Consciousness
Define Consciousness
The level of awareness an individual has over their thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and existence.
EEG...
Electroencephelography (Detects Amplifies and Record Electrical Activity of the brain (DARE)
Primary hormone responsible for promoting wakefulness
Cortisol!
Hormone responsible for inducing sleep-state/drowsiness
Melatonin
A BAC of 0.05 is equivalent to how many hours of sleep deprivation?
17 hours! (Partial Sleep Deprivation)
Define sleep as a psychological Construct
A psychological construct is an agreed upon description and understanding of psychological phenomena that cannot be overtly (directly) measured or observed such as sleep.
EMG..
Circadian rhythms are.... whereas Ultradian Rhythms...
Biological and behavioural changes that occur as part of a cycle that lasts around 24 hours .... Ultradian = opposite of this.
How does serotonin support sleep?
Your brain uses serotonin to create melatonin, the main hormone that tells your body it is time to sleep when it gets dark outside
While active daytime serotonin helps promote alertness, its gradual slowdown allows sleep-promoting signals to take over
A BAC of 0.10 is equivalent to how many hours with no sleep?
24 hours a full day!
Predominantly REM but can happen in deep sleep NREM Stage 3.
EOG..
DARE - Muscles around the eyes.
Biological rhythms ....
Repeated biological processes that are regulated by internal mechanisms
Describe the role of cortisol in sleep and in stress.
A hormone that is responsible for increasing alertness and maintaining heightened arousal
Define Zeitgebers
External cues from the environment that influence the circadian rhythm
Altered state of consciousness (ASC) with an example...
A state of consciousness that is distinctly different from normal waking consciousness in terms of quality of experience and levels of awareness.
A type of altered state of consciousness that occurs due to a purposeful action or aid. (ASC) (Not naturally occuring) E.g Coma
A type of altered state of consciousness that occurs without intervention (NWC) E.g Daydreaming, Sleep and Waking.
Limitations of objective measures of sleep E.g EEG, EOG and EMG.
Fails to account for the subjective experience of sleep such as quality of rest/sleep state.
What does bright light therapy support and how does it achieve this?
A method used to adjust a person’s circadian rhythm through exposure to a high-intensity light source; works to suppress day time melatonin and release cortisol via an artificial light source that mimics outdoor light.
Pineal Gland...
A gland in the brain responsible for the production and release of melatonin
Advanced sleep phase disorder (ASPD) .... for full marks give the definition of DSPS too!
A type of circadian rhythm sleep disorder in which sleep and waking occur earlier than usual
A type of circadian rhythm sleep disorder in which sleep and waking occur later than usual
Define the consciousness continuum and Sleep for full points
Half Points awarded for one correct definition.
A visual representation of the different states of consciousness that progress from lower levels of awareness to higher levels of awareness.
A regular and naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that involves a loss of awareness and disengagement with internal and external stimuli.
Benefits and Limitations of Video monitoring and Sleep Diaries
- Provides subjective and written (Qualitative) feedback on how the individual felt overall throughout the sleep episode.
- Does not measure sleep objectively e.g (brain wave patterns or Hypnograms.)
- Can be over or under exaggerated information.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) ....
An area of the hypothalamus that is responsible for regulating an individual’s sleep-wake patterns
Adrenal Cortex...
Releases cortisol.
How does bright light therapy support shift workers?
Shift Work: An occupation that involves working at unusual hours, such as working overnight
BLT: A method used to adjust a person’s circadian rhythm through exposure to a high-intensity light source
Works to suppress melatonin production at inappropriate times and increase cortisol production as needed.