CONSCIOUSNESS

Ms. Alyssa Nicole P. Guingab, RPm

 W H AT I S C O N S C I O U S N E S S ?

 Consciousness is your awareness of everything that is

going on around you and inside your own head at any
given moment, which you use to organize your behavior
(Farthing, 1992), including your thoughts, sensations,
and feelings.
 A LT E R E D S TAT E O F
CONSCIOUSNESS

 An altered state of consciousness occurs when there is a

shift in the quality or pattern of your mental activity.
 Thoughts may become fuzzy and disorganized, and you
may feel less alert, or your thoughts may take bizarre
turns, as they so often do in dreams.
 Sometimes being in an altered state may mean being in a
state of increased alertness, as when under the influence
of a stimulant.
SLEEP
 SLEEP

 Sleep was once referred to as “the gentle tyrant” (Webb, 1992).

 One reason for this fact is that sleep is one of the human body’s
biological rhythms, natural cycles of activity that the body must
go through.
 But many biological rhythms take place on a daily basis, like
the rise and fall of blood pressure and body temperature or the
production of certain body chemicals. The most obvious of
these is the sleep–wake cycle.
 CIRCADIAN
RHYTHM

 The sleep–wake cycle is a circadian

rhythm. The term actually comes
from two Latin words, circa
(“about”) and diem (“day”).
 So a circadian rhythm is a cycle that
takes “about a day” to complete.
THE ROLE OF THE
HYPOTHALAMUS

 The release of melatonin is influenced by a

structure deep within the tiny hypothalamus in
an area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the
internal clock that tells people when to wake up
and when to fall asleep.

 The suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN, is

sensitive to changes in light.
 Melatonin supplements are often used to treat a condition
called jet lag, in which the body’s circadian rhythm has
been disrupted by traveling to another time zone.
 Shift-work sleep problems, often attributed to the custom
of having workers change shifts against their natural
circadian rhythms have been linked to increased accident
rates, increased absence from work due to illness, and
lowered productivity rates.
 SLEEP AND MEMORIES

 Sleep is also important for forming memories. Studies

have shown that the physical changes in the brain that
occur when we form memories are strengthened during
sleep, and particularly so for children
 THE ADAPTIVE
T H E O RY O F S L E E P

 Sleep is a product of evolution

according to the adaptive theory of
sleep. It proposes that animals and
humans evolved different sleep patterns
to avoid being present during their
predators’ normal hunting times, which
typically would be at night.
 T H E R E S T O R AT I V E
T H E O RY O F S L E E P

 The other major theory of why organisms

sleep is called restorative theory, which
states that sleep is necessary to the physical
health of the body.
 During sleep, chemicals that were used up
during the day’s activities are replenished
and cellular damage is repaired.
KIND OF SLEEP

 There are actually two kinds of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and non-REM
(NREM) sleep. REM sleep is a relatively psychologically active type of sleep when most of a
person’s dreaming takes place, whereas non-REM sleep spans from lighter stages to a much
deeper, more restful kind of sleep.
 A machine called an electroencephalograph allows scientists to record the brain-wave
activity as a person passes through the various stages of sleep and to determine what type of
sleep the person has entered
 S L E E P WAV E S

 A person who is wide awake and mentally

active will show a brain-wave pattern on
the electroencephalogram (EEG) called
beta waves.
 Beta waves are very small and very fast. As
the person relaxes and gets drowsy, slightly
larger and slower alpha waves appear.
 The alpha waves are eventually replaced
by even slower and larger theta waves.
 N 1 ( R & K S TA G E 1 ) : L I G H T
SLEEP

 As theta wave activity increases and alpha wave activity

fades away, people are said to be entering N1 sleep, or
light sleep.
 People may also experience vivid visual events called
hypnogogic images or hallucinations.
 A much more common occurrence is called the hypnic
jerk.
 N 2 ( R & K S TA G E 2 ) : S L E E P
SPINDLES

 As people drift further into sleep, the body temperature

continues to drop.
 Heart rate slows, breathing becomes shallower and irregular,
and the EEG will show the first signs of sleep spindles, brief
bursts of activity lasting only a second or two.
 Theta waves still predominate in this stage, but if people are
awakened during this stage, they will be aware of having been
asleep
 N 3 ( R & K S TA G E S 3 A N D 4 ) :
D E LTA WAV E S

 In the third stage of sleep, the slowest and largest waves

make their appearance. These waves are called delta
waves. These waves increase during this stage from about
20 percent to more than 50 percent of total brain activity.
 Now the person is in the deepest stage of sleep, often
referred to as slow wave sleep (SWS) or simply, deep
sleep.
 R (R&K REM)

 After spending some time in N3, the sleeping person will go back
up through N2 and then into a stage in which body temperature
increases to near-waking levels, the eyes move rapidly under the
eyelids, the heart beats much faster, and brain waves resemble beta
waves—the kind of brain activity that usually signals wakefulness.
 The person is still asleep but in the stage known as rapid eye
movement sleep (REM) and sometimes referred to as paradoxical
sleep.
SLEEP DISOR DER S
 NIGHTMARES AND REM
B E H AV I O R D I S O R D E R

 Nightmares are bad dreams, and some nightmares can be utterly

terrifying. Children tend to have more nightmares than adults do
because they spend more of their sleep in the REM state, as discussed
earlier. As they age, they have fewer nightmares because they have
less opportunity to have them. But some people still suffer from
nightmares as adults.
 This disorder is called REM behavior disorder, which is a fairly
serious condition. Usually seen in men over age 60, it can happen in
younger men and in women.
 NIGHT TERRORS

 A night terror is essentially a state of panic experienced while sound

asleep.
 People may sit up, scream, run around the room, or flail at some
unseen attacker. It is also not uncommon for people to feel unable to
breathe while they are in this state.
 Most people do not remember what happened during a night-terror
episode, although a few people can remember vividly the images and
terror they experienced.
 S L E E P WA L K I N G

 Real sleepwalking, or somnambulism, occurs in about

20 percent of the population and is at least partially due
to heredity
 INSOMNIA

 Most people think that insomnia is the inability to sleep. Although

that is the literal meaning of the term, in reality insomnia is the
inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or get a good quality of sleep.
 There are many causes of insomnia, both psychological and
physiological. Some of the psychological causes are worrying,
trying too hard to sleep, or having anxiety. Some of the
physiological causes are too much caffeine, indigestion, or aches
and pain.
 SLEEP APNEA

 It is this type of snoring that is often associated with a

condition called sleep apnea, in which the person stops
breathing for 10 seconds or more.
 When breathing stops, there will be a sudden silence,
followed shortly by a gasping sound as the person struggles to
get air into the lungs.
 Many people do not wake up while this is happening, but they
do not get a good, restful night’s sleep because of the apnea.
 NARCOLEPSY

 A disorder affecting 1 in every 2,000 persons, narcolepsy is a kind of “sleep

seizure.” In narcolepsy, the person may slip suddenly into REM sleep during the
day (especially when the person experiences strong emotions). Another
symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness that results in the person falling
asleep throughout the day at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places.

 The sudden REM attacks are especially dangerous because of the symptom of
cataplexy, or a sudden loss of muscle tone. This sleep paralysis may cause
injuries if the person is standing when the attack occurs. The same hypnogogic
images that may accompany N1 (NREM Stage 1) sleep may also occur in the
person with narcolepsy.
INFLUENCE OF
PSYCHOACTIVE
DRUGS
PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE

 Drugs that people can become physically dependent on cause the user’s body to crave the
drug. After using the drug for some period, the body becomes unable to function normally
without the drug and the person is said to be dependent or addicted, a condition commonly
called physical dependence. One sign of physical dependence is the development of a drug
tolerance.
 As the person continues to use the drug, larger and larger doses of the drug are needed to
achieve the same initial effects of the drug. Another sign of a physical dependence is that the
user experiences symptoms of withdrawal when deprived of the drug.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE

 Not all drugs cause physical dependence; some cause psychological dependence, or the belief
that the drug is needed to continue a feeling of emotional or psychological well-being, which
is a very powerful factor in continued drug use. The body may not need or crave the drug, and
people may not experience the symptoms of physical withdrawal or tolerance, but they will
continue to use the drug because they think they need it. In this case, it is the rewarding
properties of using the drug that cause a dependency to develop. This is an example of
positive reinforcement, or the tendency of a behavior to strengthen when followed by
pleasurable consequences. Negative reinforcement is also at work here, as taking the drug will
lower levels of anxiety.
 Stimulants are a class of drugs that cause either the
sympathetic division or the central nervous system (or
both) to increase levels of functioning, at least
temporarily.
STIMULANTS In simple terms, stimulants “speed up” the nervous system
—the heart may beat faster or the brain may work faster,
for example. Many of these drugs are called “uppers” for
this reason.
  Amphetamines are stimulants that are
synthesized (made) in laboratories rather than
being found in nature.
 A related compound, methamphetamine, is
sometimes used to treat
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or
A M P H E TA M I N E S narcolepsy.
 “Crystal meth” is a crystalline form that can be
smoked and is used by “recreational” drug
users, people who do not need drugs but
instead use them to gain some form of
pleasure.
  Cocaine is a natural drug found in coca
plant leaves.
 It produces feelings of euphoria, energy,
power, and pleasure. It also deadens pain
and suppresses the appetite.
COCAINE
 It was used rather liberally by both doctors
and dentists near the end of the nineteenth
century and the beginning of the twentieth
century, until the deadly effects of its
addictive qualities became known.
  Nicotine is a relatively mild but
nevertheless toxic stimulant, producing a
slight “rush” or sense of arousal as it
raises blood pressure and accelerates the
NICOTINE heart, as well as providing a rush of sugar
into the bloodstream by stimulating the
release of adrenalin in addition to raising
dopamine levels in the brain’s reward
pathway.
  Caffeine is another natural substance, like
cocaine and nicotine, and is found in coffee
beans, tea leaves, cocoa nuts, and at least 60
other types of plants. It is a mild stimulant,
helps maintain alertness, and can increase
CAFFEINE the effectiveness of some pain relievers such
as aspirin.
 Caffeine is often added to pain relievers for
that reason and is the key ingredient in
medications meant to keep people awake.
 Another class of psychoactive drugs
DEPRESSANTS is depressants, drugs that slow the
central nervous system.
  Commonly known as the major tranquilizers (drugs that
have a strong depressant effect) or sleeping pills,
barbiturates are drugs that have a sedative (sleep-
inducing) effect. Overdoses can lead to death as
breathing and heart action are stopped.

 The minor tranquilizers include the benzodiazepines.

MAJOR AND MINOR These drugs are used to lower anxiety and reduce stress.
Some of the most common are Valium, Xanax, Halcion,
TRANQUILIZERS Ativan, and Librium.

 Both major and minor tranquilizers can be addictive, and

large doses can be dangerous, as can an interaction with
alcohol or other drugs.

 Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine tranquilizer that has

become famous as the “date rape” drug.
  The most used and abused depressant is alcohol,
the chemical resulting from fermentation or
distillation of various kinds of vegetable matter.
 Alcohol is often confused with stimulants. Many
people think this is because alcohol makes a
ALCOHOL person feel “up” and euphoric (happy).
 Alcohol is a depressant that gives the illusion of
stimulation, because the very first thing alcohol
depresses is a person’s natural inhibitions, or the
“don’ts” of behavior.
  Opium, made from the opium poppy, has pain-
relieving and euphoria-inducing properties that
have been known for at least 2,000 years.

 Highly addictive, it mimics the effects of

endorphins, the nervous system’s natural
OPIUM painkillers. The nervous system slows or stops its
production of endorphins.

 When the drug wears off, there is no protection

against any kind of pain, causing the severe
symptoms of withdrawal associated with these
drugs
  Morphine was created by dissolving
opium in an acid and then neutralizing
the acid with ammonia.
 Morphine was thought to be a wonder
drug, although its addictive qualities
MORPHINE soon became a major concern to
physicians and their patients.
 Morphine is still used today to control
severe pain, but in carefully controlled
doses and for very short periods of
time.
  Ironically, heroin was first hailed as the new
wonder drug—a derivative of morphine that did
not have many of the disagreeable side effects of
morphine.
 Although usage as a medicine ceased, it is still
used by many people. Drugs such as methadone,
HEROIN buprenorphine, and naltrexone may be used to
control withdrawal symptoms and help treat
opiate addictions.
 Eventually, as the addicted person is weaned from
these drugs, the natural endorphin system starts to
function more normally.
 Hallucinogens actually cause the brain to alter its interpretation
of sensations (Olin, 1993) and can produce sensory distortions
very similar to synesthesia in which sensations cross over each
other—colors have sound, sounds have smells, and so on.
HALLUCINOGENS False sensory perceptions, called hallucinations, are often
experienced, especially with the more powerful hallucinogens.
There are two basic types of hallucinogens—those that are
created in a laboratory and those that are from natural sources.
  LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, is
synthesized from a grain fungus called
ergot. Ergot fungus commonly grows on rye
grain but can be found on other grains as
LSD well.
 First manufactured in 1938, LSD is one of
the most potent, or powerful, hallucinogens.
It takes only a very tiny drop of LSD to
achieve a “high.”
  Another synthesized drug was found to be so
dangerous that it remains useful only in veterinary
medicine as a tranquilizer. The drug is PCP
(which stands for phenyl cyclohexyl piperidine,
a name which is often contracted as
phencyclidine) and can have many different
effects.
PCP  Depending on the dosage, it can be a
hallucinogen, stimulant, depressant, or an
analgesic (painkilling) drug.
 PCP can also lead to acts of violence against
others or suicide. Users may even physically
injure themselves unintentionally because PCP
causes them to feel no warning signal of pain.
  MDMA causes the release of large amounts of
serotonin and also blocks the reuptake of this
neurotransmitter.
 The user feels euphoria, energized, and may feel
increased emotional warmth toward others. But
there is some evidence that MDMA may damage
MDMA the serotonin receptors, which could lead to
depression.
 Other negative effects include severe dehydration
and raised body temperature, which can lead to
excessive intake of liquids—with possible fatal
results.
  One of the best known and most commonly
abused of the hallucinogenic drugs, marijuana
(also called “pot” or “weed”) comes from the
leaves and flowers of the hemp plant called
Cannabis sativa. (Hashish is the concentrated
substance made by scraping the resin from these
leaves, and both marijuana and hashish contain
MARIJUANA cannabinoids.)
 The most psychoactive cannabinoid, and the
active ingredient in marijuana, is
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana is best
known for its ability to produce a feeling of well-
being, mild intoxication, and mild sensory
distortions or hallucinations.