Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of dreams according to the activation-synthesis theory?
What is the primary function of dreams according to the activation-synthesis theory?
Which of the following is NOT a common factor contributing to insomnia?
Which of the following is NOT a common factor contributing to insomnia?
What characterizes sleep-state misperception in paradoxical insomnia?
What characterizes sleep-state misperception in paradoxical insomnia?
Which sleep disorder involves direct transitions into REM sleep?
Which sleep disorder involves direct transitions into REM sleep?
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What is a notable implication of technology on children's sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation poll?
What is a notable implication of technology on children's sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation poll?
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What is one of the main reasons sleep is considered essential from an evolutionary perspective?
What is one of the main reasons sleep is considered essential from an evolutionary perspective?
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How does sleep deprivation typically affect emotional regulation?
How does sleep deprivation typically affect emotional regulation?
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Which factor influences the regulation of circadian rhythms?
Which factor influences the regulation of circadian rhythms?
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What happens to sleep needs as people age, according to the content?
What happens to sleep needs as people age, according to the content?
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Which region of the brain is primarily responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle?
Which region of the brain is primarily responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle?
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What is the primary effect of alcohol on sleep stages?
What is the primary effect of alcohol on sleep stages?
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What is a recommended sleep hygiene practice?
What is a recommended sleep hygiene practice?
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What kind of sleep is important for processes like memory consolidation and cognitive function?
What kind of sleep is important for processes like memory consolidation and cognitive function?
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How do depressants typically affect the overall mental state?
How do depressants typically affect the overall mental state?
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What effect was noted in Peter Tripp's extreme case of sleep deprivation?
What effect was noted in Peter Tripp's extreme case of sleep deprivation?
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What does research suggest about expectation influence on behavior in the context of consciousness?
What does research suggest about expectation influence on behavior in the context of consciousness?
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Which of the following is a common misconception about narcotics and opioids?
Which of the following is a common misconception about narcotics and opioids?
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How do hallucinogens typically influence the state of consciousness?
How do hallucinogens typically influence the state of consciousness?
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Which of the following effects is NOT commonly associated with depressants?
Which of the following effects is NOT commonly associated with depressants?
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What is a primary reason that alcohol can lead to sleep disturbances?
What is a primary reason that alcohol can lead to sleep disturbances?
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Which characteristic is typically associated with altered states of consciousness induced by psychoactive drugs?
Which characteristic is typically associated with altered states of consciousness induced by psychoactive drugs?
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Study Notes
Consciousness
- Twenty percent of college students believe aliens communicate via dreams.
- Ten percent of people claim to have had alien encounters.
- Some individuals report alien abductions.
- Why?
Sleep Paralysis
- Happens during REM sleep transitions.
- Feeling conscious but unable to move.
- Feelings of anxiety, terror, menacing presence.
- Might experience intruder, vestibular-motor, or chest pressure hallucinations.
- Culture plays a role in how the experience is perceived.
Culture & Sleep Paralysis
- Top-down influences on experience (cultural beliefs affect interpretation).
- Images of scary figures in the mind during sleep paralysis (e.g. monsters).
Consciousness
- Subjective experience of the world, body, and mental perspectives (waking consciousness).
- Altered states: sleep paralysis, locked-in syndrome, out-of-body, near-death, mystical experiences, hypnosis, meditation, psychoactive drugs.
What is Sleep?
- Low physical activity and reduced awareness.
- Associated with hormone secretion, including melatonin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and growth hormone.
Stages of Sleep
- 5 stages in 90-minute cycles.
- Stages 1-4 are NREM (non-rapid eye movement).
- Little to no eye movement and fewer dreams.
- Stage 5 is REM sleep.
- Vivid dreams and rapid eye movements.
Sleep Stages: Overview
- Light sleep: heart rate and body temperature decrease, brain wave activity slows down.
- Deep sleep: Brain erupts with powerful brain waves, body recharges (immune and cardiovascular benefits), memory consolidation.
Hypnagogic State: Pre-sleep Consciousness
- Visual imagery.
- Somatic imagery.
- Auditory imagery.
- Myoclonic/hypnic jerk (sudden muscle twitch)
Stage 1: Transition
- Transition from wakefulness to sleep.
- Lasts a few minutes.
- Brain waves slow down.
- Dreams are like photos (still, not narrative).
Stage 2: Falling Asleep
- Further slowing of brain waves.
- Sleep spindles and K-complexes.
- Accounts for 65% of total sleep time.
Stage 3 & 4: Deep Sleep
- Delta waves during deep sleep.
- Crucial for feeling rested.
- Growth hormone production (more in children).
- Less in older adults and affected by alcohol.
Stage 5: REM Sleep
- Rapid eye movement sleep.
- Brain waves similar to wakefulness (paradoxical sleep—brain is active, body is not).
- Eye and inner ear movements.
- REM rebound (increased REM when sleep deprived).
- Essential for overall well-being.
Sleep Needs
- People typically sleep 7-8 hours per night.
- Wide variability in sleep needs.
- Sleep requirements change across a lifetime (less as we age).
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
- Irritability.
- Memory impairment.
- Impaired moral judgment.
- Severe Yawning.
- Hallucinations.
- Symptoms similar to ADHD.
- Impaired immune system.
- Risk of diabetes type 2.
- Increased heart rate variability, risk of heart disease.
- Increased reaction time.
- Decreased accuracy.
- Tremors.
- Aches.
- Growth suppression.
- Risk of obesity.
- Decreased temperature.
Sleep Deprivation & Mental Health
- Sleep-deprived people feel increased stress.
- Tendency to overreact emotionally.
- Lack of emotional regulation (biological).
- React to neutral images as if they were emotional (amygdala activation, but not connecting to frontal cortex).
Peter Tripp: Extreme Case of Sleep Deprivation
- Staged a "wakeathon" for 200 hours.
- Broadcasted from Times Square.
- Slurred speech, incoherent comments.
- Visual hallucinations (paranoia, delusions).
- Family and friends noted personality changes.
- Died from a stroke at 73.
Sleep Deprivation Among Post-Secondary Students
- Sleep hygiene: regular sleep-wake schedule, quiet sleep environment, avoid caffeine after lunch, avoid stimulating activities before bed.
- Don't stay in bed if not tired.
- Don't use bed as an all-purpose area.
Circadian Rhythm
- Biological rhythm occurring over 24 hours, regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus.
- Sleep-wake cycle, linked to light-dark cycles.
- Body temperature, hormone production, and blood pressure follow circadian rhythms.
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)
- Brain's biological clock.
- Sets itself using light information from the retina.
- Synchronizes with the outside world.
Melatonin & Sleep Regulation
- Sleep-wake cycle regulated by other factors.
- Melatonin release stimulated by darkness.
- Inhibited by daylight.
- Makes us sleepy.
- Released by the pineal gland.
Disruptions of Normal Sleep
- Jet lag: symptoms from mismatch between internal circadian cycles and environment (fatigue, sluggishness, irritability).
- Rotating shift work: work schedule changes from early to late, difficult to maintain normal circadian rhythm, leads to exhaustion, agitation, sleep problems, and anxiety.
- Bright light can realign biological clock with external environment.
Shift Work Ages the Brain
- Shift work ages the brain more than 6 years.
- Substantial decline in brain function.
- Lower scores on memory tasks, speed of processing information, and overall brainpower.
- Reversible within 5 years of recovery.
- Safety consequences for individual and society.
Daylight Savings Time & Car Accidents
- Average traffic accidents on Mondays increase following Daylight Savings Time.
Dreams
- What is the function and meaning of dreams?
Why Do We Dream? (According to Freud)
- Dreams are unconscious wish fulfillments.
- Latent vs. manifest content (what really want vs. the story line we get).
- What about bad dreams? Sex dreams only 10%.
Symbol Versus Interpretation (According to Freud)
- What do you think these symbols represent (images shown).
Why Do We Dream? (According to Evolution)
- Many dreams are stressful.
- Dreams represent concerns from daily life (consistent with everyday living).
- Information critical for survival is reconsidered/reprocessed.
- Example: Kurdish children vs. Finnish children/threatening dreams.
Why Do We Dream? (According to Neuroscience)
- Activation-synthesis theory: dreams make sense of random brain activity during sleep.
- Scenario isn't random—clue to dreamer's fears, emotions, concerns.
- Motivational/emotional centers (e.g., limbic system) active during REM.
- Less activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during REM.
Sleep Disorders: Insomnia
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep for at least 3 nights a week, for at least a month.
- 9-20% of people experience insomnia.
- Insomnia is more likely in students (~25%).
- ADHD (3.48 times higher risk).
- Depression.
- Employment.
- Treatment: psychotherapy and/or hypnotics (e.g., Lunesta, Ambien).
- Concern about tolerance and side effects.
Paradoxical Insomnia
- Sleep-state misperception disorder.
- People believe they are sleep-deprived despite having a normal sleep cycle.
- Experience distress, anxiety, and fatigue.
- Cause is unclear.
- Brain activity indicative of arousal during sleep.
- Irrational beliefs and excessive worry.
Sleep Disorders: Night Terrors & Sleep Apnea
- Night terrors: sudden waking, screaming, sweating, and confusion—followed by return to deep sleep.
- Most common in children (3-8), harmless.
- Sleep apnea: blockage of the airway during sleep, can lead to SIDS.
Sleep Disorders: Narcolepsy
- Rapid and unexpected onset of sleep, directly into REM sleep.
- Cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness).
- Affects humans and animals.
- Associated with a lack of orexin.
Other Sleep Disorders
- REM behavior disorder: not paralyzed during dreams, can act them out.
- Somnambulism: walking while asleep, vague consciousness of the world around them, stage 3 sleep, perfectly safe to wake.
Sleep Deprivation & Technology
- National sleep foundation poll (2014): Children with mobile device in room: 7.4 hours sleep per night.
- Children without mobile device in room: 8.3 hours sleep per night.
- Technology related to sleep loss: Intermittent awakenings and light exposure.
Psychoactive Drugs
- Substances that contain chemicals similar to those found naturally in the brain that alter biochemistry (neurotransmission).
- Influence emotions, perceptions, behaviors, can create dependence.
- Common examples include Caffeine, Nicotine, Alcohol, THC, & others.
Psychoactive Drugs: Highs & Lows of Consciousness
- Affect the nervous system differently.
- Some alter the limbic system.
- Impacts neurotransmission (reuptake, agonist, antagonist).
- Addiction and dependence.
- Common examples: Amphetamines, Cocaine, Depressants, Narcotics, Hallucinogens, and others.
Stimulants
- Drugs affecting the CNS (central nervous system) — increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension.
- Examples: caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines (like Dexedrine and Benzedrine)
Amphetamines & ADHD
- ADHD is associated with low dopamine levels.
- Drugs like Adderall increase dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels.
- Increased wakefulness, better coping with stress.
- Can induce euphoria.
Cocaine
- Small doses produce feelings of well-being, wakefulness, and energy.
- Increased confidence, less hunger.
- Larger doses lead to anger, violence, irritability, fidgeting.
- "Highs" due to dopamine (blocking reabsorption), flooding the brain.
Depressants
- Slow down the CNS (central nervous system)—neurons fire more slowly—typically increase GABA activity.
- Examples: alcohol, barbituates, benzodiazepines, quaaludes.
Alcohol
- Most commonly used depressant.
- Stimulates at low doses (via dopamine).
- Euphoric at low doses, but depressant effects increase with higher doses.
- Reduces inhibition, social lubricant.
- Impairs judgment.
- Magnifies emotions.
- Females experience effects more.
Balanced-Placebo Design
- Social behavior influenced by expectations.
- Distinguishes physiological affects from expectancy.
- Placebo drinkers' behaviors similar to alcohol drinkers.
- Expectations more critical than physiological impacts on social behaviors (e.g., aggression).
Your Brain on Alcohol
- Effects from different concentrations of alcohol.
- Behavioral and judgment alterations.
- Coma risk, compromised respiration, and circulation are possible at higher levels.
Depressants
- Barbituates: induce sleep or reduce stress (produce sense of relaxation).
- Psychologically and physically addictive.
- Alcohol interaction: relaxes diaphragm muscles, user can stop breathing (deadly).
- Benzodiazepines: anxiety and panic treatment.
- Highly addictive, tolerance (memory impairment), deadly with alcohol.
Quaaludes
- Methaqualone.
- CNS depressant (sedative and hypnotic).
- Increased GABA.
- Popular in the 1970's.
- Recreational drug with 30 years of ban.
Narcotics
- Drugs increase relaxation and relieve pain/anxiety.
- Highly addictive.
- Examples: Heroin, Morphine (derived from poppy seed pods).
- Medical to abuse pipeline.
Opioids: Poppy-seed Derivatives
- CNS depressant (drowsiness, drift in and out of consciousness, "nod off").
- Binds to opioid receptors.
- Dopamine agonist (euphoria, relaxation).
- Reduced pain awareness (blocks pain messages).
- Depress respiration.
- Tolerance leads to less responsive opioid receptors.
Three Waves of Opioid Overdose Deaths
- Overview of overdose deaths (1990-2023).
- Prescription opioids are the first wave, rising in the 90s.
- Second wave involves heroin rising in 2010.
- Third wave shows synthetic opioids rising around 2013.
Hallucinogens (Psychedelics)
- Produce hallucinations and perception changes.
- Examples: LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, marijuana, ecstasy, salvia.
- Potential therapeutic value (mystical experiences).
- Potential use for treatment-resistant challenges.
MDMA & LSD
- MDMA and LSD primarily impact serotonin levels, altering perception.
- Ecstasy = peacefulness, calm, empathy, connection, energy.
- LSD = vivid hallucinations that can be wondrous or terrifying, alteration of sensory perception and time.
Marijuana - THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)
- Mix of excitatory, depressive, and mildly hallucinatory effects.
- Triggers unrelated ideas, distorted perceptions of time, place, increased sensitivity to sounds, tastes, colors - erratic verbal behavior.
- Memory impairment ("spaced out").
- Cannabinoid receptors abundant in the hippocampus—impairs memory consolidation.
Marijuana
- Prolonged cannabis use leads to reversible impaired cognitive function and reduced dopaminergic function.
- Cannabis-induced psychosis (hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, paranoia—like schizophrenia).
- Risks: high THC content, frequency of use, age of first use, family history of mental health issues.
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