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Understanding the Sleep Cycle: Functions, Disorders, and Influences on Consciousness

Explore the intricate details of the sleep cycle, ranging from the Circadian Rhythm to REM sleep and its essential functions, potential disorders such as insomnia and narcolepsy, as well as the influence of hypnosis and psychoactive drugs on consciousness.

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Understanding the Sleep Cycle: Functions, Disorders, and Influences on Consciousness

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  1. States of Consciousness Chapter 5

  2. The Sleep Cycle • Circadian Rhythm: Regular bodily rhythm that occurs on a 24-hour cycle • Occurs in five stages • Stage 1 • Brief • May experience hallucinations or falling sensation

  3. Stage 2 • About 20 minutes • Characterized by periodic bursts of rapid, rhythmic brainwave activity • Stage 3 • Brief, transitional

  4. Stage 4 • Brain emits large, slow delta waves • About 30 minutes • Hard to awaken • Leave non-REM sleep and ascend through Stages 3 and 2

  5. REM sleep - rapid eye movement sleep • Rapid, irregular breathing and eye movements • Vivid dreams commonly occur • Essentially paralyzed

  6. Sleep Cycle -cont- • Repeats itself about every 90 minutes • Stage 4 gets briefer and REM and Stage 2 periods get longer

  7. Functions of Sleep • Protection • Restores and repairs brain tissue • Restores and rebuilds memories • Feeds creativity • Growth

  8. Problems of Sleep Deprivation • Can cause • Irritability • Slowed performance and reaction time • Impaired creativity, concentration and communication • Weight gain • Illness • Chronic sleep debt changes metabolic and hormonal functioning to mimic aging

  9. Sleep Disorders • Insomnia • Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep • Effects 1/10 adults • Treated with better sleep habits and prescription drugs • Narcolepsy - uncontrollable sleep attacks • Sleep attacks usually last less than 5 minutes • Effects 1/2000 • Treated with prescription drugs

  10. Sleep apnea - breathing temporarily stops during sleep • Associated with obesity • Effects 1/20 • Treated with a CPAP air machine • Night terrors - occur during Stage 4 sleep • Child usually has no recollection of this happening and it disappears w/age

  11. Why do we dream? • To satisfy our own wishes • Freud’s belief; not accepted by most psychologists • To file away memories • To develop and preserve neural pathways • To reflect cognitive development

  12. Hypnosis • 20% of population is highly hypnotizable • Hypnosis cannot: • Enhance recall of forgotten events • Force people to act against their will • Help drug or alcohol addictions • Hypnosis can: • Help headaches, asthma, obesity and stress related skin disorders • Relieve pain

  13. Drugs and Consciousness • Misconceptions about addiction • Addictive drugs do not quickly corrupt • Addictions can be overcome voluntarily

  14. Psychoactive Drugs • Depressants – drugs that calm neural activity and slow body functions • Alcohol, barbiturates, opiates • Stimulants – temporarily excite neural activity and arouse body functions • Caffeine, meth, nicotine, cocaine, ecstasy

  15. Hallucinogens – distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input • LSD, Ecstasy, marijuana

  16. Influences on Drug Use • Biological predisposition • Psychological factors • Feeling that life is meaningless • Significant stress or depression • Social influences • Barron environment – nothing else to do • Access to plentiful, cheap drug supply • Access to money

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