sleep – dreams – hypnosis - drugs

 What does it mean to be “conscious”? Consciousness is AWARENESS of ourselves and our environment. Our conscious attention is selective. We can choose to focus on something in particular, like our breathing, a phrase (mantra) or the scenery that you pass as you drive home. consciousness experiments ( 50% of people fail to see the gorilla when concentrating on counting the passes

 Why do we need sleep? Sleep protects us How much sleep do we need? (according to the National Institutes of Health-2007) newborns Sleep helps us recuperate (repair tissue & build-up our immune system / fight infection) Sleep improves cognitive functioning (accidents are more likely when one is sleep deprived) Sleep helps us grow 18 hours hours teens 9 hours adults 7-8 hours kids elderly 5-6 hours Sleep helps us cope emotionally Sleep improves memory (memory consolidation)

reasons not to skimp on sleep Source: US News & World Report - Sarah Baldauf - Oct 16,

Am I Sleep Deprived? 1. I need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time. 2. It’s a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning. 3. Weekday mornings I hit the snooze button several times to get more sleep. 4. I feel tired, irritable, and stressed-out during the week. 5. I have trouble concentrating and remembering. 6. I feel slow with critical thinking, problem solving, and being creative. 7. I often fall asleep watching TV. 8 I often fall asleep in boring meetings or lectures or in warm rooms.

Am I Sleep Deprived? 9. I often fall asleep after heavy meals or after a low dose of alcohol. 10. I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner. 11. I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed. 12. I often feel drowsy while driving. 13. I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings. 14. I often need a nap to get through the day. 15. I have dark circles around my eyes.

Circadian Rhythms occur on a hour cycle and include sleep and wakefulness. Termed our “biological clock,” it can be altered by artificial light. Illustration © Cynthia Turner 2003 Morning Light triggers the suprachiasmatic nucleus (in the hypothalamus) to decrease melatonin from the pineal gland Evening Fading light triggers the suprachiasmatic nucleus to increase melatonin. Doctors and researchers are reporting an increase in illness related to decreased melatonin production – why do you think this might be happening?

Goes down as we go to sleep Goes up as we wake up

Measuring sleep: About every 90 minutes, we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages. Hank Morgan/ Rainbow

With each 90-minute cycle, stage 4 sleep decreases and the duration of REM sleep increases.

stage 2 stage 3 stage 4 REM Light sleep – easy to awaken Hypnagogic jerks Theta waves Slightly deeper sleep Sleep spindles Deeper sleep Delta waves Deepest sleep Delta waves Sleep walking Growing (in kids) Sleep talking Wetting the bed Night terrors Dreaming Rapid eye movement Paradoxical sleep

1. Insomnia: A persistent inability to fall asleep. 2. Narcolepsy*: Overpowering urge to fall asleep that may occur while talking or standing up. 3. Sleep apnea: Failure to breathe when asleep.

Children are most prone to:  Night terrors: The sudden arousal from sleep with intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions (e.g., rapid heart rate, perspiration) which occur during Stage 4 sleep.  Sleepwalking: A Stage 4 disorder which is usually harmless and unrecalled the next day.  Sleeptalking: A condition that runs in families, like sleepwalking.

1. Negative Emotional Content: 8 out of 10 dreams have negative emotional content. 2. Failure Dreams: People commonly dream about failure, being attacked, pursued, rejected, or struck with misfortune. 3. Sexual Dreams: Contrary to our thinking, sexual dreams are sparse. Sexual dreams in men are 1 in 10; and in women 1 in 30. Manifest Content: A Freudian term meaning the story line of dreams.

1. Wish Fulfillment: Sigmund Freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety valve to discharge unacceptable feelings. The dream’s manifest (apparent) content may also have symbolic meanings (latent content) that signify our unacceptable feelings. 2. Information Processing: Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix a day’s experiences in our memories.

3. Physiological Function: Dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation to develop and preserve neural pathways. Neural networks of newborns are quickly developing; therefore, they need more sleep.

4. Activation-Synthesis Theory: Suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural activity. Dreams make sense of this activity. 5. Cognitive Development: Some researchers argue that we dream as a part of brain maturation and cognitive development. All dream researchers believe we need REM sleep. When deprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep, we show increased REM sleep called REM Rebound.

Hypnosis: involves a state of awareness characterized by deep relaxation, heightened suggestibility, and focused attention. Hypnotist suggests changes in sensations, thoughts, behavior, and perceptions.

State Theory (Unsupported by Research)*: The State Theory argues hypnosis reflects an altered state of consciousness where participants enter a trance-like level of consciousness whereby the hypnotist has control of the participant’s “subconscious.”

SOCIAL INFLUENCE THEORY Hypnosis as a social phenomenon: argues that participants are doing what’s expected of them. Participants are just following a role of how one is supposed to act when hypnotized and it provides a socially acceptable reason to follow certain suggestions. Argue pain relief from hypnosis is caused by normal shift/split in selective attention: Ex: Pain not felt during soccer game.

Dissociation Theory blends social influence and state theories. Hilgard argued hypnosis is caused by a social agreement that allowed dissociation: split in consciousness, which allows certain voluntary and involuntary behaviors to be controlled in part by a hypnotist.

 Hidden Observer: describes hypnotized subject’s awareness of experiences, such as pain, that go unreported during hypnosis. The “hidden observer” feels the pain so is associated with normal consciousness. › Ex: Part of person feels the pain during ice water experiments.

› Pain relief studies: theorists say pain stimulus is dissociated (split) from the emotional suffering of pain. › But is there some part of the person that is feeling the pain? Yes according to “Hidden Observer”

 Medical uses of hypnosis Medical uses of hypnosis

 Posthypnotic Amnesia: supposed inability to recall what one experienced during hypnosis; induced by the hypnotist’s suggestion. “You will no longer remember anything you experienced today.”  Posthypnotic Suggestion: a suggestion made during a hypnosis session that will be carried out after hypnosis session is over. “You will no longer feel the need to smoke after this session is over.”

 Unhypnotized people can do and will do the same things as hypnotized people. Ex: throw acid in face.  Those who are imaginative and fantasy prone are best hypnosis patients.  No one can be hypnotized if they do not want to be.

 Psychoactive Drug: Any chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood. Impairs brain mechanisms that help us make good decisions.  Three Basic Categories: › Depressants: “Downers” calm neural activity and slow body functions. Includes opiates and barbiturates. › Stimulants: “Uppers” excite neural activity › Hallucinogens: distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input.

 No matter what type of drug from alcohol to cocaine, drugs work at the neurological level and at the brain’s synapses. › Some drugs stimulate the release of certain neurotransmitters. › Others mimic the activity of neurotransmitters (agonists) › Others inhibit the release of neurotransmitters (antagonists)

 Mouse Party Mouse Party

 The most addictive drugs like heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines stimulate the reward centers in your brain making you feel a sense of euphoria.

 Drug experiences vary depending on the culture you are in.  Often people act how they think they should act when on a certain drug.  Ex: Alcohol belief studies.

Alcohol: suppresses parts of the brain that control judgment, inhibitions, and can seriously alter physical functioning in high doses (balance, memory, consciousness, death). Urges you feel when sober, you are more likely to act upon when drunk. Alcohol will increase any tendency you have whether it is harmful or helpful. It always acts a depressant, even if you only have one drink.

 Barbiturates: depress CNS and reduce anxiety but impair memory and judgment.  Ex: sleep aids, “special k,” benzodiapezines (xanax and valium), tranquilizers, etc.

 Opiates: opium and its derivatives from poppy plant, depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety.  Ex: morphine, heroin, opium.  Opiates usually mimic endorphins; causes massive craving, withdrawal, and addiction because body stops producing its natural opiates.

 Wide variety of substances fall under the category of stimulants including: › Caffeine › Nicotine › Amphetamines (“speed”) and methamphetamines (“crystal meth”) › Cocaine › MDMA (Ecstasy)

 Speed up heart rate and breathing rates, often use to keep awake, lose weight, or to boost mood.  All stimulants can become highly addictive and often come with a “crash” when high is over with.

 Cocaine: powerful stimulant usually snorted or smoked that induces 15 to 30 minute “rush.” Crack produces even quicker and more intense high but lasts shorter period of time.  Drug depletes the brain’s supply of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine often causing depression. Also increases paranoia and increases risk of heart problems.  May increase aggressive behaviors and causes extreme addiction.

Methamphetamine: (crystal meth, ice, speed). Causes large increases in alertness and may cause increase in energy and produce a euphoria. Often leads to extreme addiction, insomnia, nervousness, or even seizures.

 Drugs create hallucinations, altered perceptions, and blur line between self and external world.  Most well known hallucinogen is LSD: (lysergic acid diethylamine): probably most powerful hallucinogen.  Other examples include: marijuana, peyote, angel dust, mescaline, and “magic mushrooms.”

 Marijuana: consists of flowers and leaves from the hemp plant and when smoked or ingested acts as a mild hallucinogen.  Relaxes, disinhibits, and impairs motor functions of individuals while at the same time amplifying sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes, and smells.  Main active ingredient=THC

In recent years, Marijuana has also been promoted for medical use. Advocates say that marijuana serves as relief for people suffering from intense pain, nausea, or that have trouble eating. Although the medical community is split on issue, most recognize the toxicity of the smoke is a definite drawback to using the drug medically. Marijuana also disrupts memory formation and may cause sexual dysfunctions.

Physical vs. Psychological Dependence Tolerance: diminishing effect of drug with the same dose, requires user to take more to get same high. Withdrawal: discomfort and distress associated with quitting the use of an addictive drug.

 Perception of the risk involved with a drug helps predict levels of use.

Also evidence that there may be biological influences in drug use. Examples: Identical twin with alcoholism other twin has increased risk. Molecular geneticists have found gene that is more common in people with alcoholism.

 Peer factor is perhaps most powerful.  Family strength, religiousness, morality are near as big as predictors as whether or not peers use drugs. If your friends do drugs, odds are high that you may do them too.  This is why many addicts have to change their social networks in order to remain drug free.