1. Sleep and Dreams Chapter 5, Section 2

2.  We spend about 1/3 of our lives sleeping.  Circadian Rhythms – biological clocks that govern our bodily changes like temperature, blood pressure and sleepiness.

3.  Humans operate on a 24 hour sleep-wake cycle. However, if timing cues are not present (like clocks or sun positioning) the cycle expands to 25 hours according to studies.

4.  Stages of Sleep  Measured by brain wave patterns on an EEG  Beta waves  Alpha waves  Theta waves  Delta waves

5.  Stage 1  lightest sleep  brain waves slow from alpha to theta  Images that resemble vivid photos

6.  If not awakened, you will remain in this stage for 30- 40 minutes  Stages 2,3 and 4  Deeper stages of sleep

7.  After being in stage 4 for about 30 minutes, you move back to stage 3, 2 and 1

8.  Rapid Eye Movement (REM)  Another stage  Irregular breathing  Rise in blood pressure  Faster heart beat  Faster brain waves

9.  As the night goes on, REM sessions get longer  On average, people will go through these stages 5 times or 5 cycles.

10.  Why Sleep?  Gives your body a chance to recover to be able to resist infection  Helpful in relieving stress

11.  If you are well rested:  You will be able to focus better  You will be able to learn and remember more.  You will be able to think more clearly

12.  People or Animals deprived of only REM sleep:  Learned slowly  Forgot quicker  Will catch up on REM the next time they slept

13.  REM sleep is important for the brain development of infants and brain exercise of adults.

14.  Dreams  Most dreaming occurs during REM sleep. These dreams are more vivid and seem more real than those in Non-REM sleep.

15.  Often times people are unable to hold onto information from one state of consciousness to another. This is why we can’t remember our dreams.

16.  Freud believed that your dreams are what you really want subconsciously. However some of them are painful or unacceptable this is why they appear in dreams.

17.  Biological View  Neurons in your brain are firing in parts of your brain that control movement and vision.  During a dream, your brain is trying to make sense of them.

18.  Most psychologists agree that there is no definite way to interpret dreams.

19.  Sleep Problems  Insomnia – inability to sleep  Sometimes caused by stress  Can be controlled by medication however…….

20.  Psychologists recommend the following:  Tense your muscles one at a time then release  Avoid worrying

21.  Establish a routine  Use pleasant images to relax

22.  Nightmares  Brought on by an upsetting event  Anxiousness or depression  Occur during REM sleep

23.  Night Terrors  More severe than nightmares  People have racing hearts, gasping for air, thrash  Occur during stages 3 or 4

24.  Sleepwalking  More likely to occur in children. May reflect immaturity of the nervous system

25.  Sleep Apnea – interrupted breathing that occurs during sleep  Blocked air passages  10 million people have it.  Use a nasal mask w/ air flow

26.  Narcolepsy – suddenly fall asleep no matter what time it is or where you are.  Controlled by medication  Thought to be a genetic disorder