Variations in Consciousness

Are you awake right now? How about in 20 minutes?

Levels of Awareness

 Conscious  Subconscious  Unconscious

How we measure levels of awareness

 EEG  EMG  EOG  All used in sleep research

Circadian Rhythms

 24 hour or 25 hour?

 Ignoring circadian rhythms

Awake (resting) Alpha waves Stage 1 sleep Beta waves Theta waves Stage 2 sleep Sleep spindle Stage 3 sleep k complex Seconds Delta waves Stage 4 sleep Delta waves REM sleep Theta waves Beta waves

06_05 Awake 1 2 3 4

Fig9_5

REM REM REM REM REM

1 2 3 4

Hours of sleep

5 6 7

Freud’s theory of dreams  Freud believed that nothing we did occurred by chance; every action and thought is motivated by our unconscious at some level.  While we try to repress our urges and impulses they have a way of coming to the surface in disguised forms – such as dreams.

 Freud understood the symbolic nature of dreams and believed dreams were a direct connect to our unconscious.  Freud was preoccupied with sexual content in dreams.

 Thoughts repressed during the day also have a way of being fulfilled in your dreams. Freud believed that every imagery and symbol that appears in a dream have a sexual connotation. Anxiety dreams were seen as a sign of repressed sexual impulses

Activation-Synthesis Model

 States that dreams represent random and meaningless neural activity  States that the pons sends out millions of nerve impulses and the cortex tries to make sense of these signals.  May create feelings, emotions, random movements, perceptions and meaningless images

Cartwright

 Problem-solving view – work out problems over the course of the night

Dream Themes

 Falling – failing    Being attacked or pursued procrastination School, teachers, studying – dreaming of greatness Arriving too late – need I say more? (actually, failure)  Being naked in public (vulnerability)

Sleep apnea

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Most Common Symptoms

 -Loud Snoring -Waking up non refreshed and having trouble staying awake during the day -Waking up with headaches -Waking up during the night sometimes with the sensation of choking -Waking up sweating

Narcolepsy

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Symptoms

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Excessive sleepiness.

-Temporary decrease or loss of muscle control, especially when getting excited.

-Vivid dream-like images when drifting off to sleep or waking up.

-Waking up unable to move or talk for a brief time.

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TREATMENT

: There is no cure for narcolepsy. May be treated with stimulant drugs Basic lifestyle adjustments such as keeping a good sleep schedule, improving diet, increasing exercise and avoiding "exciting" situations may also help to reduce the effects of excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy.

Insomnia

 -Difficulty falling asleep -No problem falling asleep but difficulty staying asleep (many awakenings) -Waking up too early 

How much sleep does a person need?

 Enough to feel alert during the day. Typically 7 to 9 hours (varies from person to person) of good quality sleep.

 Transient and short-term insomnia generally occur in people who are temporarily experiencing one or more of the following: - stress - environmental noise - extreme temperatures change in the surrounding environment - sleep/wake schedule problems such as those due to jet lag - medication side effects

Treatment of insomnia

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Relaxation Therapy.

There are specific and effective techniques that can reduce or eliminate anxiety and body tension. As a result, the person's mind is able to stop "racing," the muscles can relax, and restful sleep can occur.

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Sleep Restriction

 Don’t spend too much time in bed unsuccessfully trying to sleep. 

Reconditioning

 associate the bed and bedtime with sleep.  Use bed for sleep and relations only

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Reconditioning cont’d

Go to bed only when sleepy.  If unable to fall asleep, the person is told to get up, stay up until sleepy, and then return to bed.  Avoid naps  Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day.  Eventually the person's body will be conditioned to associate the bed and bedtime with sleep.

Pseudo-insomnia

 These are people who often do, in fact, get enough sleep, but they tend to misjudge the amount that they got.  This is often because of REM deprivation Healthology

Night terrors

 Usually occur in stage 3 or 4 – occur during 1 st part of night  Child usually displays a piercing scream, followed by sudden wakefulness and sympathetic nervous system is activated  The child is very difficult to calm down and may need several minutes to awaken

 Night terrors occur in approximately 3-7% of children between the ages of 4-12  Seems to disappear by adolescence but may require therapy  Often do not remember what it was that they were dreaming about

Nightmares

 Occur during REM sleep, so we tend to see them occur more towards the 3 rd and 4 th cycle (not stage) of sleep  When the person awakes, they often remember the nightmare in detail  Although the nightmare ends upon waking, the anxiety often persists – often due to anxiety

Sleepwalking (somnambulism)

 Usually occurs in stages 3 and 4 (deep NRem) and consists of getting up and walking while sound asleep.

 Sleepwalkers generally have poor coordination, are clumsy, but can engage in very limited conversation and have no memory of sleepwalking

 Sleepwalking is more common in childhood, however, there are some adults who may sleepwalk, although this may be due to sleep dep., stress, or mental problems.

Hypnosis: myth and reality

 Myth  Reality  Mostly just compliance  Highly motivated subjects are often hypnotized  Willful faking  Physiological responses indicate subjects are not lying

 Myth  Reality   Subjects in a sleeplike state People who are hypnotized often lose control of themselves   Subjects are emitting alpha waves-awake but resting Subjects have been able to say no to commands under hypnosis  Hypnosis may help a person remember the past more accurately  Subject’s memory is often muddled between memory and fantasy