Different States of Consciousness - Research Paper Example

s of Consciousness: Sleep and Dreams: Sleep and dreams are the two most common alternative s of consciousness of the human brain. The subject of sleep and dreams is a one about which many myths and misconceptions prevail. One myth for instance is that everyone needs at least 8 hours of sleep every night to maintain good physical and mental health. The truth, however, is that some people get by on an incredible 15-20 minutes of sleep every night while some people may require 11 hours of sleep to maintain good physical and mental health (Huffman). There are 3 basic determinants of when we fall asleep. They are: 1. Circadian Rhythms 2. Environmental Arousal 3. Sleep Deprivation Let us now take a closer look at each of these: Circadian Rhythms: Biological changes that occur on a 24 hour cycle in the human body can be defined as the circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythms have arisen from the fact that the earth circles the sun continuously and our environment shifts from day to night and night to day in a pattern. The human body has adapted its activities to suit this continuous cycle and for most people alertness, energy levels, and efficiency etc are high during the day and low during the night. The part of the brain which controls the circadian rhythms is called the Suprachismatic nucleus (SCN) which is located in a part of the hypothalamus. The pineal gland which is an endocrine gland located in the middle of the brain is also known to impact the circadian rhythms. It does so by regulating sleep and arousal by releasing large quantities of a hormone called Melatonin during the night and little or none during the day. Research has also revealed that disrupted circadian rhythms lead to sleep disorders, increased fatigue, decreased concentration and other health problems. Factors which usually affect circadian rhythms are rotating work schedules, flying across several time zones (especially when flying eastward rather than westward) etc. (Huffman) (Gokalp) Environmental Arousal: Arousal causes problems in sleeping. Stress, arousal, and excitement can lead to difficulties in going to sleep and staying asleep. (Huffman) Sleep Deprivation: History tells us that during the Middle Ages, sleep deprivation was a form of torture. Today, research has proved that after about 3 days without sleep, people slip unwittingly into “microsleep” lasting a few seconds at a time. Research has also proven that if the task at hand is boring or difficult, performance drops after moderate sleep deprivation. It should also be noted here that many of the human body’s physiological functions are not too badly affected by periods of sleep deprivation. In fact, in 1965, a young 17 year old student created a Guiness World Record by staying awake for 264 consecutive hours. Although he became irritable, he did not become psychotic. (Huffman) We have considered the factors which determine WHEN we fall asleep, now let us take a look at the different theories which tell us WHY we fall asleep. There are two major theories of sleep: Repair/ Restoration Theory Evolutionary/circadian theory. Let us look at the two theories and see how the two evolved. Repair/Restoration Theory: The repair theory states that our activities during the day have a depleting effect on the key factors in our brain and body. So therefore the purpose of sleep is to serve as a recuperative purpose to the human body and allow it to repair and replenish itself. It should be noted here that according to the repair and restoration theory, not only is our physical body repaired but our emotional and intellectual demands are restored as well. The scientific proof for this theory comes from research conducted about the release of growth hormones during sleep which proved that during level 4 sleep a growth hormone is released inside the body which control functions such as metabolism, physical growth, and brain development (Huffman). Another key finding which supports the repair theory is that people tend to sleep for longer when they have been deprived of sleep for long periods of time. The 17 year old student who stayed awake for 264 consecutive hours in 1965 then slept for 14 hours the first time he slept after attempting the record as opposed to his average sleep cycle of 8 hours. (Huffman) (Division of Sleep - Harvard Medical School) Evolutionary/ Circadian Theory: The evolutionary theory states that sleep is because of basic circadian rhythms. According to this view, sleep evolved because of the fact that humans needed to conserve their energy when they were not looking for mates or for prey to hunt. Sleep also allowed humans to stay still at times when predators are active. The main proof for the evolutionary/circadian theory comes from a simple look at nature. Opossums for example have no trouble finding food and safe shelters and therefore sleep for many hours each day. Other animals such as sheep and horses that have no other defense against predators than to run away and that have an innate need to constantly forage for food, sleep for only a few hours a day. (Huffman) (Division of Sleep - Harvard Medical School) As we have just seen, both theories carry weight and have scientific proofs. It is obvious that we need the physical and emotional repair and restoration that sleep provides after our everyday activities. However, we can also see that bears do not hibernate throughout the winter to simply recover and restore their bodies. It is therefore clear that a need to conserve energy when the environment is hostile exists as well. The middle ground which has been reached by different researchers states that “sleep initially served to conserve energy and keep us out of trouble. Over time it may have evolved to allow for repair and restoration” (Huffman) Let us now take a look at why we dream during sleep. There are three major theories about why we dream: The psychoanalytic/psychodynamic view: Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, gave this very controversial view about dreams in his book The Interpretation of Dreams (1900). Freud believed that dreams are “the royal road to the unconscious” (Huffman). His theory states that dreams serve a purpose of wish fulfillment i.e. they serve to bring to surface the repressed and personally unacceptable desires of the human unconscious in the form of symbols. A gun may, for example, represent a penis etc (Huffman). Critics of this theory have argued that this theory is highly subjective. At one point even Freud said that “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” (Huffman) The biological view: the biological view, on the other hand, states that during sleep a random stimulation of the brain cells occurs and the brain tries to synthesize this spontaneous activity into coherent patterns which is known as dreams. The biological theory is therefore also called the Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis. Researchers have stressed however that the biological theory does not mean that dreams are meaningless. Dreams may start of as random stimulations of the brain but the way the brain interprets these stimulations depends on the motivations, memories, and experiences of the dreamer. (Huffman) The cognitive view: the cognitive view states that dreams are simply an extension to everyday life and are no more than a form of thinking during sleep. Dreams help us sift and sort out our everyday experiences and thoughts. The scientific proof for this theory comes from the fact that REM (random eye movement) sleep increases following periods of intense stress and learning. (Huffman) Works Cited Division of Sleep - Harvard Medical School. Why do we sleep anyway? 18 December 2007. 11 November 2011 . Gokalp, Gokce. Sleep and Dreams. 1999. 12 November 2011 . Huffman, Karren. Psychology in Action. Wiley Education, 2008. Read More