Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Harri on 28/09/2015 16:39:40

Title: How do sleep and unconsciousness differ?
Post by: Harri on 28/09/2015 16:39:40

Hi all. What are the differences between being asleep and being unconscious?

Harri

Title: Re: Sleep/unconsciousness?
Post by: Bored chemist on 28/09/2015 18:05:21

If someone shakes you, and you wake up, you must (at some level) have been conscious of being shaken.

Title: Re: Sleep/unconsciousness?
Post by: Harri on 30/09/2015 18:00:53

Thanks for the reply, that makes sense.

I am just amazed that for quite a few hours every single day of our lives we are asleep and havn't got a clue what the heck is going on around us or in the wider world!

harri

Title: Re: How do sleep and unconsciousness differ?
Post by: smart on 30/01/2016 12:57:22

Sleep is an altered state of consciousness: Specific areas of the brain are shutdown during sleep which alters the processing of informations. Unconsciousness (coma) is the state in which a human is unaware of the surrounding environment and cannot respond to external stimuli.