Levels of Awareness

1. Levels of Awareness • Conscious • Subconscious • Unconscious

2. How we measure levels of awareness • EEG • EMG • EOG • All used in sleep research

3. Circadian Rhythms • 24 hour or 25 hour? • Ignoring circadian rhythms

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

5. Fig9_5

6. 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.

7. 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. 

8. 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

9. 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

10. Cartwright • Problem-solving view – work out problems over the course of the night

11. 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)

12. Sleep apnea • 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

13. Narcolepsy • Symptoms • 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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

17. Treatment of insomnia • 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.

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 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

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

22. 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

23. Nightmares • Occur during REM sleep, so we tend to see them occur more towards the 3rd and 4th 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

24. 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

25. 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.

26. Myth Mostly just compliance - Willful faking - Reality Highly motivated subjects are often hypnotized Physiological responses indicate subjects are not lying Hypnosis: myth and reality

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