The idea that sleep was more than just an inactive state for the body changed in 1952 when rapid eye movement (REM) got diagnosed and in extension dreaming; which was another state of consciousness. Consciousness implies being aware of both external and internal stimuli. It flows much like a stream; it wanders depending on the individual’s state of mind; boredom, fatigue or stress. A link between consciousness and the brain exists. Therefore, it is a result of neural activity in the neural pathway network.
There are different states of consciousness: normal waking thought, deep relaxation, light sleep and deep sleep. The variations get shaped by biological rhythms. For example, Circadian rhythm entails the 24-hour biological cycles present in humans and numerous other species. The cycle has a wide range of influence in both biological and psychological aspects of the body, like lower temperatures induce sleep. Altering the cycle may result in poor quality sleep due to the incongruence between the biological clock and one’s current situation. Planning rotations in the workplace and hormonal doses of melatonia have shown the potential to realign the Circadian rhythm.
Sleep constitutes physical and mental activity. Thanks to painstaking research and use of equipment like EEGs, researchers have discovered five stages of sleep. Falling asleep takes approximately 25 minutes depending on a variety of factors like amount of light, noise, age and stress-level. Stage 1, a transitional light sleep stage, lasts 10-12 minutes characterized by reduced heart and breathing rate. Stages 2-4 bring about an even greater decline in respiration and heart rate; called slow-wave sleep, higher amplitudes and lower frequencies occur in the brain. REM is the 5th stage characterized by irregular breathing and heart rate and associated with most dreams. The cycle repeats with the stages varying in length; REM periods lengthen and non-REM periods shorten. Newborns and infants tend to spend more time in REM stage than adults. The body will compensate for any missed or interrupted REM sleep for a period of consecutive nights. REM’s importance lies in the area of memory consolidation. It allows for the reconstitution of any learning that has occurred. A lack of sufficient sleep is detrimental to a person’s capacity to function. Sleep disorders affect the quality of sleep. Difficulty in falling or remaining asleep and waking-up early is characteristic of insomnia. Other conditions like narcolepsy cause sudden outs of sleep i.e. individuals fall asleep instantly during normal waking periods. Sleep apnea is when a person discontinues breathing during sleep. All these sleep disorders can result in a multitude of effects. For example, impaired attention, decision making, reaction time and motor coordination, reduced productivity, increased health problems and higher chances of accidents.
Most dreams are simple and involve familiar people and settings. People often dream about traumatic or negative events, like sex, aggression and misfortune. External stimuli can, however, alter the contents of the dream. Regardless of culture, some dream themes remain constant albeit with minor variations due to the differences in societies. Theories propose that dreams enable people to think creatively in order to solve problems since they lack logical limitations, and REM sleep can enhance learning. Other theories claim that dreams are the cortex’s way of understanding random signals fired from neurons in the lower brain.
A variety of factors can alter consciousness. Hypnotism is the power of suggestion, with applications in general anesthesia and psychological and physical ailment treatment. Not everyone responds well to hypnotic suggestions, but the 10-15% that do are usually susceptible to a hypnotic trance. Mediation is another consciousness-altering factor. It is a practice aimed at sharpening awareness to enable greater voluntary control of mental processes. Eastern religions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism, are its origins. There are two main styles of meditation. In focused attention, people focus on a single thing to clear their minds while, in open monitoring, people direct their attention to one’s context of the moment to moment experiences. The general aim is a higher form of consciousness inaccessible through normal experiences. The ultimate consciousness-altering factor is drugs. They modify behavioral, mental and emotional functioning. The main categories are narcotics, cannabis, hallucinogens, stimulants, sedatives and alcohol. Their effects include a state of euphoria, loosened inhibitions, and increased alertness.
Works Cited
Weiten, Wayne. Psychology Themes & Variations: Custom Edition for Community College of Baltimore County. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
