If you scratch an itch when you are asleep are you conscious when you sleep?

If you scratch an itch while in deep thought and didn't know that you were scratching an itch when you scratched it, and didn't remember scratching the itch afterwards, who then, scratched the itch.

Are we only conscious of that which we are focused upon and unconscious of the rest of everything around us so that even when we are awake we could be said to be only narrowly conscious?

When a tobacco plant's leaves are nibbled upon by hookworms,(much like an itch) the plant begins to manufacture alkaloids in its roots in order to rush bitter nicotine to the tobacco leaves above to poison the wormy invaders.

But plants are notoriously slow, so this takes ten days, but hey, how did the tobacco plant know when to increase the nicotine in the leaves to make the leaves toxic?

Are tobacco plants conscious?

Last edited by themilum; 12/20/05 12:04 AM.