Sleep 101

 Sleep is prompted by natural cycles of activity in the brain and consists of two basic states 1. rapid eye movement (REM) sleep 2. non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

Sleep 101  During sleep, the body cycles between non-REM and REM sleep. Typically, people begin the sleep cycle with a period of non-REM sleep followed by a very short period of REM sleep.

What Is Non-REM Sleep?  NREM is made up of stages 1-4.  Each stage lasts from 5 to 15 minutes.  A completed cycle of sleep consists of a progression from stages 1-4 before REM sleep is attained, then the cycle starts over again.

Stage 1  Polysomnography (sleep readings) show a reduction in activity between wakefulness and stage 1 sleep. –lasts for five to 10 minutes. –eyes are closed –can be awakened without difficulty –if awakened, a person may feel as if he or she has not slept. –Many may notice the feeling of falling during this stage of sleep, which may cause a sudden muscle contraction (called hypnic myoclonia).

Stage 2  This is a period of light sleep which indicate spontaneous periods of muscle tone mixed with periods of muscle relaxation. –Slowed heart rate –Body temperature decreases –Body prepares to enter deep sleep.

Stages 3 and 4  These are deep sleep stages, with stage 4 being more intense than Stage 3. –slow-wave, or delta, sleep. –If aroused from sleep during these stages, a person may feel disoriented for a few minutes.

NREM  During the deep stages of NREM sleep, the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle, and appears to strengthen the immune system

What Is REM Sleep?  Usually, REM sleep occurs 90 minutes after sleep onset.  The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes, with each recurring REM stage lengthening, and the final one may last up to an hour. –In people without sleep disorders, heart rate and respiration speed up and become erratic during REM sleep. –During this stage the eyes move rapidly in different directions.

What Is REM Sleep?  Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep –heightened brain activity –paralysis occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups.  Infants can spend up to 50% of their sleep in the REM stage of sleep, whereas adults spend only about 20% in REM.

Dreams  Dreams generally occur in the REM stage of sleep  Use the class handouts to create a flip paper explaining dreams interpretations from a psychological perspective: Freud v. Jung 

Sigmund Freud on Dreams “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”  - dreams reveal what you really want  Wish-Fulfillment Theory - dreams reveal what you really want –Some unconscious wishes may be unacceptable ( –Some unconscious wishes may be unacceptable (satisfy sexual and aggressive impulses)   Manifest Content: the surface level of a dream (images, action)   Latent Content: the unconscious meaning of a dream

Dream Interpretation  In a group of THREE… –Make-up a SKIT of an individual’s dream (real or fiction) –Use at LEAST ONE prop per person –Use at LEAST THREE symbols from the Dream Dictionary –Provide a debriefing or explanation at the end of your skit about the unconscious meaning of your group’s “dream”

Activation-Synthesis Theory   Dreams result from random activations of brain cells.   The brain synthesizes (or combines) this activity with existing knowledge and memories as if the signals came from the environment.   Our interpretation of images and sensations = dream’s meaning.

Dreams as Problem-Solving   Dreams reflect emotional preoccupations (relationships, sex, work, health)   Images in a dream are sometimes symbols for things in everyday life.   Agrees with Freud that dreams contain symbols BUT there is no “latent” (unconscious) meaning only “manifest” meaning at the surface level

Mental Housekeeping Theory   During sleep, the brain shuts out sensory input so it can process what was stored in memory during the day.   Dreams are brief glimpses of the brain’s sorting, scanning and searching through memories. Dreams have no meaning.

Sleep Problems  Use your textbook Pages 110 – 112 briefly define and illustrate the following sleep problems  Insomnia  Nightmares and Night Terrors  Sleep Walking  Sleep Apnea  Narcolepsy