SLEEP & DREAMS

 HOW MANY HOURS A NIGHT DO YOU SLEEP DURING THE WEEK?  ON A WEEKEND?  AT WHAT TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY DO YOU FEEL MOST TIRED?  IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE SCHOOL WHAT TIME WOULD YOU GO TO SLEEP/ WAKE UP?  DO YOU THINK MOST AMERICANS GET ENOUGH SLEEP – WHY/WHY NOT?

SLEEP  Imagine...if on the average, people sleep 8 hours a day, they are sleeping away 1/3 of their life.  How much is that?

 Well, 8 hours of sleep every day is the same as 233,600 hours of sleep by the time you are 80 years old.  That's the same as sleeping years!!!

 Much of the body’s activities including the desire to sleep are governed by:  Circadian rhythm = biological clock

STAGES of SLEEP  Defined in terms of brain wave patterns  Measured by Electroencephalograph (EEG)  Cyclical  Beta, alpha, theta, delta waves

EEG (electroencephalogram) which shows a record of brain activity EMG (electromyogram) shows muscle activityEOG (electroculogram) shows eye movements

STAGES of SLEEP  Slow Wave Sleep (SWS)  SWS sleep is actually 4 different stages of sleep (Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 & Stage 4) with different EEG patterns.

STAGES of SLEEP  Slow Wave Sleep (SWS)  Stage 1 = lightest sleep; = dreamlike images/photos  Then to stages 2, 3, & 4  Stage 4 = deepest sleep  Back to stages 3, 2, 1  90 minutes passed

STAGES of SLEEP  Rapid Eye Movement = (REM) sleep Rapid Eye Movement = (REM) sleep  Breathe more irregularly, BP rises, heart beats faster

F.Y.I.  Infants spend about 50% of their sleep time in SWS and 50% in REM sleep  Adults spend about 20% of their sleep time in REM and 80% in SWS sleep  Elderly people spend less than 15% of their sleep time in REM sleep.

REM Sleep  Dreaming occurs  Eyes move back and forth rapidly  EEG pattern during REM sleep is similar to the EEG when you are awake  However, the EMG is very quiet during REM sleep - one theory is that during REM sleep, the muscles are inactive so that we will not act out our dreams. This also means that sleepwalkers are not in REM sleep and are not acting out their dreams.

Why Sleep?

SLEEP DEPRIVATION  WHAT PROBLEMS COULD LACK OF SLEEP CAUSE FOR OUR SOCIETY?  HOW COULD LACK OF SLEEP PROBLEMS BE SOLVED?

Reasons for Sleep  Revive tired body  Build up resistance to infection  Tissue maintenance, secretion of hormones involved in development  Psychological functions = recover from stress

Sleep deprivation  Irritability  Difficulty focusing – vision/thought  Memory lapses  Speech difficulties  Weakened immune system & other health problems

DREAMING  We dream about 4-5 times a night  That is the same as 116,800 to 146,000 dreams by the time you are 80 years old!!!

DREAMS  REM sleep = clear imagery and plots make sense (even though may be unrealistic)  NREM = plots vaguer & images more fleeting

DREAMING  FREUD = dreams reflect a person’s unconscious wishes & urges = symbolism  BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH = biological; nuerons randomly fire & brain tries to make sense of it

DREAMING: DREAMING: Factors affecting dream content  Recent events  Childhood/past events  Pre-sleep experiences  Sex differences  Age  Internal & External stimuli

DAYDREAMING  Reliving or anticipating events  Form of escapism  Anxiety, achievement, thinking ahead, problem-solving, fantasy

Sleep Problems  Insomnia=  Inability to sleep

 Forty-eight percent of Americans report insomnia occasionally, while 22 percent experience insomnia every or almost every night.*  Women are 1.3 times more likely to report insomnia than men.  People over age 65 are 1.5 times more likely to complain of insomnia than younger people.  Divorced, widowed and separated people report more insomnia.  * National Sleep Foundation 1998 Omnibus Sleep in America Poll

Sleep Problems  Nightmares=  Frightening dreams that usually awaken sleeper from REM sleep  Night Terrors=  More severe

Sleep Problems  Sleep walking

Sleep Problems  Narcolepsy =  Fall asleep  Excessive sleepiness or sudden muscle weakness Rusty

Sleep Problems  Sleep Apnea =  Breathing interruption that occurs during sleep 

Abnormal airway during sleep. Multiple sites of obstruction often occur in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. An elongated and enlarged soft palate impinges on the posterior airway at the level of the nasopharynx and oral pharynx. In addition, a retruding jaw pushes an enlarged tongue posteriorly to impinge on the hypopharyngeal space. Normal airway. The soft palate and uvula are normal in length and total size. The tongue is normal in size and is angled forward. The upper airway at the level of the nasopharynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx is normal in size and contour.

Sleep Disorders  Sleep disorders affect up to 70 million people in the United States. This costs about $100 billion each year in accidents, medical bills and lost work. (Statistic from Brain Facts, Society for Neuroscience, 1997)

Driving While Drowsy

 1/6 of all car crashes are believed to be linked to drowsiness while driving  Driving while tired is very similar to driving when drunk  In North Carolina 60% of car crashes caused by drowsiness involved people under the age of 25