Sleep and Dreams

Sleep and Dreams

• Circadian rhythm
– the biological clock
– roughly corresponds to 24-hour day/night cycle
– cyclical bodily rhythms
• wakefulness
• body temperature
 Sleep Stages
• Cycle through 5 sleep stages every 90 minutes
• Non-REM sleep = “an idling brain in a movable body”

NREM Stage 1 Sleep

– brief stage; sensation of falling
NREM Stage 2 Sleep
– 20 minutes; spindles (bursts of brain activity)
NREM Stage 3 Sleep
– brief; transitioning to deeper sleep
– 30 min.; delta (large, slow) brain waves; deep sleep
REM Sleep
– 10 minutes; vivid dreams
 Sleep Stages
• REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
Sleep
– recurring
• becomes longer as night goes on
– vivid dreams
– paradoxical sleep
• externally calm (muscles)
• internally aroused (heart rate)
Brain Waves and Sleep Stages
Alpha Waves
Slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Theta Waves
Learning and memory consolidation
Stage 1 and Stage 2

Delta Waves
Large, slow waves of deep sleep
Stage 3 and Stage 4
Brain Waves and Sleep Stages
Typical Nightly Sleep Stages
Awake
Sleep
stages
1

3
REM
4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Hours of sleep
Why do we need sleep?
 Why do we need sleep?
1. Sleep Protects
2. Sleep helps us recover
3. Sleep helps us remember
4. Sleep feeds creative thinking
5. Sleep supports growth
 Sleep Deprivation
Are You Sleep Deprived?
1. Need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time.
2. It’s a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning.
3. Weekday mornings I hit the snooze bar several times to get more sleep.
4. I feel tired, irritable, and stressed out during the week.
5. I have trouble concentrating and remembering.
6. I feel slow with critical thinking, problem solving, and being creative.
7. I often fall asleep watching TV.
8. I often fall asleep in boring meetings or lectures or in warm rooms.
9. I often fall asleep after heavy meals or after a low dose of alcohol.
10. I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.
11. I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed.
12. I often feel drowsy while driving.
13. I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings.
14. I often need a nap to get through the day.
15. I have dark circles around my eyes.
Sleep Deprivation
• Effects of Sleep Loss
– Fatigue
– Obesity/depression
– impaired concentration
– immune suppression
– irritability
– slowed performance
• increased accidents
 Dreams
• Dreams (REM)
– Images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a
sleeping person’s mind
– Lucid dreaming: the person is aware they are
dreaming
– Vivid recall: if we are awakened during REM sleep
(or right after)
 Dreams
Why do we
dream?

1. To satisfy our own wishes

2. To file away memories
3. To develop a preserve neural pathways
4. To make sense of neural static
5. To reflect cognitive development
 Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
– persistent problems in falling or staying
asleep
• Natural Remedies
– Exercise
– Avoid caffeine (including chocolate)
– Dimmer lights
– Avoid naps
– Wake at same time each day
– Turn clock away
 Sleep Disorders
• Narcolepsy
– uncontrollable sleep attacks
– may lapse directly into REM
sleep, often at inopportune
times
• Hypersomnia
– 12-14 hours per day plus nap
– Fatigue, stressed –out feeling
 Sleep Disorders
• Sleep Apnea
– intermittently stop breathing during sleep
– frequent momentary awakenings
– usually unaware of these episodes
• Night Terrors
– mostly seen in children
– appearance of being terrified (fast heart rate)
– occur during Stage 4
– not the same as nightmares (which occur
during REM)
 Sleep Walking/Talking
• occur during Stage 3/4 (non-REM) Sleep
• runs in families
• more common in childhood
• usually harmless
• not remembered the next
morning