Week 6

PSY-101:
Principles of

Chapter 5

Chapter 5:
States of Consciousness

CONSCIOUSNESS
Level of awareness of the sensations, thoughts, and
feelings we experience at a given moment

● Wakefulness
● Daydreaming
● Sleep
● Intoxication
● Meditative
● Hypnotic

SLEEP
Why do we spend about a third of our lives sleeping?

● A clean brain is a healthy brain
○ Waste products are removed from our brain cells

while we sleep
● Learning and memory

○ We consolidate memories during sleep to help the
brain remain plastic for the upcoming day

● Physical development
○ Growth hormones released during sleep

STAGES OF SLEEP
Stage 1

● Waves similar to awake, but very relaxed; Easily awoken
Stage 2

● Slower, more regular wave pattern; Deep relaxation
Stages 3 & 4

● Heart rate and breathing slow dramatically
● Not “refreshed” if woken

REM – Rapid Eye Movement
● Paralyzed muscles; Dream state

DREAMS
Freud’s take

● A window to the unconscious
●

More realistically…
● A byproduct of the memory consolidation process

SLEEP PROBLEMS
Sleep debt & deprivation can lead to:

● Depression
● Stress
● Suppressed immune function
● Impairment similar to drunkenness

Insomnia
● Issues for at least 3 nights a week for at least one month
● Can be due to:

○ Use of stimulants, lack of exercise, medications, stress

DRUGS AND INTOXICATION
Depressants

● Decrease central nervous system activity
○ E.g., alcohol and the release of GABA

Stimulants
● Increase central nervous system activity

○ E.g., coffee and the release of Adenosine
Opioids

● Pain relief and feelings of euphoria
○ E.g., fentanyl mimics our natural pain killing mechanisms

Hallucinogens
● Change perceptual experiences

○ E.g., marijuana and the Endocannabinoid System

DRUG ADDICTION
Physical / Physiological dependence

● Brain prepares for use by giving us the opposite effect
(e.g., we feel pain if addicted to an opioid)
○ Referred to as withdrawal
○ Typical dose brings us back to baseline, but then

we need an extra dose to get “high”
● Referred to as building a tolerance

OTHER STATES
Hypnosis

● VERY misrepresented in media
● Person enters a hyper-relaxed state and becomes

susceptible to the power of suggestion

Meditation
● Refocus of attention

○ E.g., Mindfulness
● Can help manage stress, pain, and sleep problems