Levels Of Consciousness Psychology

This is the last stage in our sleep cycle - the deepest stage which also lasts the longest. Each sleep phase is a slight bit deeper. This means that you are in each phase a little longer than the previous one. It's in this stage - during REM sleep - that dreaming occurs and most of the recuperative functions associated with sleep take place.

These stages are characterized by bursts of electrical activity on electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. EEG readings monitor electrical activity representing neuronal activity in specific neurophysiological regions. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is characterized by desynchronized, saw-toothed theta rhythm waves and heightened cognitive activity. Comparatively, high amplitude, synchronous delta waves, and sharp hippocampal waves characterize slow wave sleep (SWS) sleep (stages 3-4 of non-REM sleep) (Tucker et al. 2006).

There are five phases of sleep in a sleep cycle; phase 1 – light sleep with slow movement of eye which forms 4-5% of total sleep, phase 2 – eye movement stops and brain waves becomes slower which forms 45-55%of total sleep, phase 3 – extremely slow brain waves which comprises 4-6% of total sleep, phase 4 -deep sleep phase with no eye movement or muscle activity which forms 12-15% of total sleep, and phase 5- it is also called REM sleep where breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, and it forms 20-25% of total sleep time (Nichols, 2017).

During the first hour of sleep, brain waves slow down, and the eyes and muscles relax. Heart rate, temperate, and blood pressure fall as well. Over time, however, brain activity drastically increases from slow wave sleep to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and brain waves observed during REM are similar to those observed during waking. However, atonia occurs, which is when the body’s muscles are paralyzed, the muscles that allow breathing and control eye movements are fully active, and heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature increase. As sleep continues, the brain alternates between periods of slow wave sleep. It’s divided into four stages. Stage 1, the brain activity is unsynchronized. Stage 2, our breathing, heartbeat, and brain activity become slower. Stage 3, our breathing, pulse, and brain activity is slower yet, and brain activity is synchronized. Stage 4 of sleep, our breathing, pulse, and brain activity is the slowest, and brain activity is highly synchronized. Brain activity is increased with each stage and brief periods of REM sleep, with the slow wave sleep becoming less deep and the REM periods more prolonged until you are woken. Approximately 20 percent of a person’s total sleep is spent in REM

Generally, individuals need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to function properly throughout the day; it is thought that over sixty-eight percent of people get less than eight hours of sleep (Hughes & Rogers, 2004). The circadian rhythm is what facilitates our sleep cycles and determines when we go to sleep; there is two types of sleep REM and Non-REM sleep (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Non-REM sleep is typically the antecedent for REM sleep, here rapid eye movement occurs and this is where dreams occur (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). There are five stages of sleep that each person goes through each time they sleep, in non-REM sleep, there are four stages and REM is the fifth stage (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Stage one consists of the transition from feeling wake to “falling asleep”, this typically lasts one to seven minutes (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Here the individual experiences loss of response to stimuli and experience waves of thoughts and images (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Stage two of non-REM sleep is the

NREM stage one is the beginning of the sleep cycle. It is known as the transitional stage between being awake and being asleep. During this stage, your brain produces theta waves, theta waves are extremely slow brain waves. This lasts about 5-10 minutes. NREM stage 2 of sleep lasts about 20 minutes. During this stage, the brain produces sleep spindles which are bursts of rapid and rhythmic brain wave activity. This is when everything starts too slows down. NREM stage 3 is when your brain produces delta waves during this stage which are very slow and deep brain waves. This stage lasts about 35-45 minutes. REM sleep is most dreaming occurs during this stage. This stage has rapid eye movement, increased respiration rate, and increased brain activity.

Like in the other stages of sleep, when we doze off and transition into a more powerful, restful, and peaceful sleep is when stage 3 and 4 finally begins. So, during these stages, we are hit with the deepest parts of sleep and while we undergo high delta waves and it can occur after 30 or 40 minutes of deep sleep. Moreover, while stage 3 and 4 hold some similarity due to the nature of the high level of delta waves that are occurring throughout this stage, it allows the person to experience a wholesome and powerful sleep. Finally, during the process of REM stage, most dreams occur and brainwaves revert to being small and fast. In doing so, they consist of tons of beta waves, which can also be seen while being awake. Also, it increases the respiration rate and could cause brain

In these stages, we are in our deepest realm of sleep. While we are in these stages we become even more out of contact with the outside world and we become unaware of anything going on. Our heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure drop to its lowest levels. Stage three and four are made up of delta waves with a frequency of around 0.5-4 Hz ( “What Happens When You Sleep?” 2016) . There is also some sleep spindles that occur during this time but they are a less prominent here in stage these two stages than it is in stage two . While we are at this stage if something were to come about and wake us up since we are our deepest sleep it takes the body and the brain some time to be reaccumulated with the outside world; we tend to be really groggy and “ill” once we awaken as well. One very interesting thing that comes out of this stage is as children we tend to have many of our occurrences of bedwetting, sleepwalking, and sleep, terrors. ( “What Happens When You Sleep?”

Stage 1 of NREM is the lightest sleep, it lasts about 10 minutes and is presents only 5% of our total sleep time. During this stage we are transitioning from being awake to falling asleep. Our eyes move slowly as well as brain waves and muscle activity begins to decrease. Many people who are in this stage may also experience hypnic myoclonia; sudden muscle contractions. Following stage 1 is stage 2 a deeper sleep, because a person passes through this stage many times it accounts for 50% of our total sleep. When entering stage 2 eye movement stops, heart rate slows, and brain activity decreases, with occasional rapid waves called sleep spindles. Stage 3 and stage 4 is a deep sleep, it is the most difficult to awaken someone from this stage. These stages are often called “slow wave sleep” (SWS) or “delta sleep”. Stage 3 and 4 are characterized by delta waves, which are very slow brain waves with a high amplitude, there is no eye movement or muscle activity and both temperature and blood pressure decreases. Children might experience night terrors, and bedwetting during SWS, and those who wake up from SWS often feel confused and disoriented for several

In stage 3 sleep, brain waves slow down immensley and become very sluggish. These brain waves released are named delta waves. These waves have a very slow oscillation at a range of anywhere betwween zero and four Hertz. A combination of these waves and others are produces during stage 3.

NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep occurs during first 90 minutes of sleep and is passing time through the four stages of the NREM cycle (Feldman, 2015). All the stages of NREM sleep each have specialized sleep-wave patterns occurring to what stage of sleep one is in. Lasting only a few short minutes, stage 1 sleep is the transition period between wakefulness and sleep (2015). Many college students create the golden “winding down effect”, eyes drooping and phasing in and out of “I was not sleeping; I just closed my eyes for a little” during stage 1. The level of difficulty to awaken from sleep increases exponentially when entering stage 2 of the NREM cycle. The brain waves in this stage develop slow, regular patterns with “…momentary interruptions

Reading on the article “Will We Ever Understand Consciousness?” Scientists & Philosophers Debate was very intriguing. It imposes that consciousness is such an unbelievable magnesium and how unique the brain works due to the fact of how it give rise to fundamental action to the outside world and how separate it is from our bodies, minds, and souls. It states that the more we use our brains to think (known as consciousness), the more millions of neurons interact with each other to make sense of how put things together in the reality world; but the interesting part is that the mind itself is fundamentally incapable of comprehending itself, no matter how much scientist studies the brain. As I continue to read, it also go into details about self-awareness, and the brain activity of coma patients due to traumatic brain injury. The interesting fact is that how drugs or prescription medications can have such side effects to improve and disprove of one’s unconsciousness; like giving the prescription drug to treat Parkinson Disease also treat a person that has lost conscious, as well as knowing that we all experience unconsciousness every day, due to sleep. It also states that during sleep the neurons of the brain activity communication is much more localized and less complex during sleeping than during the times that we are awake because of

During sleep your brain never totally sleeps stage (1) this is the lightest stage of sleep. Is a transition from wakefulness to sleep and last 1-7 minutes. Stage (2) this is the stage of what researchers call real sleep. As you pass through stage 2 your muscle, tension heart rate respiration and body temperature gradually decrease and it becomes more difficult for you to be awakened stages (3and4) about 30 to 45 minutes after drifting off into sleep you pass through stage 3 and enter into stage 4. Stage 3 is when you begin showing some presence of slow brain. Wave patterns called delta waves. When you begin to show an increased presence of delta waves you have entered stage 4 of sleep. This is characterized by consistent pattern of delta waves. This is considered the deepest state of sleep. It is the most difficult form which to be awakened during stage 4 heart rate, respiration, temperature and blood flow to the brain are reduced and there is a marked secretion of GH hormone which controls levels of metabolism, physical growth and brain development. After you spend a few minutes to an hour in stage 4 you go back to stages 3 and 2 and then pass into a new stage called REM which is associated with dreaming that I already mentioned. Because it is really fascinating to me. A short time after awakening from sleep you enter a state of being awakened alert this state has a distinctive brain activity called betta waves since they are characterized by high frequency and low amplitude how alert you feel in the morning depends partly on whether you are a morning person or an evening

While we are sleeping there are four different stages that happen throughout the brain. (sleepfoundation) Throughout stage one in your brain, you go through two different periods called Alpha and Theta. During stage two of sleep your brain will start producing rapid rhythmic brain wave activity. This stage of sleep will last about twenty minutes. Stage three of sleep is where the brain waves will start to slow down. Stage four of sleep, which is also known as the Delta sleep. Stage five of sleep is where most of the dreams will happen.

I am going to discuss how two of the aspects of human consciousness are relevant in my day-to-day life. Prior to taking this course, I had no idea that there were so many, scientifically-proven, differing levels of consciousness. One example of how this is relevant to my life is the lower-level consciousness; more specifically daydreaming. I remember quite frequently trying to thoroughly pay attention to the important lecture in my high school class, to then find myself drifting off into the semiautomatic flow of recent events or whether or not I will do the homework assignment once I get home. Other examples of lower-level consciousness are; me typing a phone number I memorized into my phone, Typing the passwords to the multitude of social