Sleep and Consciousness

Question 1

Consciousness

Answer 1

awareness of our self and envt- diff levels of awareness can be induced by external factors such as drugs or internal mental efforts. Range from alertness to sleep

Question 2

Alertness

Answer 2

you’re awake

Question 3

Daydreaming

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Drowsiness

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Sleep

Answer 5

not aware of world around you. 4 types

Question 6

Beta

Answer 6

13-30 Hz, associated with awake/concentration. Increased stress anxiety, restlessness. Constant alertness

Question 7

Alpha waves

Answer 7

8-13 Hz, in daydreaming. Disappear in drowsiness but reappear in deep sleep. During relaxation

Question 8

Theta waves

Answer 8

7 Hz, drowsiness, right after you fall asleep

Question 9

Delta Waves

Answer 9

0-5-3 Hz, deep sleep or coma

Question 10

EEGs

Answer 10

can measure brainwaves

Question 11

4 main stages in 90 min cycles

Answer 11

N1–> N2–> N3–> REM

Question 12

N1

Answer 12

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.
Tetris effect: if you play tetris right before bed, you might see blocks
Hypnic jerks- feeling of falling

Question 13

N2

Answer 13

deeper stage of sleep, harder to awaken, more theta waves as well as sleep spindles and K-complexes

Question 14

Sleep Spindles

Answer 14

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

Question 15

K-complexes

Answer 15

supress cortical arousal and keep you asleep, also help sleep-based memory consolidation, even though they occur naturally you can also make them occur by touching someone sleeping

Question 16

N3

Answer 16

slow wave sleep, delta waves, where walking/talking in sleep happens

Question 17

REM (rapid-eye movements) stage

Answer 17

most of other muscles are paralyzed, most dreaming occurs during REM sleep, so paralysation inhibits actions, most important for memory consolidation

Question 18

Combination of alpha, beta, and desynchronous waves

Answer 18

Similar to beta waves seen when awake, sometimes called paradoxical sleep because brain is active and awake but body prevents it from doing anything
waking up during REM sleep prevents memory formation of the dream

Question 19

Circadian Rhythms

Answer 19

why you get sleepy in afternoon, they’re our regular body rhythms across 24-hour period. Controlled by melatonin produced in pineal gland.
Control body temperature, sleep cycle etc.
Daylight is big queue, even artificial light
Also changes as you age, younger people are night owls but older people go to bed early

Question 20

Dreaming

Answer 20

during REM sleep, eyes move rapidly under eyelids and brainwaves look like they are completely awake

Question 21

Prefrontal cortex

Answer 21

activity here decreased in REM sleep, part responsible for logic, why things in our things that defy logic don’t seem weird

Question 22

Sigmund Freud

Answer 22

dreams are unconscious thoughts and desires that need to be interpreted, little scientific support

Question 23

Evolutionary Biology

Answer 23

threat simulation, to prepare for real world
problem solving
no purpose

Question 24

Other

Answer 24

maintain brain flexibility
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
Preserve and developing neural pathways bc infants constantly developing new neural networks spend most of time in REM sleep

Question 25

Dream theories

Answer 25

Freud and Activation Synthesis Hypothesis. Do our dreams have a meaning? Sigmund Freud’s theory of dreams says dreams represent our unconscious feelings/thoughts. Like an iceberg
What happens? Manifest content (ex: monster chasing you)
What is hidden meaning? latent content (ex: job pushing you out) Can help us resolve and identity hidden conflict

Question 26

Activation Synthesis Hypothesis

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Sleep deprivation

Answer 27

irritable and poorer memory and can be dangerous when it comes to flying airplanes or driving cars

Question 28

Sleep disorders

Answer 28

susceptible to obesity- body makes more cortisol and the hunger hormone
can also increase your risk for depression, REM sleep helps brain process emotional experiences which can help protect agains depression
can get back on track by paying back “sleep debt” 7-8 hours sleep for adults

Question 29

Insomnia

Answer 29

persistent trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
exercising or relaxing before bed can help

Question 30

Narcolepsy

Answer 30

can’t help themselves from falling asleep. various fits of sleepiness, going into REM sleep can occur any time. 1 in 2000. Indications it’s genetic and linked to absence of alertness neurotransmitter

Question 31

Sleep apnea

Answer 31

1 in 20 people. Often unaware, stop breathing while sleeping and body realized 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.
Don’t get enough N3 (slow-wave) sleep and snoring is an indication or fatigue in morning

Question 32

Sleepwalking/sleep talking

Answer 32

mostly genetic occur during N3 and are harmless. Occur more often in children (have more N3)

Question 33

Apnea

Answer 33

air going into nose/mouth reaches the lungs, tissues around neck may block this airflow- snoring/gasping/pauses in breathing, absence of airflow
Obstructive sleep apnea

Question 34

Central sleep apnea

Answer 34

presence of apneas without obstruction, presence of apneas without obstruction, problem with the control system for ventilation
Cheyne-Stokes breathing- period of oscillations, then flat etc. problem with the control system for ventilation

Question 35

Hyperventilation

Answer 35

in lungs or chest wall, can occur at high pCO2 and low pO2, caused by medication/obesity. Chronically elevated pCO2 can lead to right-sided heart failure

Question 36

Hypnotism

Answer 36

relax and focus on breathing and more susceptible to suggestion in this state. More alpha waves in this stage- an awake but relaxed state.
Used to retrieve memories, dangerous bc memories are malleable and can create false memories

Question 37

Dissociation Theory

Answer 37

hypnotism is an extreme form of divided consciousness

Question 38

Social Influence Theory

Answer 38

people do and report what’s expected of them, like actors caught up in their roles
refocused attention, used to treat pain. Reduced activity in areas that process sensory input, doesn’t block it out but might inhibit attention

Question 39

Meditation

Answer 39

training people to self-regulate their attention and awareness, guided and focused on breathing, mind wanders freely
more alpha waves than normal relaxation in light meditation
In deep meditation have increased theta waves in brain, people who have deep meditation increased activity in prefrontal cortex, right hippocampus and right anterior insula- increased attention control
Can be helpful for people with ADHD or in aging