"I love sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?”

- Ernest Hemingway

Biological Rhythms

Annual Cycles: seasonal variations (bears hibernation, seasonal affective disorder)

28 day cycles: menstrual cycle.

24 hour cycle: our circadian rhythm

90 minute cycle: sleep cycles.

Sleep and DreamsSleep:periodic, natural, reversible loss of

consciousness

Sleep Laboratories around the world are just beginning to understand sleep and dreams.

Sleep StagesMeasuring sleep: About every 90 minutes,

we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages.

4Hank Morgan/ Rainbow

Sleep Stages 1-2

5

During early, light sleep (stages 1-2) the brain enters a high-amplitude, slow, regular

wave form called theta waves (5-8 cps). Stage 1 is where we experience hypnagogic

sensations. In Stage 2, sleep spindles appear.

Theta Waves

Sleep Stages 3-4

6

During deepest sleep (stages 3-4), brain activity slows down. There are large-

amplitude, slow delta waves (1.5-4 cps).

REM Sleep

After reaching the deepest sleep stage (4), the sleep cycle starts moving backward towards stage 1. Although still asleep, the brain engages in low-

amplitude, fast and regular beta waves (15-40 cps) much like awake-aroused state.

A person during this sleep exhibits Rapid Eye Movements (REM) and reports vivid dreams.

Muscles are relaxed.

Sleep Stages – one more time

Typical Night’s Sleep

Why do we sleep?

We spend one-third of our lives sleeping.

If an individual remains awake for several days, they deteriorate in

terms of immune function, concentration, and accidents.

• nutrition and exercise are not the only foundational elements of well-being

• Without healthy sleep, an aspect much less thought about on anything beyond a basic level, overall health is utterly compromised as good nutrition and exercise are much harder to achieve in a meaningful way

The Triumvirate of Health

Sleep Theories

1. Sleep Protects: Sleeping in the darkness when predators were about and it was hard to see dangers helped keep our ancestors out of harm’s way.

2. Sleep Recuperates: Sleep helps restore and repair brain tissue.

3. Sleep Helps Remembering: Sleep restores and rebuilds our fading memories.

4. Sleep Helps Creative Thinking: After “sleeping on” a problem, people solve it more insightfully

5. Sleep and Growth: During sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Older people release less of this hormone and sleep less.

Sleep Disorderso Insomnia

o persistent problems in falling or staying asleep

o Narcolepsyo uncontrollable sleep attackso cataplexy

o Sleep Apneao temporary cessation of breathingo momentary re-awakenings

Sleep Disorders - children• Night terrors— sudden arousal from

sleep and intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions (e.g., rapid heart rate, perspiration) that occur during slow-wave sleep (first few hours of stage 4).

• Nightmares– a vivid dream depicting frightening disturbing, anxiety-provoking events. (early morning REM)

Sleepwalking and talking

Sleepwalking (somnambulism)About 25% of all children have at least one episode of sleepwalking. It typically occurs during the first three hours of sleep (stage 4). Sleepwalking and sleeptalking run in families.

Many people walk and talk in their sleep. It is normal. They will usually return to bed, or they may be guided there by a parent. It is not dangerous to awaken a sleepwalker, as long as the person feels safe and secure.

Sleep Paralysis

• Sleep Paralysis: when your brain wakes up from the Rapid Eye Movement (REM), but your whole body is paralyzed state

• horrible feeling where you awake but still stuck in a state where you cant even move a muscle or talk

• some people report hearing and seeing things that are not actually there

• Studies have found out that it is normal and causes no damage on the human body.

• Sleep paralysis can happen before you go to sleep or awakening up from REM sleep

Sleep Paralysis- Causes

• There is no exact cause on why some people get this horrible sensation called sleep paralysis.

• Causes could include: not getting enough sleep, binge drinking, change in sleep pattern, change in lifestyle (eating habits), passed down from family

• Happens to 40% of the population!

Sleep Paralysis- Cures• Stress plays a big role when your dealing with sleep paralysis so make

sure you take time to reflect things you need to change in your life.

– Change your sleep patterns. Get your 8-9 hours a night sleep– Your anxiety levels might be very high. Find out ways you can stop anxiety from taking over.– Change your environment around you. Did you make a sudden

change in your life that’s not working out?– More likely to experience when you sleep on your back.– You might be depressed? Find ways to cope with depression– Check your family history. Most of the time your parents might

have the same issue– Work out at the gym or meditate

What do we Dream?1. Negative Emotional Content: 8 out of 10

dreams have negative emotional content.

2. Failure Dreams: People commonly dream about failure, being attacked, pursued, rejected, or struck with misfortune.

3. Sexual Dreams: Contrary to our thinking, sexual dreams are rare. Sexual dreams in men are 1 in 10; and in women 1 in 30.

4. Dreams of Gender: Women dream of men and women equally; men dream more about men than women.

Why do we dream? – theories

1. To satisfy our own wishes: Sigmund Freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety valve to discharge unacceptable feelings. The dream’s manifest (apparent) content may also have symbolic meanings (latent content) that signify our unacceptable feelings.

Critical Considerations: Lacks any scientific support; dreams may be interpreted in many different ways.

Why do we dream? – theories

2. Information Processing: Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix a day’s experiences in our memories.

Critical Considerations: But why do we sometimes dream about things we have not experienced?

Why do we dream?

3. Physiological Function: Dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation to develop and preserve neural pathways. Neural networks of newborns are quickly developing; therefore, they need more sleep.

Critical Considerations: This may be true, but it does not explain why we experience meaningful dreams.

Why do we dream?

4. Activation-Synthesis Theory: Suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural activity. Dreams make sense of this activity.

5. Cognitive Development: Some researchers argue that we dream as a part of brain maturation and cognitive development.

Critical Considerations: The individual’s brain is weaving the stories, which still tells us something about the dreamer.

Critical Considerations: Does not address the neuroscience of dreams.

How many days or years do you think the average human spends dreaming in a lifetime?

Trivia Question!

Random Facts about Dreams- Human beings spend roughly around 6 years of their lifetime

dreaming.

- Blind people dream. Their dreams are auditory if they were born blind. If they became blind at an early age, they still dream of what they remember

- Men get erections in their REM sleep and women have an increased blood flow to their vaginas

- If you avoid your sleep for more than 10 days, you will die

- A giraffe sleeps for only 2 hours a day

Common Dream Symbols• Falling is a common dream symbol that relates to our anxieties

about letting go, losing control, or somehow failing after a success.

• Demons are sneaky evil entities which signify repressed emotions. You may secretly feel the need to change your behaviors for the better.

• Houses can host many common dream symbols, but the building as a whole represents your inner psyche. Each room or floor can symbolize different emotions, memories and interpretations of meaningful events.

• Nudity is one of the most common dream symbols, revealing your true self to others. You may feel vulnerable and exposed to others.

Common Dream Symbols

• Water comes in many forms, symbolizing the unconscious mind. Calm pools of water reflect inner peace while a choppy ocean can suggest unease.

• Vehicles may reflect how much control you feel you have over your life - for instance is the car out of control, or is someone else driving you?

• Mountains are obstacles, so to dream of successfully climbing a mountain can reveal a true feeling of achievement. Viewing a landscape from atop a mountain can symbolize a life under review without conscious prejudice.