Psychology 105

      Have you ever wondered how our bodies know when to fall asleep? What actually is insomnia? Or how come babies sleep the whole day? I know the answers to these questions do you?…….. Insomnia is a prolonged and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate sleep. Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder caused by a physical problem and results in frequent interruptions of breathing during sleep. Anxiety is not considered a sleep disorder.  Sleep Apnea is usually caused by something blocking the airway.

      A person’s state of awareness is called consciousness. A baseball player like Mark McGwire’s ability to concentrate is a good example of focused awareness. REM Sleep is a stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, a high level of brain activity and a deep relaxation of the muscles. Babies have the most REM time. Melatonin is the hormone that dramatically affects our sleep cycles. Dreams occur during REM Sleep.  A low level of awareness that involves fantasizing while you are awake is daydreaming. Unpleasant dreams are known as night mares.

     The primary goal of meditation is relaxation.  A person who focuses his or her attention on an image or thought with the goal of clearing the mind and producing relaxation is practicing meditation. A technique in which a person learns to control his or her internal physiological  processes with the help of special machines is called biofeedback. Situations that influences the behavior of a person after he has been hypnotized is called Post-Hypnotic Suggestion.

     Hypnosis is a form of altered consciousness in which people become highly suggestible. Anton Mesmer is credited for the first use of hypnosis. The three ways hypnosis can be accomplished is by using sound, an object and your voice. Hypnosis in therapy involves the following : Posthypnotic suggestions to change in behavior, Hypnotic analgesia to reduce pain and helping patients gain insight into their lives.