Altered States of Consciousness CP PSYCHOLOGY CHAPTER 7 Altered States of Consciousness Section 7Q1 Richard Martel, NHS Glencoe Publishers Sleeping and Dreaming

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming Consciousness our awareness of ourselves and our environments conscious processing (thinking) takes place sequentially as opposed to parallel unconscious processing

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming There are 4 stages of quiet sleep and 1 stage of active sleep Approx. 75% of sleep time is spent in stages 1 thru 4 Approximately 25% of sleep time is spent dreaming Electroencephalograph (EEG) and other devices are used to measure sleep activity

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming Stage 1: Pulse slows, muscles relax, sensation of “drifting”, lasts about 10 minutes Stage 2: Slower brain waves, eyes move slowly side-to-side, lasts about 30 minutes Stage 3: Deeper sleep, large delta brain waves every few seconds, varies in length Stage 4: State of oblivion, delta brain waves 50% of the time, varies in length REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep: (dreaming) cycles in and out after stage 4 Irregular breathing/pulse, adrenal and sex hormones increase, “ awake” brain waves

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sleep stages Awake Hours of sleep REM SLEEP

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming Sleep Disorders: Narcolepsy, Sleep Apnea & Insomnia Sleepwalking, bedwetting, talking, and night terrors occur in stage 4 without memory of it People need less sleep as they get older Babies need 16-18 hours of sleep daily Teens 10-11 hours, adults 8 hours, Seniors citizens need 5-6

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming Effects of Sleep Loss fatigue impaired concentration depressed immune system greater vulnerability to accidents

Altered States of Consciousness (7Q1) Sleeping and Dreaming Dreams get longer throughout the night with the last one the most likely to be remembered Dreams have a purpose according to many psychologists but they disagree on what it is Sigmund Freud: First to thoroughly study dreams believing they fulfilled hidden wishes Manifest Content of dreams comes from the re-living of the day’s events in your dreams Latent Content of dreams comes from repressed unconscious desires, often of a sexual nature