Consciousness

Question 1

Define consciousness.

Answer 1

The state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings and internal senses.
- hunger, pain, emotions, etc.

Question 2

Define Simulation Consciousness

Answer 2

States that reality as we perceive it is actually a construction created by your brain, rather than pure sensory experiences

• there is a 0.5 second lag between sensory perception and interpretation by brain
• • brain uses this lag to create a smooth progression of reality for us
• – due to the amount of data, we don’t experience raw sensory data because we’d be overwhelmed so our brain combines the data into a conscious simulation

Question 3

Describe the states of consciousness?

Answer 3

1) Awake - High alertness and sensory awareness and alert behavior
2) Sleep - low physical activity, reduced sensory awareness

Question 4

What is REM sleep?

Answer 4

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

It is believed to be involved in learning and memory as well as helping us process emotions

Question 5

What physiological events occur during REM sleep.

Answer 5

• Partial paralysis - so we don’t act out our dreams
• Rapid eye movements (vivid dreaming)
• EEG activity very closely resembles the awake state but the patient is much more difficult to arouse than during any other stage (paradoxical sleep)

Question 6

What are dreams?

Answer 6

A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not fully understood, although they have been a topic of scientific, philosophical and religious interest throughout recorded history

Question 7

Define dyssomnia

Answer 7

Dyssomnias are sleep disorders that affect your amount, quality and timing of sleep
ie) sleep apnea, insomnia and narcolepsy

Question 8

Define parasomnia

Answer 8

Parasomnias are characterized by irregular behavior during sleep
ie) sleep walking, sleep talking and night terrors

Question 9

Define Insomnia

Answer 9

inability to get enough sleep at night to feel rested the following day

• could be linked to mood disorders like anxiety, depression and stress
• • also related to heart disease, pregnancy and alcohol / drug abuse

Question 10

Define sleep apnea

Answer 10

breaks in sleep cycle, usually has physical causes like obesity

Question 11

What is Narcolepsy

Answer 11

Excessive daytime sleepiness causing one to spontaneously / unwillingly fall asleep at inappropriate times

Question 12

What is sleep walking

Answer 12

Walking around and sometimes performing tasks while still sleeping.
- can sometimes perform complex tasks
- more prevalent when powerful sleep aides are used
- more common in children than in adults
Occurs when mechanism keeping us from acting out our dreams malfunctions

Question 13

Define sleep talking

Answer 13

Somniloquy - talking out loud during REM or NREM sleep

• may say just one word, or give entire speeches
• more common in children (some studies say up to 50%)

Question 14

What are night terrors

Answer 14

being suddenly aroused from deep sleep screaming / crying and intensely fearful

• usually occurs during delta - slow wave sleep
• can last for 10-12 minutes, and person is very difficult to wake
• in adults, it’s usually due to an underlying pathological condition
• more common in children and sometimes associated with abuse