help
  some people with insomnia is to recondition them
  to associate the bed and bedtime with sleep.
• For most people, this means not using their beds
  for any activities other than sleep and sex (some
  experts even say using the bed for sex can cause
  performance anxiety which could lead to
  insomnia).

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Reconditioning

• Go to bed only when sleepy.
• If unable to fall asleep, the person is told to
  get up, stay up until sleepy, and then return to
  bed.
• Avoid naps
• Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day.
• Eventually the person's body will be conditioned
  to associate the bed and bedtime with sleep.

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Pseudo-insomnia

• These are people who often do, in fact, get
  enough sleep, but they tend to misjudge the
  amount that they got.
• This is often because of REM deprivation

Healthology
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Night terrors

• Usually occur in stage 3 or 4 occur during 1st
  part of night
• Child usually displays a piercing scream,
  followed by sudden wakefulness and sympathetic
  nervous system is activated
• The child is very difficult to calm down and may
  need several minutes to awaken

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• Night terrors occur in approximately 3-7 of
  children between the ages of 4-12
• Seems to disappear by adolescence but may require
  therapy
• Often do not remember what it was that they were
  dreaming about

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Nightmares

• Occur during REM sleep, so we tend to see them
  occur more towards the 3rd and 4th cycle (not
  stage) of sleep
• When the person awakes, they often remember the
  nightmare in detail
• Although the nightmare ends upon waking, the
  anxiety often persists often due to anxiety

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Sleepwalking (somnambulism)

• Usually occurs in stages 3 and 4 (deep nRem) and
  consists of getting up and walking while sound
  asleep.
• Sleepwalkers generally have poor coordination,
  are clumsy, but can engage in very limited
  conversation and have no memory of sleepwalking

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• Sleepwalking is more common in childhood,
  however, there are some adults who may sleepwalk,
  although this may be due to sleep dep., stress,
  or mental problems.

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Some tips to better sleep

• Give yourself "permission" to go to bed. As hard
  as it may be to put away your "to do" list, make
  sleep a "priority." You'll thank yourself in the
  morning. 
• Unwind early in the evening. Try to deal with
  worries and distractions several hours before
  bedtime.

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• Develop a sleep ritual. Doing the same things
  each night just before bed signals your body to
  settle down for the night. 
• Keep regular hours. Keep your biological clock in
  check by going to bed around the same time each
  night and waking up close to the same time each
  morning even on weekends. 

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• Create a restful place to sleep. Sleep in a cool,
  dark room that is free from noises that may
  disturb your sleep. 
• Sleep on a comfortable, supportive mattress and
  foundation. It's difficult to sleep on a bed
  that's too small, too soft, too hard, or too
  old. 

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• Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can help
  relieve daily tension and stress but don't
  exercise too close to bedtime or you may have
  trouble falling asleep. 
• Cut down on stimulants. Consuming stimulants,
  such as caffeine, in the evening can make it more
  difficult to fall asleep.

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• Don't smoke. Smokers take longer to fall asleep
  and wake up more often during the night. 
• Reduce alcohol intake. Drinking alcohol shortly
  before bedtime interrupts and fragments sleep.

Sleep Suggestions
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Hypnosis myth and reality

• Myth
• Mostly just compliance -
• Willful faking -

• Reality
• Highly motivated subjects are often hypnotized
• Physiological responses indicate subjects are not
  lying

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• Myth
• Subjects in a sleeplike
  state
• People who are hypnotized often lose
  control of themselves
• Hypnosis may help a person remember the past
  more accurately

• Reality
• Subjects are emitting alpha waves-awake but
  resting
• Subjects have been able to say no to commands
  under hypnosis
• Subjects memory is often muddled between memory
  and fantasy

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Meditation

• Ability to heighten awareness and bring mental
  processes under greater voluntary control
• Alpha and theta waves become prominent in a state
  of meditation

• Appears to heighten prefrontal activity and
  decrease somatosensory activity

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Health benefits of meditating

• Associated with feelings of
• Happiness
• Higher self-esteem
• Sense of self-control

• Reduces stress
• Reduces levels of anxiety
• Lowers blood pressure
• Decrease risk of heart attacks and strokes

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Drug-Induced States of Consciousness

• Drug effects on consciousness depend on
• Biological actions of the drug
• Usually involve drug action at brain synapses
• Expectations of drug effect (what effect are you
  expecting from the drug?)
• Drug classes
• Stimulants (amphetamine, cocaine)
• Depressants (including alcohol)
• Hallucinogens (LSD)
• Marijuana

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• Drug-Altered Consciousness
• Stimulants
• Simulate sympathetic nervous system and produce
  optimism and energy
• Caffeine, Cocaine
• Depressants
• Slow down behavior thoughts
• Alcohol
• Hallucinogens
• Distort visual and auditory perception
• LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), marijuana

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Drugs and Consciousness

• Physical Dependence
• A physiological need for a drug marked by
• Unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
• Tolerance
• Psychological Dependence
• A psychological need to use a drug
• E.g. to relieve negative emotions

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Sedatives and Depressants
• Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body
  functions
• Alcohol, barbiturates, opiates,
• marijuana, valium

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Alcohol
• affects motor skills, judgment, and
  memory reduces self awareness
• Barbiturates
• drugs that depress the activity of the
• central nervous system, reducing
• anxiety but impairing memory and
• judgment

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Opiates and narcotics
• Pain killers
• Opium and its derivatives
• (morphine and heroin)
• Opiates depress neural activity, temporarily
  lessening pain and anxiety
• Highly addictive

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Stimulants
• Drugs that excite neural activity
• caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine
• Speed up body functions

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Amphetamines
• Drugs that stimulate neural
• activity, causing speeded-up
• body functions
• Associated with increase of
• energy and mood changes

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Cocaine
• Effects depend on dosage,
• form, expectations, personality
• and situation
• coca leaves
• powder
• crack

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Hallucinogens
• Psychedelic (mind-manifesting)
• drugs that distort perceptions
• and evoke sensory images in
• the absence of sensory input
• LSD
• MDMA (Ecstasy)
• Mescaline

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Psychoactive Drugs

• LSD
• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
• A powerful hallucinogenic drug
• AKA acid
• THC
• The major active ingredient in marijuana
• Triggers a variety of effects, including mild
  hallucinations