chapter 4
strategies for coping with insomnia
* Sleeping pills are frequently used, but pose many problems - become dependent on sleeping pills - May develop tolerance to the sleeping pill - As tolerance develops, higher doses (which are dangerous) may be used Sleeping pills do not enhance skills of dealing with insomnia, so when the pill is no longer used, the problem generally returns * Psychological methods Relaxing Challenging exaggerated fears No ruminating in bed Establishing a regular routine Try fantasy
Selective attention: focusing on a particular stimulus
* Sudden changes * Novel stimuli * Intense stimuli * Repetitive stimuli
bed wetting
- Behavior therapy methods help - The drug imipramine may help, but how and why it works is unknown - This problem is often outgrown
sleep terrors stages 3 /4
- More common in children than adults - Mild tranquilizers help
Characteristics of people who are readily hypnotizable
- Suggestibility, prone to fantasy,- -compartmentalize unwanted memories, - and cooperate with the hypnotist - It is extremely unlikely that someone could be hypnotized against his or her will
sleep talking and sleep walking DEEP SLEEP DISORDERS ONLY 2% OF ADULTS WALK IN THEIR SLEEP
- nearly half of children talk in their sleep, and up to 15% of children walk in their sleep. -Typically don't remember their excursions, though they may respond to questions -Mild tranquilizers and maturity typically put an end to sleep walking
Biological and circadian rhythms regulates our sleep - wake patterns
1 Circadian rhythm: a cycle that is connected with the 24-hour period of the Earth's rotation. 2 Without cues from the environment, the cycle increases to 25 hours, and we sleep about 10 of those hours Mismatch between one's sleep schedule demands and internal sleep-wake cycle can disturb circadian rhythms, producing hypersomnia, insomnia, and other problems Jet lag is one way this occurs Frequent change of work shifts can also cause such problems
Consciousness as the waking state
1 Consciousness also applies to our waking state compared to sleep 2 Also, distorted perceptions of reality called "altered states of consciousness"
What is conciousness
1 Consciousness as awareness 2 Consciousness as sensory awareness of the environment. another aspect : 3 Consciousness as selective attention 4 Consciousness as direct inner awareness
levels of awareness
1 Consciousness: awareness of our environment. 2 Pre conscious: material that is not currently in awareness but is readily available. what time did you get up ? 3 Unconscious: material unavailable to awareness under most circumstance repression or suppression 4 Non conscious: processes that we cannot experience through our sensory awareness (e.g., firing neurons, growing hair) or through direct inner awareness
"altered states of consciousness"
1 Hypnosis, 2 sleep, 3 dreams, 4 daydreams, 5 meditation, 6 , and the effects of psychoactive drugs
thoeries on dream
1 Most dreams involve memories of the activities and problems of the day 2 Freud theorized that dreams reflect unconscious wishes and urges; 3 also proposed that dreams may help protect our sleep by keeping unpleasant thoughts and images from us, although this has been questioned by researchers 4 Activation-synthesis model: acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) and the pons activate the reticular formation that leads to dreaming as the cortex synthesizes this arousal into a dream * Some evidence contradicts this, as PET scans show that the frontal lobes of the brain, where we make sense of experience, are pretty much shut down during sleep 5 Memories are replayed and consolidated during sleep
STAGE 2
1 brain waves slow to 4 to 7 cycles per second; includes sleep spindles 2 Sleep spindles: brief bursts of rapid brain activity; 12 to 16 cycles per second
Sleep disorders
1 insomnia 2 narcolepsy 3 apnea 4 sleep terrors 5 bed wetting 6 sleep walking
STAGE 1 LIGHTEST STAGE OF SLEEP
1: brain waves slow down from alpha waves and enter a pattern of 6 to 8 cycles per second, called theta waves 2 Hypnagogic state: we may experience brief dreamlike images that resemble photographs Lightest stage of sleep Stage 1 lasts about 30-40 minutes
neodissociation theory
: people can selectively focus their attention on one thing and dissociate from the things going on around them This is how hypnotized people avoid the perception of pain
Selective attention
Adapting to our environment involves learning which stimuli must be attended to and which ones can be safely ignored Various stimuli capture our attention
brain waves
Brain waves Frequencies: number of waves per second Amplitude: height of wave; an index of strength High in frequency associated with being awake
Instruments used in the study of sleep
Electroencephalograph (EEG) measures electrical activity of the brain this measures brain waves
Five stages of sleep
FOUR STAGES OF NREM ONE STAGE OF REM SLEEP WE GO THROUGH ALL OF THESE STAGES ABOUT FIVE TIMES NIGHTLY
Altering Consciousness through Hypnosis, Meditation, and Biofeedback
Hypnosis
insomnia
Insomnia: National Sleep Foundation reports that more than half of American adults are affected by insomnia in a given year Women are more affected by insomnia than men You cannot force yourself to fall asleep, only set the stage for sleep
Sleep and Dreams: Other Worlds Within facts about sleep
One-third of our adult lives are spent in sleep Experts recommend 8 hours of sleep a night A typical adult in the U.S. gets a little less than 7 hours a night
Sleep, learning, and memory
REM and deep sleep are both connected with the consolidation of learning and memory Being REM deprived interferes with memory If REM deprived, the person will experience REM rebound and spend more time in REM sleep during subsequent sleep periods
theories of hypnosis
Role theory Multifactorial theory response set theory neodissociation theory
Functions of sleep
Sleep is associated with rejuvenation of a tired body Lack of sleep is associated with deficits in attention, learning, and memory Lack of sleep is associated with vehicular crashe
Why do you need the amount of sleep you need?
The amount of sleep we need may be partially determined genetically Sleep seems to help us recover from stress Newborns sleep 16 hours per day; teenagers will sleep up to 12 hours per day; and older individuals tend to sleep less (although this is largely due to discomfort of needing to go to the bathroom rather than a need for less sleep, per se)
HYPNAGOGIC STAGE
The drowsy interval between waking and sleeping characterized by brief , hallucinatory , dreamlike experiences
Consciousness as personal unity: the sense of self
We differentiate ourselves from that which is not us; consciousness is "self" * as we get older , it is important for us to be individuals , different form other people
FACTS
When we begin to relax, our brain emits alpha waves; low-amplitude, 8 to 13 cycles per second First four stages of sleep are considered non-rapid eye movement (NREM); fifth stage is rapid eye movement (REM)
SLEEP APNEA
a dangerous sleep disorder in which air passages are obstructed; people stop breathing periodically, up to several hundred times per night Sleep apnea is associated with obesity and chronic loud snoring Related to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes Causes may include anatomical deformities that clog air passages and cause problems in the breathing centers of the brain TRT CPAP , WEIGHT LOSS AND SURGERY
response set theory
also like role theory, response expectancies play a role in the production of personal experiences
Direct inner awareness
being aware of thoughts, emotions, and memories
STAGE 3 AND 4 STAGES MORE COMMUNLY IN CHILDREN , THEY MAY REFLECT AN IMMATURITY OF NERVOUS SYSTEM delta waves strong , slow brain waves usually emitted during stage 3 and 4
brain waves slow to 1 to 3 cycles per second, called delta waves in stage 3, and slow even more in stage 4 to 0.5-2 cycles per second Difficult to wake a person in stage 4 sleep; lasts about 30 minutes We begin a journey back upward through the stages until we enter REM (rapid eye movement) sleep
hypnosis
derived from the greek sleep, but is not sleep
multifactorial theory
like role theory, emphasizes how beliefs, attitudes, imaginings, and expectations shape hypnotic behavior
Hypnosis IS NOT SLEEP, THOUGH IT HAS BEEN CALLED A HYPNOTIC TRANCE
on being entranced -An altered state of consciousness where people appear to be highly suggestible -Derived from the Greek word for sleep Began with Franz Mesmer (mesmerize) in the 18th century Mesmer proposed that the universe is connected by forms of magnetism Today, hypnosis is popular in nightclubs, but it is also used as an anesthetic in dentistry, childbirth, and surgery Psychologists use it to help people reduce anxiety or overcome fears Also used to help people deal with pain, stress, enhance the functioning of the immune system, lose weight, and prompt memories of witnesses
REM SLEEP also called RAPID EYE MOVEMENT LINKED TO DREAMING REM DEPRIVED INTERFIERES WITH MEMORY
paradoxical sleep EEG patterns shows rapid, low-amplitude waves associated with light stage 1 sleep Difficult to awaken a person in REM sleep If you do wake a person up, 80% of the time, he or she will report having been dreaming Each night, we tend to undergo five trips through the stages of sleep; periods of REM become longer toward the morning hours
role theory
people allow themselves to enact this role under the hypnotist's direction Behaviors seen while hypnotized can be easily replicated when people are asked to behave as though hypnotized; research suggests, though, that people are not faking hypnosis
NARCOLEPSY : FACTS
sudden and irresistibly falling asleep Affects 100,000 people in a given year Typically lasts 15 minutes Can be accompanied by sleep paralysis, a sudden collapse of muscle groups Thought to be a disorder of REM sleep Stimulants and antidepressant drugs have helped