Ch. 4 Consciousness Flashcards
consciousness
one’s awareness of everything going around them at any given moment
waking consciousness
thoughts, feelings, sensations are clear, organized, and person is alert
altered state of consciousness
thoughts fuzzy and disorganized, less alertness, bizarre thoughts
What aspect of circadian rhythms might explain why we tend to feel so tired at night?
There is an organ in the brain (suprachiasmatic nucleus/SCN) sensitive to light changes, which then affects our sleepiness.
circadian rhythms
sleep-wake cycle that occurs over a 24-hr period, controlled by an area in the hypothalamus
serotonin
adaptive theory of sleep
animals and humans evolved sleep patterns to avoid
predators by sleeping when predators are most active
restorative theory of sleep
sleep is necessary and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage
Which statement is correct concerning how much sleep people need?
Men need more sleep than women.
Most young adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep.
Most older people need at least 10 hours.
Women need more sleep than men.
Most young adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep.
EEG (brain activity while sleeping)
beta waves–> small, fast and wide awake
alpha waves –> larger, slower, relax, drowsy
theta waves–> even larger and slower
NREM (non-Rapid Eye Movement)
deeper, more restful sleep
–first 4 stages of sleep
hypnagogic images
vivid visual elements, realistic, could be a dream, flashes of light
hypnopompic images
dreamlike image, often vivid and resembling a hallucination, sometimes accompanied by sleep paralysis, experienced by a person
REM
body temp increases, eyes move rapidly under the eyelids, heart beats faster, brain waves resemble beta waves, 90% of dreaming happens
sleep disorders
nightmares, REM behavior disorder, sleep walking/somnambulism, night terrors, insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, nocturnal leg cramps, hypersomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, enuresis
nightmares
bad dreams occurring during REM
REM behavior disorder
rare disorder where someone to move during REM and act out a dream
night terrors
extreme fear and screams or runs around during
insomnia
inability to get to sleep, stay asleep or get a good quality of sleep
psych causes: worrying, trying too hard to sleep, anxiety
physical causes: too much caffeine, indigestion, aches & pain
sleep apnea
person stops breathing for nearly half a minute, person not rested, can cause heart problems, obesity primary cause
narcolepsy
person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning
nocturnal leg cramps
painful cramps in calf or foot muscles