Sleep and Dreams

Sleep Is sleep important?

Yes!!!!Radio Disk Jockey Peter

Tripp found this out50 hrs- hallucinations100 hrs- delirious120 hrs- needed a stimulant 150 hrs- disoriented200 hrs- believed doctor was

an undertaker Sleep is a state of altered

consciousness, characterized by certain patterns of brain activity and inactivity.

ConsciousnessConsciousness is a state

of awarenessCan range from

alertness to non-altertnessBeing fully aware means

having your attention focused on something

Being in an altered state of consciousness means not being completely aware Ex: Sleep

Why do we sleep?We are not really sure…but

here are some theories:Some believe it is when

the brain recovers from exhaustion/stress (recharging of batteries)

Primitive hibernation- sleep to conserve energy

Adaptive process- Long ago we slept at night to avoid predators

Clear our minds of useless info.

Dream

Stages of sleepEarly Stages

Stage 1 Pulse continues to slow and

your muscles relax “just drifting”, lasts for up to

10 minStage 2

Your eyes roll slowly from side to side

Lasts for about 30 min before you drift into deeper sleep

Stage 3 Large amplitude delta waves

begin to sweep your brain every second or so

Deep sleep

Stage 4 Deepest sleep of all Indicated by large,

regular delta waves occurring more than 50% of the time

Person awoken would be feel disoriented

Can be characterized by sleep walking, talking, and bed wetting

REM Sleep Characterized by rapid eye

movement Called active sleep because

brain activity resembles a person who is awake

Almost all dreaming takes place here

Builds efficient learning/memory processes

Last from 15 min (early at night), to 45 min (late at night), after which you retrace the decent to Stage 4

Go through cycle every 90 min.

Brain is always active

Sleep Disorders Insomnia

Inability to obtain sleep Sleep Apnea

Frequent interruptions of breathing during sleep

Snoring Most common among elderly and

obese Narcolepsy

Permanent feeling of sleepiness Nightmares/Night Terrors

Nightmares occur during REM sleep, people will wake and have a memory of the dream

Night terrors occur during stage 4, characterized by sweating, screaming and confusion, people wake and have no memory

Sleep Walking Person is partly, but not

completely awake during the night

Person will have no memory of doing it

Usually harmless but person could injure themselves

Sleep TalkingNo memory but most

people talk in their sleepHarmless

Meditation Meditation is a practice

of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.

Benefits of meditation …1. INCREASED IMMUNITY

Relaxation appears to boost immunity in recovering cancer patients. A study at the Ohio State University found that progressive muscular relaxation, when practised daily, reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence. In another study at Ohio State, a month of relaxation exercises boosted natural killer cells in the elderly, giving them a greater resistance to tumours and to viruses.

2. LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE

A study at Harvard Medical School found that meditation lowered blood pressure by making the body less responsive to stress hormones, in a similar way to blood pressure-lowering medication. Meanwhile a British Medical Journal report found that patients trained how to relax had significantly lower blood pressure.

3. CALMNESS

The simple difference between those who meditate and those who do not, is that for a meditative mind the thought occurs but is witnessed, while for an ordinary mind, the thought occurs and is the boss. So in both minds, an upsetting thought can occur, but for those who meditate it is just another thought, which is seen as such and is allowed to blossom and die, while in the ordinary mind the thought instigates a storm which rages on and on.

How might this way of thinking be helpful?

DreamsMental activity that

occurs during sleepDreams become

longer and more active during the night

The last dream is likely to be the longest and the one people remember when they wake up

Content of DreamsEveryday activitiesCommonplace settings:

living rooms, cars, and streets.

Strenuous recreational activities or passive events, like sitting and watching.

Unpleasant or negative emotions: anxiety, anger, sadness

Realistic time scale

Nightmares Frightening enough

that we awaken in the middle

Dream Interpretation Freud believed that

dreams contain clues to thoughts the dreamer is afraid to acknowledge

Nathaniel Kleitman believed dreams are a by-product of brain function and serve no purpose

Some believe dreams allow people to review some of the problems faced during the day

DaydreamsFantasizing while we

are awake Occurs when we are

boredUseful purposes

include:Prepares us for

future eventsImproves our

creativity Controls our

emotions