SLEEP AND DREAMS… Chapter 5 Huffman/Ch 6 Nairne States of Consciousness

Consciousness: an organism’s subjective awareness of internal and external events in its environment Attention: internal processes that set priorities for mental functioning

Levels of awareness : –HIGH: Controlled processes that require attention (and interfere with other functions) –MIDDLE: Automatic processes requiring minimal attention (such as riding your bike) –LOWEST: Minimal or no awareness of the environment

Levels of awareness : –HIGH: Controlled processes that require attention (and interfere with other functions) –MIDDLE: Automatic processes requiring minimal attention (such as riding your bike) Automaticity – fast and effortless processing that requires little or no focused attention

Levels of awareness : –HIGH: Controlled processes that require attention (and interfere with other functions) –MIDDLE: Automatic processes requiring minimal attention (such as riding your bike) –LOWEST: Minimal or no awareness of the environment

Sleep Sleep is a behavior AND an altered state of consciousness We spend about a third of our lives in sleep.

EEG Changes During Sleep Summated brain wave activity (EEG) –Wakefulness: beta activity (13-30 Hz) –Eyes closed: alpha activity (8-12 Hz)

EEG Changes During Sleep Stage 1: Light Sleep – Alpha Waves Stage 2: Eye movements & brain waves slow; sleep spindles

EEG Changes During Sleep Stage 3: very slow waves - delta waves appear Stage 4: almost all delta waves –Very hard to wake during this stage

EEG Changes During Sleep REM stage: rapid, irregular and shallow breathing, eyes jerk rapidly, both wake and sleep waves (sawtooth pattern)

Theories of Sleep Repair/Restoration –Sleep allows for recuperation from physical, emotional, and intellectual fatigue Survival Value –Sleep evolved to conserve energy and protect our ancestors from predators

“Sometimes,a cigar is just a cigar.” - Freud, on the meaning of dreams  A.K.A. Psychoanalytic theory: Dreams represent disguised symbols of repressed desires and anxieties  Manifest Content: symbols used to disguise true meaning of dream  Latent Content: true unconscious meaning of a dream Wish Fulfillment – Freud’s DreamTheory…

WHY DO WE DREAM!? Activation-synthesis hypothesis: –Dreams represent random activation of brain cells during REM sleep Problem Solving –Dreams focus on the problems we have in an attempt to find a solution Threat simulation –Dreams evolved to help us practice skills we need to avoid threats.

Dyssomnias Insomnia - difficulty in getting to sleep or remaining asleep –Situational: related to anxiety or excitement –Drug-induced: sleeping pills (tolerance)

Dyssomnias Sleep apnea: person stops breathing and is awakened when blood levels of carbon dioxide stimulate breathing Narcolepsy: Sleep appears at odd times –Sleep attack: urge to sleep during the day –Cataplexy: REM paralysis occurs, person is still conscious

Myths of Sleep Everyone needs 8 hrs of sleep per night to maintain good health Learning of complicated subjects such as calculus can be done during sleep Some people never dream Dreams last only a few seconds Genital arousal during sleep reflects dream content It is unrelated to sexual content May be a useful index of physical versus psychological causes of impotence in males