States of

Consciousness
Chapter 4

Meredith Brown, adapted from OpenStax Resources

What is Consciousness?
• Consciousness – Awareness of internal and external
stimulus

• We experience different states of consciousness: Drugs,

Hypnosis, Meditation, Sleep, Wakefulness

• Wakefulness is characterized by high levels of sensory

awareness, thought and behavior

• Sleep is relatively low levels of activity and sensory

awareness
Circadian Rhythm
• Circadian rhythms are internal rhythms of
biological activity
• Fluctuations in body temperature, sleep patterns

• The hypothalamus is in charge of

homeostasis in the body

• Basically sun up awake, sun down sleepy

• The Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the

hypothalamus helps to keep the body’s
clock synced
Sleep
• Although it has not been “proven” why we sleep it has
been shown that it is necessary to maintain our
wellbeing
• How much sleep do we need?
• Insufficient Sleep
• Sleep dept – chronically not getting enough sleep
• Decreases in alertness, mental efficiency, prospective memory
loss, May also contribute to depression-like symptoms.
• Sleep Rebound – Taking shorter time to fall asleep
during subsequent opportunities for sleep
Sleep Disruptions
• Sleep regulation – Sleep wake switch – coordinated with
outside world

• Jet Lag – Mismatch between internal circadian rhythms

and our environment (Japan)

• Rotating Shift Work – Rotating schedules – Can’t acclimate

to anyone shift

• Bright light therapy

Sleep and the Brain

• Some areas in the brain involved in sleep include

thalamus, hypothalamus, and the pons
• Use EEGs to observe sleep
• Pineal and pituitary glands secrete hormones during
sleep
• Melatonin – is a hormone released by the pineal gland
important for sleep wake cycles
• Melatonin release is triggered by darkness and inhibited
by light
Theories of Sleep
• Adaptive Function of Sleep
• Evolutionary psychology – Discipline that studies how
universal patters of behavior and cognitive processes have
evolved over time as a result of natural selection

• Sleep is needed to restore resources that are used

during the day (Body restitution hypothesis)

• Sleep patterns have evolved as an adaptive response to

predator risk, which increases in darkness (People who
didn’t sleep died?)
Theories of Sleep cont.…
• Cognitive Function of Sleep

• Sleep is important for cognitive function and memory

formation

• Sleep deprivation leads to disruptions in cognition and

memory deficits

• Cognitive benefits of sleep include increased capacities for

creative thinking, language, learning, and inferential
judgments
Stages of Sleep

• Different stages are

differentiated by patterns in
brain activity

• REM – Rapid Eye Movement

(paradoxical sleep)

• Non- REM – Four stages

Stages of Sleep
• Stage One – Alpha Waves – Low frequency, high
amplitude waves – Relaxed
• Stage Two – Theta Waves –Lower frequency, higher
amplitude waves - Occurrence of sleep spindle (rapid
burst of high frequency waves) and K-complex (high
amplitude pattern of brain activity) Deep Relaxation
• Stage Three and Four – Delta Waves – Low frequency,
high amplitude waves – During delta heart rate and
respiration decrease.
• Body temperature also decreases during sleep
REM Sleep
• Note the similarities in
Awake waves and REM
waves

• Sleep paralysis

• REM Rebound

• Sleep deprivation vs REM

deprivation
Dreams
• Sigmund Freud - Representations of unconscious thoughts
• Manifest Content – Actual content of story line
• Latent Content – Hidden meaning behind the dream
• Carl Jung – Collective Unconscious
• Certain symbols in dreams reflect universal archetypes
• Rosaland Cartwright – Reflection of important life events
• The things on our minds are reflected in our dreams
• Alan Hobson – Activation-synthesis model
• Brain making sense of neural activity
• Protoconsciousness – construction of a virtual reality
• Lucid Dreams – Certain aspects of wakefulness are
maintained during sleep state
Sleep Disorders
• Insomnia – Difficulty in falling or staying asleep
• Criteria: Minimum three nights a week for at least a month
• Experience increased levels of anxiety about inability to sleep
• Treatments:
• Limit use of stimulant drugs, increase exercise
• Cognitive- behavioral therapy
• Sleep Apnea
• Sleeper’s breathing stop
• Types:
• Obstructive sleep apnea: airways become blocked
• Central sleep apnea: brain signals disrupted
• Treatment:
• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device
Parasomnias
• Parasomnia: Unwanted, disruptive motor activity during
sleep
• Sleepwalking: (somnambulism) engaging in complex
behaviors while asleep
• REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD): Movement during REM
sleep (paralysis does not occur)
• Treatment: Clonazepam alone or with melatonin
• Restless leg syndrome: uncomfortable sensation in legs, feel
need to move, difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Night terrors: panic during sleep (does not wake)
• Treatment: Treatment usually unnecessary
SIDS
• SIDS: Sudden infant death
syndrome
• Infants younger than 12 months are
at higher risk, boys are at greater
risk than girls
• Risk factors include premature The Safe to Sleep campaign
birth, smoking at the home, and educates the public about
how to minimize risk factors
hypothermia associated with SIDS. This
campaign is sponsored in part
• Infant should sleep on their backs by the National Institute of
group should be free of suffocation Child Health and Human
threats, no caps on their heads, and Development

people should abstain from

Narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy: person with narcolepsy cannot resist falling
asleep in inappropriate times
• Cataplexy – lack of muscle tone or muscle weakness,
some cases involve complete paralysis of voluntary
muscles
• Episodes last room one minutes to a half an hour-
people typically awake feeling refreshed
• Narcolepsy is dangerous and can interfere with day to
day life
• Treatment: Cycle motor stimulant drugs, such as
amphetamines
Substance Use and Abuse
• Substance Use Disorders:
• A person who has a substance use disorder uses more of a
substance than they originally intended and continues to use
the substance despite adverse consequences
• Physical dependence: changes in normal bodily function
• Psychological dependence: emotional need for drug
• Tolerance: physiological dependence person requires
more of the substance to achieve previous effect
• Withdraw: negative symptoms when drug is
discontinued
Alcohol and Depressants
• Depressant: drug that suppresses central nervous
system activity such as ethanol or alcohol
• At low doses, alcohol is associated with feelings of
euphoria as dosages increase, people feel sedated
• Alcohol use is associated with decreases in reaction
time, visual acuity, lowered alertness, and behavioral
control issues
• In pregnant women alcohol use can lead to FAS or FASD
• Abuse potential of depressants is relatively high
 Stimulants

• Stimulant: increases overall neural activity

• Cocaine agonizes dopamine neurotransmitter system
• Amphetamines also block the reuptake of dopamine
• Methamphetamine use has increased
• Caffeine is considered a stimulant, however it is
relatively safe
• Nicotine is highly addictive and increased the risk of
heart disease, stroke, and a variety of cancers
Opioids

• Opioid: analgesic properties – they decrease pain

• Opiates, natural opioids, are derivatives of opium which
naturally occurs in poppy plants
• Misuse and abuse of hydrocodone ad oxycodone are
significant public health concerns
• Heroin use increases risk for tuberculosis and HIV
• Opioid withdrawal is extremely unpleasant – it
resembles a severe case of the flu, but is NOT life
threatening
Hallucinogens

• Hallucinogens: cost profound alterations in sensory and

perceptual experiences enter
• Visual hallucinations, altered body sensations, and
skewed passage of time are common experiences
• Mescaline and LSD are serotonin agonists
• PCP or angle dust and ketamine or special K are
antagonists of the NMDA glutamate receptor
• Hallucinogens are not thought to have as much abuse
potential
Hypnosis

State of extreme self-focus and

attention
• Components of hypnosis: • Explanations for Hypnosis
• Guided focus • Dissociation – hypnosis is a
• Comfort dissociated state of
• Openness to the process consciousness
• Imagination • Social Role – you act like
someone who is hypnotized
• Clinician may use for
relaxation and suggestion
Meditation
• Meditation is the act of focusing on a single target to
increase awareness of the moment

• Transcendental Meditation: OMMM

• Mindful Meditation: Being mindful in the moment

• Meditation has roots in religious practices but many use

meditation today to help reduce anxiety, lower blood
pressure, and make cognitive shifts in thinking
Thank You