Final answer:
Variations in consciousness are influenced by biological factors like circadian rhythms and psychological factors including cognitive and emotional states. They collectively shape our experiences of consciousness in states like wakefulness, sleep, and altered states.
Step-by-step explanation:
The variations in consciousness can be attributed to both biological and psychological factors. Biological factors include the brain's biological rhythms, such as circadian rhythms, which regulate our sleep-wake cycle and general alertness levels throughout the day. Disruptions in these rhythms can lead to various sleep disorders and awareness issues. Psychological factors may refer to the cognitive and emotional states that affect our levels of consciousness. Cognitive processes like learning, meditation, and hypnosis, as well as emotional responses, can modify our conscious experience. These factors collectively influence our daily experiences of different states of consciousness from alert wakefulness to deep sleep and altered states such as under hypnosis or meditation.