States of Consciousness

Consciousness is a term used to describe the awareness of your physical and mental experience. As you might have already realized, not all forms of awareness are the same. There are a number of different states of human consciousness, as well as a variety of factors that can have an impact on these states of awareness.

What Are States of Consciousness?

Human consciousness is often compared to a stream—it is constantly changing, but always flowing smoothly. The way that your thoughts drift from one topic to another can feel effortless even when the thoughts you're having are dramatically different. If one moment you're thinking about this article that you are reading and the next moment you find yourself thinking about your childhood pet, you can thank your current state of consciousness.

Two common states of awareness exist: conscious and unconscious. Where the term unconscious represents of a lack of awareness, consciousness itself can present with varying levels of awareness. This is often referred to as a person's state of consciousness.

Human consciousness can be altered in a number of different ways, including through hypnosis, with drugs, and mental exercises. Reaching an altered state of consciousness can also be achieved through various types of meditation and mind-body practices.

States of Consciousness and Level of Awareness

A person's state of consciousness is interconnected with their level of awareness. For example, if someone is in a half-asleep or drowsy state, they will typically experience a lowered level of awareness. Conversely, when exposed to a stimulant, a person can experience a heightened level of awareness.

Low Awareness

Although you may not feel as if you are aware of every single detail of what is happening around you, even in a state of consciousness where you have a low level of awareness, your brain is still capable of processing the signals it receives.

Think about the way a person who is asleep in bed may instinctively grab a blanket when they feel cold. Although they are not actively thinking about being cold because of their current state of consciousness during sleep, their brain received a signal that their body feels cold.

High Awareness

A person who experiences a high level of awareness tends to be more in control of their thoughts. The ability to pay attention to detail and analyze the activity around you comes with heightened awareness, but this can typically only be achieved during certain states of consciousness.

The practice of mindfulness is one example of how heightened awareness of a person's thoughts can be achieved by focusing on the present moment. Meditation is often used to reach this type of awareness because the practice can help individuals achieve an altered state of consciousness.

Factors That Affect States of Consciousness

States of consciousness play an important role in our everyday experiences. In order to see how consciousness works, it helps to understand how consciousness can be influenced by different factors.

For example, many people begin the day full of energy but then start to feel run-down by mid-afternoon. Other people struggle to plod through the morning routine only to finally feel energetic in the evening. The daily fluctuations of energy levels are known as the circadian rhythm and play an important role in human consciousness. 

Whether prescribed or illicit, chemical substances that impact a person's mental state can also affect their level of awareness. Different types of drugs work by altering your state of consciousness in various ways.

• Stimulants: Heightened awareness can create feelings of euphoria.
• Depressants: Lowered awareness can create feelings of relaxation.
• Hallucinogens: Altered perception of reality can create feelings of paranoia.
  

3 States of Consciousness

People can be in many different states of consciousness. Three states of consciousness to consider are sleeping, dreaming, and hypnosis.

Sleeping

Sleep has fascinated researchers, scientists, and scholars for thousands of years. Technological innovations during the last century allowed scientists to study sleep in ways that simply weren't possible in the past, which has helped lead to a number of theories of sleep.

Sleep creates a unique state of consciousness because while you experience a lowered level of awareness during sleep, your brain is still active. Your brain's ability to cycle through different stages of sleep with both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep is proof of this activity.

When the sleep cycle is disrupted, it can wreak havoc on a person's body clock and impact their state of consciousness during both sleep and waking periods. If you're not sleeping well, common sleep disorders could be to blame for the drowsiness, irritability, and brain fog that comes from disrupted sleep.

Dreaming

REM sleep is the part of the sleep cycle most often associated with the dreams that you can remember when you wake up. During this time, your brain is active in a way that is similar to when you are awake, but your state of awareness is lowered.

At some point in your life, you have probably had a truly baffling dream that left you wondering, "What did that dream mean?" Research on dream characteristics, theories, and interpretations links your ability to dream to your state of consciousness.

Hypnosis

The phenomenon of hypnosis involves hyper-awareness which leads to an alteration of a person's state of consciousness. During hypnosis, a person will often appear as if they are asleep. Although, in reality, they are actually processing their thoughts through a deep, focused awareness.

Hypnosis has been used for a number of purposes including pain management and weight loss. Research also shows that hypnosis can be an effective treatment for different types of anxiety and pain.