Sleep, Dreams, and Sleep Disorders

Insomnia

Trouble sleeping or staying asleep. Happens in stage 1 or 2.

Narcolepsy

Sudden onset of feeling tired or actually going through fast periods of REM sleep:REM stage. (Caused by a chemical imbalance in the hypothalamus)

Sleep Apnea

Breathing is stopped during sleep. The major causes are obesity and smoking or lung issues. Happens more in REM sleep.

Somnambulism

Sleep-walking: Happens in stage ¾.

Night Terrors

Episodes of intense fear and distress during sleep, accompanied by rapid heart rate, sweating, and difficulty waking up. Occurs in stage 4.

Bruxism

Teeth grinding. Stages 1-2

Enuresis

Bedwetting. Stages ¾

Myoclonus

Sudden jerk of a body part. Stage 2.

Hypnagogic Sensations

Falling or feeling of being pinned down.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

When the time changes and it gets darker earlier. This occurs in areas of the world where it is dark for long periods.

Consciousness

Awareness of yourself and your environment

Hypothalamus

Sleep control center in the brain. Monitors changes in light or dark in the environment. Changes levels of hormones in the body.

Melatonin

Hormone that helps regulate daily biological rhythms. Linked to the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin level increase during the night and decrease with exposure to morning light.

Reasons for Sleep

Preservation, Restoration, Restore and rebuild our fading memories, Creative thinking, Sleeping stimulates the pituitary gland to release growth hormone, Improved athletic ability, Muscle memory occurs during REM sleep, Optimal exercise time is late afternoon.

Stage 1 Sleep

Breathing is slowed, Brain waves become irregular, It is easy to wake the person, who will insist they are not asleep, Rarely lasts longer than 5 minutes.

Stage 2 Sleep

The brain wave cycle slows, Sleep spindles (Burst of rapid brain activity), First time through stage 2 lasts around 20 minutes.

Stages 3 and 4

Slow wave sleep, Delta waves, First time through stage 4 is about 30 minutes and is where one gets rejuvenated.

Rem Sleep

Rapid eye movement (REM sleep) as eyes move quickly back and forth, Vivid dreaming occurs in REM sleep, Called “paradoxical sleep”, The brain is fully awake but the body is relaxed.

Sleep Deprivation

Decrease efficiency of immune system functioning, Safety and accident issues, Increased healthcare cost, Increased risk of other medical conditions, Contributes to impaired concentration, irritability, etc, Increases in depression and/or anxiety if REM sleep is interrupted frequently.

Recurring Dreams

This usually alerts us to an unresolved issue in our life. Can be trauma-based.

Precognitive Dreams

Foretell something ahead of time.

Nightmares

Bad dreams; easily remembered; usually occur last time in REM (early morning).

Lucid Dreams

Aware that you are dreaming; some ability to control the actions in the dream.

Daydreams

Fantasies/things coming up/things that just happened.

Dreams

The ones we remember tend to be very vivid; emotional; bizarre; and usually negative.

Freud

We dream because it gives us an outlet for behaviors and thoughts that aren’t acceptable in society.

Information-Processing Theory

Dreams help memory.

Physiological Function Theory

Neural activity during REM sleep is important to the growing brain.

Activation-Synthesis Theory

Dreams are the mind’s attempt to make sense of random neural firings in the brain as one sleeps.

Cognitive Development Theory

Dreams are part of the brain's growing and maturing.

Nightmare Theories

Help with emotional processing, Connect us to our shadow, An extension of trauma, Is there a physical cause?

Sleep Patterns

Insomnia, Alcohol abuse and or alcohol withdrawal, Other sleep conditions like sleep apnea.

Hypnosis

An altered state of consciousness, A highly suggestible state. A hypnotist makes suggestions about thoughts, perceptions, behaviors, and feelings and you follow them.

Divided Consciousness Theory

During hypnosis, our consciousness splits.

Hypnotic Suggestions

Suggestions made during hypnosis to influence behavior, thoughts or emotions.

Posthypnotic Suggestion

Suggestion that will be carried out after the hypnosis has ended.