Ch. 5.4-5 - Sleep Deprivation & Dreaming

Who founded the psychoanalytical approach to dreaming?

Sigmund Freud, in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900).

What did Freud argue dreams represent?

Unconscious expressions of wish fulfillment.

What is manifest content?

The literal images and storylines of a dream.

What is latent content?

The symbolic, hidden meaning of a dream based on suppressed urges.

What is the activation-synthesis hypothesis?

The theory that dreams result from random brainstem activity that the cortex attempts to interpret.

What is the problem-solving theory of dreaming?

The idea that dreams reflect ongoing waking concerns and help with solving problems.

Why are dreams hard to remember?

Because waking up triggers stress hormones (norepinephrine and cortisol), which disrupt memory consolidation.

What are common signs of sleep deprivation?

Falling asleep quickly, irritability, attention deficits, normal energy when busy but malaise when resting, difficulty reading/studying, and microsleeps after 2–3 days.

What are microsleeps?

Brief, involuntary episodes of sleep lasting a few seconds.

What are the costs of sleep deprivation?

Cognitive and emotional deficits, increased vehicular accidents, and increased preventable medical errors.

What is sleep displacement?

When someone cannot sleep at their normal time (e.g., jet lag, daylight savings).

What is sleep hygiene?

Practices that train the brain and body to fall asleep more readily.