Unit 5 Sleep Lecture

1. Consciousness

Def: our awareness of ourselves and our environment

-a great deal of mental processing takes place below the level of awareness.

-parallel processing enables us to simultaneously process information by breaking it into separate components.

-a fascinating questions is who orchestrates this processing and brings all the information together

-the latest thinking is that we do not have one mind but many minds arranged in modules that slip in and our of our awareness seamlessly, at great speed and without awareness.

2. Day Dreams, Fantasies and Sleep

- modern industrialization and the pace of life have changed sleeping patterns which were characterised by much more sleep time.
- an awareness of sleep deprivation has seen the introduction of ‘power naps’
- Naps can be built into the sleep cycle and are of most benefit 12 hours after the midpoint of our long sleep period
-Naps can sharpen our mental abilities if they do not exceed 30-45 minutes

3. Sleep Rhythms
Sleep actually is a series of different states of consciousness
Draw a table of the different states of sleep See 7.2. and 7.3

4. The Importance of Sleep
-Some psychologists argue that we need between 9-10 hours sleep per night
-Sleep Deprivation is a widespread aspect of modern life and results in sleepiness, tiredness, irritability, and negative effects the immune system
-Many of us operate with a sleep debt. This can only be made up within a few days of its occurrence
-Evolutionary role i.e. sleep kept us out of harm’s way
period of recuperation and growth

5. Sleep Disorders
1. Klein-Levin Syndrome
-Sleep for days at a times accompanied by such actions as eating and bathroom visits but no awareness of these action
2. Narcolepsy
-These are sleep attacks which are often brought on by severe stress e.g. scuba diver fell asleep 20 feet underwater and a fireman fell asleep climbing a ladder to fight a fire
3. Sleep Apnea
-Literally means stop breathing
-Diaphragm or the muscles around the tongue and neck lose tension
-Usually accompanied by snoring some sever sufferers may awake 500 times per night
-No know cause or treatment
-May be related to SIDS which claims 7000 infants per year in the US
4. Insomnia
-50 % of adults have had a difficulty falling asleep and this number is growing
-Cultural and social aspects play a role here as many people believe that can not be successful and get enough sleep at the same time.

5. Successful Treatments
Sleep restriction i.e. Only get 7 hours of sleep per day with no napping
Stimulus Control
· Only go to bed when sleepy. Get up if you have not slept after 20 minutes
Relaxation
Use various techniques breathing muscle control