LU5: States Of Consciousness Flashcards
What does it mean to be conscious?
Consciousness refers to our awareness of external stimuli & our own mental & other internal processes.
Name the 8 steps of consciousness:
- Unsciousness
- Semi- conscious
- Deep sleep
- Sleep
- Drowsy/ tired
- Relaxed/ daydreaming
- Awake
- Highly alert
Give examples of an unconscious state:
- Unresponsive coma
- Anesthetic
- Concussion
Is sleep considered an unconscious state?
No, sleep is still considered a conscious state, as we are still present in our environment.
Recognizing that consciousness is in constant flux, William James 1902 long ago named this:
The stream of consciousness
What is the nature of consciousness?
Constant shifting & changing
Name the consciousness 4 components:
- Awareness of external events (happening around me).
- Awareness of internal sensations (happening inside me).
- Awareness of the self as a unique being (how I feel).
- Awareness of thoughts about the experience (what I’m thinking).
What was Sigmund Freuds (1900) contribution to exploring the variation in levels of awareness?
Wanted to examine what goes on beneath the surface of this stream.
What did Freud think people’s feelings and behaviour are influenced by?
Unconscious needs, wishes & conflicts of that lie below the surface of conscious awareness.
According to Freud, the stream of consciousness has depth. What are different levels of consciousness?
Conscious & unconscious processes.
True or false:
Freud was one of the first theorists to recognize that consciousness is not an all- or- nothing phenomenon.
True.
The EEG summarizes the rhythm of cortical activity in the brain in terms of line tracings called:
Brain waves.
How do these tracings vary?
They vary in amplitude (height) &frequency (cycles).
Human brain wave activity is usually divided into 4 main bands, based on the frequency of the brain waves. These bands, named after letters in the Greek alphabet, are:
- Beta (13-24 cps)
- Alpha (8-12 cps)
- Theta- dream (4-7 cps)
- Delta- deep sleep (under 4 cps)
What does the abbreviation of “cps” mean?
The frequency of brain waves.
What are circadian rhythms?
These daily cycles are particularly important in the regulation of sleep. Humans & animals operate on a 24hr biological cycle.
Daily cycles also produce variations in:
Blood pressure, urine production, hormonal secretion & other physical functions.
These cycles also affect:
Alertness, short- term memory & other aspects of cognitive performance.
Studies have demonstrated that circadian rhythms generally persist even why external time cues are eliminated. Give an example.
Jet lag.
What happens to a persons body temperature when they fall asleep?
The body temperature drops.
What is a consequence of getting out of sync with your circadian rhythm?
Causes a reduction in the quality of sleep.
What is jet lag?
Caused by flying across several time zones, your biological clock keeps time as usual, even though the initial/ official time clock time changes. You then tend to sleep at “wrong” times and experience difficulties falling asleep & have poor sleep quality- can continue for several days.
Define sleep
A normal state of consciousness characterized by reduced awareness of external stimuli. Sleep is not a lack of consciousness the brain actively maintains sleep & this is indicated by physiological measurement of brain activity.
What is a electromyograph (EMG)?
Records muscular activity & tension.
What is a electrooculograph (EOG)?
Records eye movements.
What is an electrocardiograph (EKG)?
Records contractions of the heart. Other instruments monitor, breathing, pulse rate & body temperature.
Describe Beta as a state of consciousness:
Normal waking, alert, problem solving.
Describe Alpha as a state of consciousness:
Deep relaxation, blank mind, meditation.
Describe Theta as a state of consciousness:
Light sleep.
Describe Delta as a state of consciousness:
Deep sleep.
Describe (waves, characteristics & length) stage 1 of sleep cycles:
Waves:
- beta —> alpha.
- alpha: gives way to lower frequency EEG activist in which theta waves are prominent.
Characteristics:
- breathing and heart rate slow, muscle tension & body temperature decline.
- “Hypnotized jerks”
- Brief muscular contractions generally occur during stage 1 when people are falling asleep.
Length:
- 10-12 mins.
Describe stage 2 of the stages of sleep:
Waves:
- alpha —> theta
- Slow wave sleep (SWS): your brain waves increase in amplitude & decrease in frequency as body moves into deeper sleep.
Characteristics:
- During stages 2, 3 &4 there is a decline in respiration, heart rate, muscle tension & body temperature.
- Brief burst of increased frequency brain waves: SLEEP SPINDLES appear against a background of mixed EEG activity.
Length:
- 10- 15mins.
Describe stage 3 of the stages of the sleep cycle:
Waves:
- (deep) theta —> delta.
- delta waves: high amplitude, low frequency.
Characteristics:
- The cycle then reversed itself & gradually moves back up through the lighter stages of sleep.
Length:
- 30 mins to reach & stay there for 30 mins.
Describe stage 4 of the the stage in the sleep cycle:
Waves:
- (deep) delta.
- delta waves: high amplitude, low frequency.
Characteristics:
- same as stage 3.
- The cycle then reverses itself & gradually moves back up through the lighter stages.
Length:
- 30 mins to reach & stay there for 30 mins.
Describe the REM stage of the sleep cycle:
Waves:
- Desynchronised: low amplitude, high frequency.
- Beta waves: high frequency, beta waves resemble those when people are awake & alert.
Characteristics:
- When you reach what should be stage 1 once again, you usually go into the 5th stage of sleep which is called REM.
- All mammals & birds exhibit REM sleep.
- EEG activity.
- Hard to wake up from. Irregular breathing, pulse rate. Body is virtually paralyzed. Low muscle tone.
Length:
- 40- 60 mins.
What is N- REM?
During S- sleep wave patterns are synchronized (increase amplitude & decrease in frequency).
Known as restful sleep.
What stages of the sleep cycle does N- REM sleep occur?
Stage 1, 2, 3 & 4.
What stage of N- REM sleep does sleepwalking occur?
During stage 3 or 4.
During the course of the night, how many times of people usually repeat the cycle?
4 times.
As the night wears on, the cycle gradually changes. The first REM period is relatively short. At what length do the longer, subsequent REM periods peak at?
40- 60 mins.
Finish the sentence:
non- REM intervals tend to get… &…..
Shorter & shallower.
What percentage of sleep do adults typically spend in slow wave sleep?
15 -20%.
What percentage of sleep do adults usually spend time in REM sleep?
20- 25%.
What impact can sleep loss have on one’s health?
- Impaired attention, reaction time, cognitive speed, accuracy, motor co- ordination & decision making.
- Drowsiness can cause traffic & work accidents.
- Health problems; obesity, diabetes, hypertension & coronary disease.
True or false:
REM sleep appears to foster the recently discovered process of neurogenesis.
True.
Describe insomnia:
Chronic problems in getting adequate sleep.
There are 3 different patterns of insomnia, describe them:
- Trouble falling asleep: (most common in young people)
- elevated risk for accidents, decreases productivity, depression and anxiety. - Trouble remaining asleep (most common in Middle Ages).
- Persistent early morning awakening.
Describe sleep apnea:
Involves frequent, reflexive gasping for air that wakes a person up and disrupts sleep.
- some awake 100s of times in the night.
- person stops breathing for brief periods.
- Usually accompanied by loud snoring.
- 2% women & 4% men.
- more common in older adults.
- vulnerability to cardiovascular disease , decline in memory, attention & cognitive functioning.
Describe Somnambulism (sleep walking):
Occurs when a person gets out of bed and wanders around while asleep.
- 15% children & 3% adults.
- tends to be during first 3 hours of sleep when in slow wave sleep- episodes may last in sets of 30mins.
- may wake up on their journey or with no recollection of what happened at all.
- Causes unknown, may be genetic.
REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD):
Marked by potentially troublesome dream enactment during REM periods.
- may walk/ talk/ yell etc during REM. Feel like they’ve been chased or attacks and are “violent”.
- RBD occurs mostly in men (50s/ 60s)- paralyzed to prevent reinactments.
- cause of RBD is deterioration of the brain stem structures that are normally responsible for immobilization during REM periods.
- develop neurodegenerative disorders, eg) Parkinson’s. (Symptoms show as much as 10 years in advance).
