Sleep and Dreams - psych

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

biological rhythms

periodic physiological fluctuations

circadian rhythm

The biological clock. It involves regular body rhythms (ex: temperature and sleep) that occur on a 24h cycle

5 stages of sleep

1. Stage 1

2. Stage 2

3. Stage 3 / 4

4. REM sleep

stage 1 of sleep cycle

alpha waves, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep talking, myoclonic jerk, slowdown of biological functions

stage 2 of sleep cycle

waves are slower (some theta waves), sleep spindles, K-complexes, sleep talking, biological functions continue to slow

Stage 3 and 4 of sleep cycle

Deep sleep, all delta waves, bedwetting and sleep talking most likely, biological functions are at their lowest

REM sleep

rapid eye movement, dreaming, erections in males, paralysis

length of a full sleep cycle

about 90 minutes; as cycles continue throughout the night, stage 4 sleep gets shorter and REM sleep gets longer

shortest to longest sleep waves

beta, alpha, theta, delta

sequential stages of sleep during the sleep cycle

1-2-3-4-3-2-REM

3 theories as to why we need sleep

1. restoration

2. growth

3. protection

restoration theory of sleep

certain chemicals depleted during the day are restored during sleep

growth theory of sleep

pituitary gland is more active during deep sleep, so sleep is important in the growth process (babies and young people sleep more than adults)

protection theory of sleep

sleeping when it was dark kept us safe (evolutionary perspective)

5 dream theories

1. Freudian theory

2. activation-synthesis theory

3. information processing theory

4. cognitive development theory

5. physiological function theory

freudian theory of dreams

dreams help disguise unconscious conflicts and motives

1. phallic symbols - represented male genitalia (tall buildings, poles, guns, swords, rockets)

2. yonic symbols - represented female genitalia (rooms, houses, tunnels, ships, boxes

3. sex itself is never dreamed of but instead represented by physical actions (jumping, dancing, etc)

manifest content (freudian theory)

remembered storyline of a dream

latent content (freudian theory)

the underlying “meaning” of a dream

activation-synthesis theory

dreams spring from the mind’s effort to make sense of random visual bursts of electrical activity that originate in the brainstem and are given emotional tone in the limbic system

information-processing theory

the parts of the brain active when we learn something are similarly active later when we sleep and dream

cognitive development theory

periodic stimulation during dreaming helps form neural connections; especially important in infants

physiological function theory

neural activity during REM sleep provides periodic stimulation of the brain. Dreams are purely neural firings and have no meaning behind them

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following a period of REM deprivation

Eric Fromm ideas

1. Dreams solve problems for us (we come up with solutions in the dream)

2. Dreams give experience or practice at doing something new or anxiety provoking

   1. dream about taking a test, attending a funeral, etc

   2. Repeating dreams = a problem that you keep trying to solve

5 types of common sleeping disorders

1. insomnia

2. narcolepsy

3. sleep apnea

4. night terrors

5. somnambulism (sleepwalking)

insomnia

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

narcolepsy

disorder characterized by sleeping attacks. The sufferer may fall directly into REM sleep when their neural system becomes particularly aroused

sleep apnea

disorder characterized by temporary cessation of breathing during sleep and momentary awakenings throughout the night

night terror

disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified. Unlike nightmares, these occur during deep stage sleep and typically aren’t remembered

somnambulism (sleepwalking)

person gets up and walks while they are in deep sleep

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus that governs the timing of circadian rhythms

melatonin

hormone of the pineal gland that produces sleepiness

microsleep

episodes of sleep lasting for a few seconds

effects of sleep deprivation

decreases efficient of immune system, raises stress hormone cortisol, contributes to hypertension, impaired concentration, premature aging

sleep thinking

vague, uncreative, bland thoughts about real life events that take place in nREM sleep, occurs more than dreams

5 basic characteristics of dreams

1. intense emotions

2. illogical content and organization

3. sensations are sometimes bizarre

4. bizarre details are uncritically accepted

5. dream images are difficult to remember

parts of the brain that are most active during REM

amygdala and hippocampus

parts of brain that are “shut down” during REM

frontal lobe and primary visual cortex

why we don’t remember dreams

areas of the brain used in forming memories are shut down during REM sleep and neurotransmitters used to make memories are greatly reduced

when you are most likely to remember a dream

if you wake up in the middle of it

3 types of dreams

1. true dreams

2. sleep thought

3. lucid dreams

true dream

vivid, detailed dreams consisting of sensory and motor sensations experienced during REM

sleep thought

lacks vivid sensory and motor sensations, is more similar to daytime thinking and occurs during nREM sleep

lucid dream

dreamer controls what happens in the dream

nREM

non-REM sleep

K-Complex

waveform seen on EEGs during stage 2 of the sleep cycle