The protective mechanisms of the basic rest-activity cycle as an indirect manifestation of this rhythm in waking: preliminary report.
The hypothesis of the Basic Rest Activity Cycle (BRAC), that underlies approximately 90-min fluctuations in states of consciousness, has gained strong documentation during sleep in cyclical occurrence of its REM and NON-REM stages, however, there is no convicting evidence of this rhythm in waking. According to the concept of protective mechanisms of BRAC (Kokoszka, 1990), the rest phase of the BRAC manifests in states of consciousness with domination of passive state of mind and spontaneous activity of imagination, as well as domination contemplation over goal oriented activity, that occur during some socially accepted everyday activities. In order to verify this, 30 persons (21 women and 9 men) aged between 19-52 (M = 29.1; SD = 10.08) answered specially designed sets of questions three times a day (at noon, at 5 p.m., and before sleep) over 2 consecutive days. The results indicate that states considered as mechanisms of information metabolism were reported by all subjects and with a mean frequency of 9.0 (SD = 1.5) on the first day, and 8 (SD = 1.65) on the second day. Most often they were classified as purposeful overstimulation, thoughtlessness, and fatigue.
Duchniewska
Katarzyna
K
Psychotherapy Center, Nowowiejski Hospital, Warsaw, Poland.
Kokoszka
Andrzej
A
D000328:Adult; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010507:Periodicity; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology*