Jet lag is a collection of symptoms that results from the mismatch between our internal circadian cycles and our environment. We also alter our consciousness through the use of various psychoactive drugs. Sleep is not a uniform state of being. While awake, we feel alert and aware of the many important things going on around us. The effects of all psychoactive drugs occur through their interactions with our endogenous neurotransmitter systems. For example, around one third of individuals diagnosed with narcolepsy experience vivid, dream-like hallucinations during narcoleptic attacks (Chokroverty, 2010). Awareness of internal stimuli includes feeling pain, hunger, thirst, sleepiness, and being aware of our thoughts and emotions. Physical dependenceinvolves changes in normal bodily functionsthe user will experience withdrawal from the drug upon cessation of use. Drugwithdrawalincludes a variety of negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued. Brain waves during REM sleep appear very similar to brain waves during wakefulness. Rapid eye movement (REM)sleep is characterized by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids. Meditative techniques have their roots in religious practices (Figure 4.21), but their use has grown in popularity among practitioners of alternative medicine. A few such benefits listed by the National Sleep Foundation (n.d.) include maintaining healthy weight, lowering stress levels, improving mood, and increasing motor coordination, as well as a number of benefits related to cognition and memory formation. While there is tremendous variation in any given individuals sleep needs, the National Sleep Foundation (n.d.) cites research to estimate that newborns require the most sleep (between 12 and 18 hours a night) and that this amount declines to just 79 hours by the time we are adults. Which of the following is true regarding patient adherence: d - all of the above (a - the average adherence rate for taking medication to treat acute illness is about 67%, b - adherence to taking medicine . Methamphetamineis a type of amphetamine that can be made from ingredients that are readily available (e.g., medications containing pseudoephedrine, a compound found in many over-the-counter cold and flu remedies). Aches and pains, such as severe headache and muscle and joint pain. Why do we devote so much time to sleeping? Few people in the United States remain untouched by the recent opioid epidemic. These drugs share in common their ability to serve as agonists of the gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system. Several of the nurses interviewed commented that their work schedules affected their relationships with their family. A person who has a substance use disorder often uses more of the substance than they originally intended to and continues to use that substance despite experiencing significant adverse consequences. In contrast,non-REM (NREM)sleep is subdivided into four stages distinguished from each other and from wakefulness by characteristic patterns of brain waves. Large-scale public health campaigns by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse have led to recent declines in the opioid crisis. 3. More specifically, homeostasis is the body's tendency to monitor and maintain internal states, such as temperature and blood sugar, at fairly constant and stable levels. This is illustrated by McCartys (2010) case study of a 50-year-old woman who sought help for the excessive sleepiness during normal waking hours that she had experienced for several years. The freebase version of cocaine, known as crack, is a potent, smokable version of the drug. . In some cases, users experience vivid visual hallucinations. Aside from their utility as analgesic drugs, opioid-like compounds are often found in cough suppressants, anti-nausea, and anti-diarrhea medications. In terms of brain wave activity, stage 1 sleep is associated with both alpha and theta waves. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day to keep your biological clock in sync so your body gets in the habit of sleeping every night. The hypnogram below (Figure 4.12) shows a persons passage through the stages of sleep. Whilecaffeineis generally considered a relatively safe drug, high blood levels of caffeine can result in insomnia, agitation, muscle twitching, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and even death (Reissig, Strain, & Griffiths, 2009; Wolt, Ganetsky, & Babu, 2012). Whether lark, owl, or somewhere in between, there are situations in which a persons circadian clock gets out of synchrony with the external environment. . Awareness of external stimuli includes experiences such as seeing the light from the sun, feeling the warmth of a room, and hearing the voice of a friend. While caffeine may have some indirect effects on dopamine neurotransmission, its primary mechanism of action involves antagonizing adenosine activity (Porkka-Heiskanen, 2011). (credit a: modification of work by Todd Huffman), Psychedelic images like this are often associated with hallucinogenic compounds. There was a significant positive correlation between the degree to which women thought about their former spouses during waking hours and the number of times their former spouses appeared as characters in their dreams (Cartwright, Agargun, Kirkby, & Friedman, 2006). Homeostatic regulation of sleep is evidenced by sleep rebound following sleep deprivation. In other words, physical dependence in and of itself is of limited utility in determining whether or not someone has a substance use disorder. By the end of this section, you will be able to: Consciousnessdescribes our awareness of internal and external stimuli. Natural opioids, calledopiates, are derivatives of opium, which is a naturally occurring compound found in the poppy plant. In addition, sleep deprivation often results in depression-like symptoms. The prevalence rates for somatic disorders are often difficult to determine; however, overall estimates of somatic symptom disorder are around 4-6%. Sleep-wake cycles seem to be controlled by multiple brain areas acting in conjunction with one another. Access for free athttps://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction. typically follow the example of their parents more than their friends. The FDAs 2013 recommendation for tighter controls on opiate prescriptions left many patients addicted to prescription drugs like OxyContin unable to obtain legitimate prescriptions. This section will present information relating to the use of various psychoactive drugs and problems associated with such use. As we move intostage 2 sleep, the body goes into a state of deep relaxation. Five cardinal signs characterize this response: pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. Many of these drugs act as agonists of the dopamine neurotransmitter system. While this is an intuitive explanation of sleep, there is little research that supports this explanation. One or two nights of sleep difficulty is not unusual, but if you experience anything more than that, you should seek a doctors advice. The crisis actually began in the 1990s, when pharmaceutical companies began mass-marketing pain-relieving opioid drugs like OxyContin with the promise (now known to be false) that they were non-addictive. With repeated use of many central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, a person becomes physically dependent upon the substance and will exhibit signs of both tolerance and withdrawal. It is much more difficult to awaken someone from sleep during stage 3 than during earlier stages. Hypnosisis a state of extreme self-focus and attention in which minimal attention is given to external stimuli. Sleep can be divided into two different general phases: REM sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Diarrhea. Unlike Freud and Jung, Cartwrights ideas about dreaming have found empirical support. Methamphetamine addiction produces an intense craving that is difficult to treat. One way that this happens involves traveling across multiple time zones. Homeostasisis the tendency to maintain a balance, or optimal level, within a biological system. Abnormal Motor Behavior. For instance, some people would say they are morning people, while others would consider themselves to be night owls. Inflammation has many causes, including infections, injuries, and diseases. Normal brain functioning is altered after repeated use of these drugs. Adepressantis a drug that tends to suppress central nervous system activity. Generally, alcohol is associated with decreases in reaction time and visual acuity, lowered levels of alertness, and reduction in behavioral control. B) the cause of the problem. Amphetamines have a mechanism of action quite similar to cocaine in that they block the reuptake of dopamine in addition to stimulating its release (Figure 4.16). The pituitary gland also secretes growth hormone, during sleep, which plays a role in physical growth and maturation as well as other metabolic processes (Bartke, Sun, & Longo, 2013). Until recently, the United States Department of Justice routinely arrested people involved and seized marijuana used in medicinal settings. The low cost coupled with lower risk of overdose than with opiate drugs is making crystal meth a popular choice among drug users today (NIDA, 2019). Because the biological clock is driven by light, exposure to bright light during working shifts and dark exposure when not working can help combat insomnia and symptoms of anxiety and depression (Huang, Tsai, Chen, & Hsu, 2013). Variations and adaptations in cognition and behavior make individuals more or less successful in reproducing and passing their genes to their offspring. As already mentioned, the hypothalamus contains the SCNthe biological clock of the bodyin addition to other nuclei that, in conjunction with the thalamus, regulate slow-wave sleep. Brainwave activity changes dramatically across the different stages of sleep. A) managed care Theta waves still dominate the activity of the brain, but they are interrupted by brief bursts of activity known as sleep spindles (Figure 4.9). Users experience increased energy, feelings of pleasure, and emotional warmth. Sleepwalking, restless leg syndrome, and night terrors are all examples of parasomnias (Mahowald & Schenck, 2000). These initiatives include increasing access to treatment and recovery services, increasing access to overdose-reversal drugs like Naloxone, and implementing better public health monitoring systems (NIDA, 2019). Unfortunately, this is not the case; however, several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the function of sleep.