This document discusses various topics related to consciousness and drugs. It covers selective attention and inattention in consciousness. It then discusses sleep cycles, patterns, disorders like insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea. Finally, it discusses different drug classifications like depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens and how they affect the brain and consciousness.

1. Consciousness and Drugs

2. Consciousness
• Selective Attention
o Focusing/conscious awareness on a particular
stimulus
o “Cocktail party phenomenon”
• Selective Inattention
o “Inattentional blindness” (or, ‘gorillas in the midst’)
o We also divert our attention from information that
(while relevant) might be emotionally upsetting

3. “Finished files are the result of years of scientific
study combined with the experience of years.”

4. “Finished files are the result of years of scientific
study combined with the experience of years.”

5. Sleep
• Circadian rhythm
o Cyclical biological process revolving around daily
cycles of light and dark
o During periods of darkness, pineal gland produces
sleep-inducing hormones (melatonin) that diminish
during the day

6. Sleep Stages

7. Sleep
• Sleep patterns
o Infants sleep 2/3 of every day; Adults sleep about 1/3
• Sleep deprivation
o Reduces functioning of immune system and concentration
o Increases production of stress hormones (cortisol) which
create body fat
o Rats deprived of sleep die after two weeks

8. Sleep
• Common sleep disorders
o Insomnia
o Narcolepsy
o Sleep apnea
o Night terrors
o Sleepwalking, sleepeating
o Teeth grinding

9. Sleep
• Insomnia
o Chronic inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or feel fully
rested
o Affects ~6% of men and ~15% of women
o “Treatments”
• Many sleeping pills significantly disrupts sleep patterns
• Modify sleep schedule
• Maintain exercise regime, relax half an hour before bed,
avoid bright lights

10. Sleep
• Narcolepsy
o Excessive daytime sleepiness and/or sudden, uncontrollable
lapses into sleep during the day
o Sudden loss of muscle tone, can lead to collapse, and REM
sleep
o Currently no known cure

11. Sleep
• Sleep apnea
o Repeatedly choking and gasping during sleep
o Can occur 300-500 times per night, often with no
recollection of waking up
o Disrupts sleep rhythms, less time in deep restorative
sleep (lack of REM sleep)
o Treatments
 Surgery to remove sagging or excess tissue in throat
 Pressurized oxygen mask (CPAP) to keep airway
open

14. Sleep
• Lifestyle changes that can help sleep apnea
o Lose weight. Even a small amount of weight loss can open
up throat and improve apnea symptoms
o Quit smoking. Smoking increases inflammation and fluid
retention in throat and upper airway
o Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and sedatives as they relax
muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing
o Maintain regular sleep hours. Apnea episodes decrease
with plenty of sleep.

15. Sleep
• Night terrors
o Sit up in bed with terrified screams and thrashing around
o Ends abruptly with no recollection of what happened
o Usually occurs during Stage 4 sleep
 Note: nightmares occur during REM sleep
o Typically affects children
 As we grow older and spend less time in Stage 4 sleep,
night terrors diminish

16. Sleep
• Sleepeating
o Individual is unaware of their behavior
o Roaming the house, particularly the kitchen, eating
large quantities of food (as well as non-food items)
o Food consumed tend to be high in sugar/fat
 Odd combinations (potato chips with peanut butter,
butter and hot dogs)
o Affects ~1-3% of population

17. Sleep
• Sleepeating
o Often a symptom of a larger underlying issue
o High correlation with eating disorders and other
anxiety disorders
o Treatments
 Stress management
 Therapy
 Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
 Benzodiazapines (to reduce motor function at night)

18. Altered States
• More altered states of consciousness
o Meditation
o Hypnosis
o Drug-induced states

19. Drugs
• Definitions
o Tolerance
o Dependence
• Physical and psychological
o Withdrawal

20. Drugs
• Depressants
o Alcohol, barbiturates/tranquilizers, morphine/heroin
(opiates)
o Creates disinhibition, slows neural processing, interferes
processing of STM to LTM
• Stimulants
o Methamphetamine, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, ecstasy
o Temporarily excite neural activity
• Hallucinogens
o LSD, marijuana
o Distort perceptions and evoke sensory images