Sleep & Dreaming I & Drug Categories

Stimulants

Increase neural activity and energy.

Depressants

Slow down neural activity.

Hallucinogens (Psychedelics)

Distort perceptions and evoke sensory experiences without input.

Oneirology

The scientific study of dreams and dreaming.

Hypocretin (Orexin)

A neurotransmitter that regulates arousal, wakefulness, and appetite; low levels are linked to narcolepsy.

Coma

A prolonged state of deep unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened and shows minimal or no response to stimuli.

Sigmund Freud – *The Interpretation of Dreams

Freud’s 1900 work proposing that dreams represent unconscious desires, conflicts, and repressed memories.

Nightmare

A disturbing dream causing strong negative emotions, often waking the sleeper.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

A neurological disorder causing uncomfortable sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them, often disrupting sleep.

Night Terrors

Episodes of intense fear and screaming during deep NREM sleep; the sleeper usually doesn’t remember them.