State Of Consciousness Flashcards
Function of sleep
Rejuvenates.
Need more during periods of stress.
Helps to recover from stress.
We need approximately 8 hours.
Circadian rhythm
Internally generated periods of wakefulness and sleep associated with the Earth’s rotation.
Approximately 25 hours.
Functions of sleep (theory)
Restoration theory - body wears out during the day and sleep is necessary to put it back in shape
Adaptive theory - sleep emerged in evolution to preserve energy and protect during the time of day when there is little value and considerable danger
Deprivation (sleep)
Concentration and performance on normal tasks decreases.
Affects attention.
Impairs memory.
Deprivation (REM)
Learn more slowly. Forget rapidly. Essential to brain metabolism and body temperature regulation. Interferes with memory. REM rebound occurs.
Stages of sleep (before)
Relaxed, alpha waves, drowsy, hallucinations, jerks, sleep starts.
Stages of sleep (stage 1)
Lightest stage, theta waves, hallucinations, dream-like images, slow, rolling eye movements.
30-40 minutes.
Stages of sleep (stage 2)
Short bursts of rapid brain waves (sleep spindles).
Bursts of brain activity that reflect external stimulation (sounds) or internal stimuli (muscle tightness, etc.) - K complex.
Stages of sleep (stage 3)
Some theta but mostly delta waves - slow wave sleep.
Most parasomnias take place here.
REM sleep
Rapid brain waves Level of arousal is similar to waking state (paradoxical sleep) Difficult to awaken Dreams occur 80% of the time Heart rate and breathing increase Body becomes paralyzed Occurs every 90 minutes Body
Sleep cycle
Approximately 5 trips through the stages
Sleep becomes lighter as the night goes on
REM becomes longer as the night goes on
Deeper the sleep, the slower and lazier the brain waves
Typical night’s sleep (REM)
Rapid eye movement Increase as the night progresses Vivid dreams Nightmares Paralysis Essential part of sleep
Typical night’s sleep (NREM)
Decrease in length as the night progresses
Vague, partial images and stories
Night terrors (physical)
Sleep walking and talking
Brain during REM (limbic system)
Highly active - emotion and memory areas
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Brain during REM (neurotransmitters)
Reduced. Serotonin Norepinephrine Dopamine Most are connected to memory
Brain during REM (higher level processes are shut down)
Frontal lobe
Primary visual cortex
Dreams and nightmares (dreams)
Vague or detailed Most vivid during REM black and white or color Simple extensions of the activities and problems of the day Characters are usually people we know Approximately 5-40 minutes 25% or 2 hours a night is spent dreaming
Dreams and nightmares (nightmares)
Myths Products of REM sleep Spawned by traumatic events Suffer from anxiety, depression, ... 2 a year Linked to creativity in children
Night terrors
More severe than nightmares
Severe physiological arousal
Occurs during NREM in the first cycles of sleep
Memories of those dreams are not vivid
Dream theories
Freud/psychoanalytic theory.
Dream interpretation: reflect unconscious wishes and urges, dreams are symbolic of unconscious fantasize objects (particularly the genitals), dreams are about wish fulfillment.
“Protect sleep”: keeps disturbing, repressed images away.
Dream theory (activation synthesis - Hobson and McCarley)
Dreams reflect biological activity:
Acetylcholine and Pons activate the RAS which arouses us.
The pons fires random stimuli at the forebrain often to areas connected to memory, emotion, and movement.
Forebrain must interpret this random info.
Dream theories (other)
Dreams recognize the brain - replenish chemicals used up during the day.
Dreams are used to work out unsolved problems.
Dreams are ways of making sense of random stimulation.
Sleep disorders (narcolepsy)
Falling suddenly, irresistibly asleep
REM disorder
Sleep paralysis
Sleep disorders (sleep apnea)
Air passage is obstructed
Causes one to wake up 200-400 times a night
Causes - thick palate; anatomical, breathing centers of the brain
