Consciousness & Sleep

1. meditation & hypnosis

1.1. tries to place a person in a conscious state that is super relaxed

1.2. hypnosis is essentially the placebo effect, b/c there is no scientific proof that it works

2. psychedelics

2.1. alter perception of the world and cause hallucinations

2.2. people tend to have a. mythical experience, and personality changes

3. cocaine

3.1. labelled as a "psychostimulant", it increases alertness, decreases fatigue and stimulates sexual arousal

3.2. is very addicting due to the tolerance

4. altered consciousness

5. what is consciousness?

5.1. consciousness is the subjective experience of the world around us

6. states of consciousness:

6.1. alertness/wakeness

6.1.1. Beta 15-30 Hz: awake, normal alert consiousness

6.2. daydreaming

6.2.1. Alpha 9-14 Hz: relaxed, calm, meditation, creative visuals

6.3. drowsiness

6.3.1. Theta 4-8 Hz: deep relaxation and meditation, problem solving

6.4. sleeping

6.4.1. Delta 1-3 Hz: deep, dreamless sleep

7. biology of sleep

7.1. circadian rhythms: refers to the cyclical biological changes, based on a 24-hour basis

7.1.1. this is made up of hormones which include: hormone release, brain waves, etc.

7.2. disruption of sleep, can cause major health problems

8. 24-Hour Rhythm

8.1. fwithin the 24-Hoiur Rhythm image, there iare roughly 14 levels

8.1.1. noon falls under Beta Hz (15-30) which is when you are most alert

8.1.2. midnight - 2 am, falls under the Delta stage of consciousness. It is when you're in deepest sleep

9. sleep deprivation

9.1. we need about 7-10 hours of sleep a day, which is roughly 1/3 of our day

9.2. resisting sleep has many negative impacts on your life:

9.2.1. lack of sleep consists of: weight gain, depression, decreased immune system

9.2.2. difficulty learning, decreased ability to pay attention, slowed reactions, hallucinations, and an increase risk for cancer

10. 5 stages of sleeping

10.1. stage 1: (NREM) Non-rapid Eye Movement: light sleep

10.2. stage 2: (NREM) harder to wake an individual

10.3. stage 3 and 4 (NREM) Deep sleep, Delta waves occur and this is where sleep walking can occur

10.4. stage 5 (REM) Paradoxical sleep: vivid dreaming and rapid eye movement

11. REM Sleep

11.1. REM Sleep: Rapid Eye Movement sleep

11.2. - a kind of sleep that occurs at intervals during the night and is characterized by eye movement

12. dreams

12.1. there are theories as to why we dream:

12.2. symbolic of our deep desires

12.3. no hidden meaning, continuation of day time

12.4. reflection of the brain's attempt to make sense of random signals during REM

12.5. dreams provide a person with opportunity to rehearse situations

13. sleep disorders

13.1. insomnia is the most common disorder, and it refers to a sleep disorder in which patients have trouble staying asleep, and going to sleep

13.2. narcolepsy: unexpected sleep

13.3. sleep apnea: constant awakening during sleep, caused by blocked airways

13.4. night terrors: sudden waking episodes, includes loud screaming, confusion, etc.

13.5. sleep walking

14. drugs

14.1. anti-psychotics

14.2. stimulants

14.3. hallucinogens

14.4. depressants

15. alcohol

15.1. being the most used drug, alcohol is a depressant, but tends to feel like a stimulate.

15.2. alcohol can effect sleep by inducing it, meaning you get too drunk you fall asleep.