Sleep/Consciousness

Question 1

• Alertness

Answer 1

you’re awake, aware of who you are, what’s going on in the environment, focus your attention, engage in conformation, code info to your memory.

Question 2

• Drowsiness

Answer 2

just before falling asleep/after waking up. Can also be self-induced in deep meditation.

Question 3

• Daydreaming

Answer 3

feel more relaxed, not as focussed as alertness. Can also be light meditation (self-induced)

Question 4

• Sleep –

Answer 4

not aware of self or world around you. electroencephalogram (EEGs) can measure brainwaves.

Question 5

o Beta

Answer 5

(12-30Hz) – associated with awake/concentration. If you are alert for too long, beta levels get high and you experience increased stress, anxiety, restlessness- constant awakened alertness.

Question 6

o Alpha waves (8-13 Hz) –

Answer 6

in daydreaming state. Lower frequency than beta waves. Disappear in drowsiness but reappear later in deep sleep.

Question 7

o Theta waves (4-7 Hz) –

Answer 7

slower/lower frequency than alpha waves. Right after you fall asleep/when you are sleeping lightly.

Question 8

o Delta waves (0.5-3 Hz) –

Answer 8

Slower/lower frequency than theta waves. Deep sleep or coma.

Question 9

• Sleep stages:

Answer 9

Your brain goes through distinct brain patterns during sleep. 4 main stages that occur in 90 min cycles. Duration of REM sleep increases as you sleep for longer periods

Question 10

o N1 (Stage 1)

Answer 10

– Dominated by theta waves.
 Strange sensations – hypnagonic hallucinations, hearing or seeing things that aren’t there ex. seeing flash of light, or someone calling your name, doorbell, etc.
 Also a feeling of falling – hypnic jerks- muscle twitches you sometimes experience as you fall asleep.

Question 11

o N2 (Stage 2)

Answer 11

– deeper stage of sleep. People in N2 are harder to awaken. We see more theta waves, as well as sleep spindles and K-complexes.
 Sleep spindles are a burst of rapid brain activity. Some researchers think that sleep spindles help inhibit certain perceptions so we maintain a tranquil state during sleep. Sleep spindles in some parts of brain associated with ability to sleep through loud noises.
 K-complexes - supress cortical arousal and keep you asleep. Also help sleep-based memory consolidation (some memories are transferred to long term memory during sleep, particularly declarative/explicit memories). Even though they occur naturally, you can also make them occur by gently touching someone sleeping. “that touch was not threatening, stay asleep brain”

Question 12

o N3 (Stage 3)

Answer 12

– slow wave sleep. Very difficult to awaken. Characterized by delta waves. Where sleep walking/talking in sleep happens. Declarative Memory consolidation. “regular breathing and regular slow brain waves”

Question 13

• REM (rapid-eye movement) stage

Answer 13

. Eyes move rapidly beneath your eyelids but most of your other muscles are paralyzed. Most dreaming occurs during REM sleep, so paralysation inhibits actions. Most important for memory consolidation. Formation of episodic memories. Combination of alpha, beta, and desynchronous waves, similar to beta waves seen when awake.
o Sometimes called paradoxical sleep, because brain is active and awake but body prevents it from doing anything.
o Waking up during REM sleep allows you to remember your dream.
o REM sleep more before you wake up
o More N3 sleep right as you go to bed.
o Consolidate Procedural
• Activity in prefrontal cortex during REM sleep is decreased – part responsible for logic. Why things in our dreams can defy logic don’t seem weird.

Question 14

sleep cycle order

Answer 14

. Order within cycle goes from N1 -> N2 -> N3 -> N2 -> REM -> N1. How long each stage lasts depends on how long you’ve been asleep and your age (babies spend more time in REM sleep). • Cycle through these 4-5 times per sleep, each one 90 minutes

Question 15

• Circadian Rhythms

Answer 15

why you get sleepy in afternoon (body temp drops in afternoon). They’re our regular body rhythms across 24-hour period. Controlled by melatonin, produced in the pineal gland.
o Control our body temperature, sleep cycle, etc.
o Daylight is big queue, even artificial light.
o Also change as you age – younger people are night owls, but older people go to bed early.
o Can prevent you from sleeping in.

Question 16

• Sigmund Freud

Answer 16

o Dreams are our unconscious thoughts and desires that need to be interpreted. Little scientific support.
o 1. What happens? Literal meaning. Manifest content. Ex. Monster chasing you
o 2. What is hidden meaning? Latent content. Ex. Job pushing you out.
o Dreams have meaning. Interpreting them can help us resolve and identify hidden conflict.

Question 17

• Evolutionary biology

Answer 17

o Threat simulation, to prepare for real world.
o Problem solving
o No purpose

Question 18

Other theories for why dreams occur

Answer 18

o Consolidate thoughts to long-term memory, and cleaning up thoughts. People who learn + sleep retain more than those who do not sleep. But role of REM is unclear.
o Preserve and developing neural pathways. Because infants constantly developing new neural networks spend most of time in REM sleep.

Question 19

Activation Synthesis Hypothesis

Answer 19

o Brain gets a lot of neural impulses in brainstem, which is sometimes interpreted by the frontal cortex.
o Brainstem = activation, and cortex = synthesis.
o Our brain is simply trying to find meaning from random brain activity. Therefore dreams might not have meaning.

Question 20

• Sleep apnea –

Answer 20

1 in 20 people. People with it are often unaware. Stop breathing while sleeping – body realizes you’re not getting enough oxygen, wake up just long enough to gasp for air and fall back asleep without realizing. Can happen 100x/night!
o Don’t get enough N3 (Stage 3; slow-wave) sleep.
o Snoring is an indication, or fatigue in morning after full night of sleep.

Question 21

Hyponosis- induced state of consciousness

Answer 21

• Hypnotism - they become more susceptible to suggestion in this state – but only if they want to. More alpha waves in this stage – an awake but relaxed state.
o Some use hypnosis to retrieve memories, very dangerous because memories are malleable. Can create false memories (False memory)- memories that incorporate hypnotizers expectations even when not intended.
o Some people feel that hypnosis can control pain. Might help us inhibit our attention to painful stimuli. Only works if you think it will work.
o 2 theories for how it works: Dissociation Theory (hypnotism is an extreme form of divided consciousness) and the Social Influence Theory (people do and report what’s expected of them, like actors caught up in their roles)
o Refocused attention, so sometimes it’s used to treat pain. Reduced activity in areas that process sensory input. Although it doesn’t block it out, it might inhibit attention that inhibit.

Question 22

Meditation-induced state of consciousness

Answer 22

• Meditation – training people to self-regulate their attention and awareness. Can be guided and focused on something in particular, like breathing, but meditation can also be unfocussed – mind wanders freely.
o More alpha waves than normal relaxation in light meditation.
o In deep meditation have increased theta waves in brain (only experts typically)
o No long term studies. But those who regularly go to deep meditation, have shown increased activity in prefrontal cortex, right hippocampus, and right anterior insula – increased attention control (the goal of meditation).
o Can be helpful for people with ADHD, or in aging.