What is consciousness?

Consciousness refers to your individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and environment. Your conscious experiences are constantly shifting and changing. For example, in one moment you may be focused on reading this article. Your consciousness may then shift to the memory of a conversation you had earlier with a co-worker. Next, you might notice how uncomfortable your chair is or maybe you are mentally planning dinner. This evershifting stream of thoughts can change dramatically from one moment to the next, but your experience of it seems smooth and effortless.

The conscious experience was one of the first topics studied by early psychologists. Structuralists used a process known as introspection to analyze and report conscious sensations, thoughts, and experiences. American psychologist William James compared consciousness to a stream; unbroken and continuous despite constant shifts and changes. While the focus of much of the research in psychology shifted to purely observable behaviours during the first half of the twentieth century, research on human consciousness has grown tremendously since the 1950s.

What aspects of consciousness to researchers study? Topics such as sleep, dreams, hypnosis, and the affects of psychoactive drugs are just a few of the major topics studied by psychologists. Sleep From the ancient philosophers to modern pop culture, the nature and significance of sleep is an almost inescapable question. Understanding the sleep process as well and why we sleep is a topic of interest for many, while exploring some of the major problems with sleep is a topic of interest to anyone who has ever spent a restless night tossing and turning.

Stages of Sleep: When you think of sleep, you might feel that it is a fairly uniform process. After all, you just fall asleep and thats that, right? Not exactly. In reality, sleep progresses through a number of different stages that are marked by distinctive changes in brain activity. Learn more about these stages of sleep, the characteristics of each unique stage and the pattern that occurs during a typical night of sleep. Why We Sleep: While there are a several different theories to explain why we sleep, scientists are still do not have a hard and fast answer for exactly why we sleep. One of the major theories suggests sleep is important for repair and restoration of the mind and body. Learn more about some of these major theories in order to further explore this fascinating topic. Problems with Sleep: Anyone who has ever experienced a bout of insomnia knows that falling and staying asleep isnt always so easy. Sleep disorders are a relatively common problem. Severe problems with sleep have even been linked to major depression and even suicide. Consider some of these common sleep disorders in order to learn about potential problems and possible causes for these problems with sleep. Stages of sleep The invention of the electroencephalograph allowed scientists to study sleep in ways that were not previously possible. During the 1950s, a gradate student named Eugene Aserinsky used this tool to discover what is known today as REM sleep. Further studies of human sleep have demonstrated that sleep progresses through a series of stages in which different brain wave patterns are displayed. There are two main types of sleep: 1. Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep (also known as quiet sleep

2. Rapid

Eye

Movement

(REM)

Sleep

(also

known

as

active

sleep or paradoxical sleep The Beginnings of Sleep During the earliest phases of sleep, you are still relatively awake and alert. The brain produces what are known as beta waves, which are small and fast. As the brain begins to relax and slow down, slower waves known as alpha waves are produced. During this time when you are not quite asleep, you may experience strange and extremely vivid sensations known as hypnagogic hallucinations. Common examples of this phenomenon include feeling like you are falling or hearing someone call your name. Another very common event during this period is known as a myoclonic jerk. If you've ever startled suddenly for seemingly no reason at all, then you have experienced this seemingly odd phenomenon. While it may seem unusual, these myoclonic jerks are actually quite common. Stage 1 Stage 1 is the beginning of the sleep cycle, and is a relatively light stage of sleep. Stage 1 can be considered a transition period between wakefulness and sleep. In Stage 1, the brain produces high amplitude theta waves, which are very slow brain waves. This period of sleep lasts only a brief time (around 5-10 minutes). If you awaken someone in the stage, they might report that they weren't really asleep. Stage 2 Stage 2 is the second stage of sleep and lasts for approximately 20 minutes. The brain begins to produce bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity known as sleep spindles. Body temperature starts to decrease and heart rate begins to slow. Stage 3 Deep, slow brain waves known as delta waves begin to emerge during stage 3 sleep. Stage 3 is a transitional period between light sleep and a very deep sleep.

Stage 4 Stage 4 is sometimes referred to as delta sleep because of the slow brain waves known as delta waves that occur during this time. Stage 4 is a deep sleep that lasts for approximately 30 minutes. Bed-wetting and sleepwalking usually occur at the end of stage 4 sleep. Stage 5 Most dreaming occurs during the fifth stage of sleep, known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is characterized by eye movement, increased respiration rate, increased brain activity. REM sleep is also referred to as paradoxical sleep because while the brain and other body systems become more active muscles become more relaxed. Dreaming occurs due because of increased brain activity, but voluntary muscles become paralyzed. Sleep does not progress through these stages in sequence, however. Sleep begins in stage 1 and progresses into stages 2, 3 and 4. After stage 4 sleep, stage 3 and then stage 2 sleep are repeated before entering REM sleep. Once REM sleep is over, the body usually returns to stage 2 sleep. Sleep cycles through these stages approximately 4 or 5 times throughout the night. On average, we enter the REM stage approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. The first cycle of REM sleep might last only a short amount of time, but each cycle becomes longer, so REM sleep can last up to an hour as sleep progresses. Theories of sleep Sleep has been the subject of speculation and thought since the time of the early Greek philosophers, but only recently have researchers discovered ways to study sleep in a systematic and objective way. The advent of new technology such as the electroencephalograph has allowed scientists to look at and measure electrical patterns and activity produced by the sleeping brain.

While we can now investigate sleep and related phenomena, not all researchers agree on exactly why we sleep. A number of different theories have been proposed to explain the necessity of sleep as well as the functions and purposes of sleep. The following are three of the major theories of sleep. Repair and Restoration Theory of Sleep: According to the repair and restoration theory of sleep, sleeping is essential for revitalizing and restoring the physiological processes that keep the body and mind healthy and properly functioning. This theory suggests that NREM sleep is important for restoring physiological functions, while REM sleep is essential in restoring mental functions. Support for this theory is provided by research that shows periods of REM sleep increase following periods of sleep deprivation and strenuous physical activity. During sleep, the body also increases its rate of cell division and protein synthesis, further suggesting that repair and restoration occurs during sleeping periods. Evolutionary Theory of Sleep: Evolutionary theory, also known as the adaptive theory of sleep, suggests that periods of activity and inactivity evolved as a means of conserving energy. According to this theory, all species have adapted to sleep during periods of time when wakefulness would be the most hazardous. Support for this theory comes from comparative research of different animal species. Animals that have few natural predators, such as bears and lions, often sleep between 12 to 15 hours each day. On the other hand, animals that have many natural predators have only short periods of sleep, usually getting no more than 4 or 5 hours of sleep each day. Information Consolidation Theory of Sleep: The information consolidation theory of sleep is based on cognitive research and suggests that people sleep in order to process information that has been acquired

during the day. In addition to processing information from the day prior, this theory also argues that sleep allows the brain to prepare for the day to come. Some research also suggests that sleep helps cement the things we have learned during the day into long-term memory. Support for this idea stems from a number of sleep deprivation studied demonstrating that a lack of sleep has a serious impact on the ability to recall and remember information. While there is research and evidence to support each of these theories of sleep, there is still no clear-cut support for any one theory. It is also possible that each of these theories can be used to explain why we sleep. Sleeping impacts many physiological processes, so it is very possible that sleep occurs for many reasons and purposes.