Sleep Disorders

Sleep Disorders

What are they and what can be done?

Sleep DisordersKLS – (Kleine Levin Syndrome)

Is a rare sleep disorder characterized by recurring periods or excessive drowsiness and sleep (up to 20hrs per day).

Symptoms, which can last for days or weeks, include irritability, disorientation, lack of energy, dreamlike state, excessive eating. Regression of maturity, hypersexualityOnset usually in adolescence (15 years) 68% maleEpisodes tend to lengthen in time with irregular periods of time in between episodesAverage diagnosis takes 4 years

Causes – unknownDecrease blood flow to the thalamusAffected by decreased activity in the thalamus and hypothalamus

Treatment – none with much successSymptoms seem to disappear after 12 years

Narcolepsy – a sleep disorder marked by excessive daytime sleepiness or uncontrollable sleep attacksSome lasting from 5-30 minutes

SymptomsCataplexy – affecting 75% of the people with the disorder. – sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone

Often triggered by emotional experiencesVivid hallucinations during sleep onset or during awakeningBrief total body paralysis at the beginning or ending of sleepAutomatic behaviors250,000 people in the US alone sufferAppears to have a genetic connectionTypically 10-15 years before a diagnosis

Conscious-altering Drugs

Classifying drugs.The physiology of drug effects.The psychology of drug effects.

Classifying DrugsPsychoactive drug.

Substance capable of influencing perception, mood, cognition, or behavior.

Types.Stimulants

speed up activity in the CNS.Depressants

slow down activity in the CNS.Opiates

relieve pain.Psychedelic drugs

disrupt normal thought processes.

The Physiology of Drug Effects

Psychoactive drugs work by acting on brain neurotransmitters. These drugs can:

increase or decrease the release of neurotransmitters,prevent reabsorption of excess neurotransmitters by the cells that have released them,block the effects of neurotransmitters on receiving cells, orbind to receptors that would ordinarily be triggered by a neurotransmitter or a neuromodulator. (mimicking a neurotransmitters)

Cocaine’s Effect on the Brain

Cocaine blocks the brain’s reabsorption (“reuptake”) of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, so levels of these substances rise.The result is an overstimulation of certain brain circuits and a brief euphoric high.When drug wears off, depletion of dopamine may cause user to “crash.”

The Psychology of Drug Effects.

Reactions to psychoactive drugs depend on:

Physical factors such as body weight, metabolism, initial state of emotional arousal and physical tolerance.Experience or the number of times a person has used a drug.Environmental factors such as where and with whom one is drinking.Mental set or expectations for drug’s effects.

The Riddle of HypnosisDefining hypnosis.The nature of hypnosis.Theories of hypnosis.

HYPNOSISHypnosis – A procedure in which the practitioner suggests changes in the sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings or behavior of the subject that typically produces a heightened state of suggestibility

Franz Anton Mesmer – “Mesmerized”

The person being hypnotized is more important than the hypnotist

Easily absorbed into their activities and involved in the world of imagination – weakly related

Hypnotized people will not do “anything”Hypnotized people aren’t superhumanHypnotism doesn’t increase the accuracy of memory

May help jog memories but pseudo memories and errors increase

Hypnosis does not allow you to relive long ago events

Some may report feeling like a child but they accepting the role

It is effective for (stress and pain reduction, eliminating bad habits, improve study skills, pump up confidence in athletes)

Can you be hypnotizedHow easily can you by Hypnotized?Ask a friend to observe you as you roll your eyes upward as far as they can go while you slowly try to close your eyelids at the same time. Then compare the position of your eyes with the drawing above. The higher you score, the greater your “hypnotizability.

About 10% good & badhttp://learnhypnosisinyourhome.com/

2 TheoriesDissociation - A split in consciousness in which one part of the mind operates independently of others

ExamplesDriving a car and daydreaming – Highway Hypnosis

Ernest HilgardHidden observer – watches but does not participateThe hypnotized part of the mind remains unaware of the observerParts of the brain are working independently and not actively communicating

Sociocognitive Approach – results from the social influence of the hypnotist and the person willing to accept a role where they will submit to the suggestions of the social figure- not just faking it

Sociocognitive Approach

• Effects of hypnosis result from interaction between social influence of the hypnotist (socio) and the abilities, beliefs and expectations of the subject (cognitive).

• Can explain “alien abduction” and “past-life regression.

Those that doubt EEG patterns cannot be distinguished from their EEG patterns in normal waking states

(some suggest it is dramatic role-playing)

Can duplicate effects