Myth #7: Researchers have demonstrated that Dreams possess symbolic meaning What is consciousness?

Getting your zzzzzzz’s What did we learn about you in the sleep survey?

Sleep We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping. How much sleep are you (average teen) supposed to get? Adults? Infants?

Are you sleep deprived? About 71% of our population is sleep deprived!

How does a lack of sleep affect you? Link between lack of sleep and your health (stress, depression) Studies have also shown a link between lack of sleep and ability to think & perform. Stress Depression Hypertension heart attacks Strokes Type II diabetes periodontal disease skin problems obesity, & cancer

Sleep & performance Typically we should feel wide awake, alert, and energetic all day long WITHOUT a significant midday drop in alertness.

Sleep & performance Dr. James Maas (Cornell University), says we sleep for 2 reasons: Our bodies run on cycles called circadian rhythms, sleep is one. *Light is the most powerful cue affecting sleep. Darkness triggers the release of melatonin; the hormone that brings on sleep.

Circadian rhythms Are you a lark or an owl? 69 – 86: Definite morning 59 – 68: Moderate morning 42 – 58: Neither type 31 – 41: Moderate evening 16 – 30: Definite evening

Sleep & performance 2) The longer we are awake, the GREATER our need for mentally & physically restorative sleep. *1 hour of sleep to pay for every 2 hours of wakefulness *Tire after being up for 16 hours. *Sleep debt is cumulative The longer you deprive yourself of rest, the more of it you will need to feel rested.

Benefits of sleep? Depends on the stage of sleep: NREM: Stages 1 – 4 Rejuvenates BODY REM: Stage 5 Rejuvenates MIND

Measuring sleep…an EEG

When you sleep…

Sleep stages

Stages during one night’s sleep

Sleep patterns change over the lifespan

Are you one of the walking dead?

Dangers of too little sleep Suppressed immune system Increased stress hormones Increased accident risk Hypertension (high blood pressure) Impaired concentration & memory Irritability Weight gain Depression Diminished productivity Premature aging

REM sleep REM Rebound Vivid Dreaming Paradoxical sleep

REM Sleep MEMORY CONSOLIDATION Learning: Long-term muscle memory (the skills we practice)

Benefits of sleep: NREM/DEEP SLEEP Blood supply to muscles increases Tissue growth and repair occurs Hormones are released, such as: Growth hormone, essential for growth and development, including muscle development Energy is restored

Review! Tell your partner 2 things that are unique to NREM sleep. Tell your partner 2 things that are unique to REM sleep.

Sleep disorders Insomnia: inability to fall or stay asleep Sleep apnea: Cessation of breathing, repeatedly awaken, snoring, lack of deep sleep, EXHAUSTION during day Narcolepsy: sleep attacks when nervous system is aroused (excitement, surprise, anger), fall into REM, loss of muscle tone

Which one is which? Reece, a 7-year-old boy, couldn’t even kick a football without falling asleep. Reece would fall over up to 25x a day and would sometimes sleep 23 hours. Reece’s mother said, ‘His teacher kept stopping me saying she was concerned. He would fall asleep in the middle of the class. It meant he was falling behind on his school work.”

Which one is which? Mark wakes up throughout the night, sometimes very abruptly, with choking sounds. His wife, Sherry, says he is holding his breath for short amounts of time or even not breathing. When she wakes him, he is usually startled. She also says that Mark snores loudly every night. When Mark awaken in the morning he feels tired and takes naps during the day to “catch up.”

Which one is which? Anna tries to go to bed around 11:00 PM. She usually falls asleep in less than 15 minutes, but occasionally it seems to take her hours to fall asleep. She wakes up three to four times per night, and at least one of these awakenings lasts two to three hours. Anna  gets frustrated when she “sees the clock ticking away;” in response, she usually gets out of bed to work on the computer until she becomes sleepy, which often does not happen until around 5:30 AM — which is the time she should be getting up. At that time, Anna falls into a very deep sleep and may not awaken until 7:00 or 8:00 AM.

CRQ: Sleep

Everyone dreams Recallers vs. non-recallers Sequence of dreams 1: review of problem related to days events 2 & 3rd: recall earlier episodes of day 4: set in the future 5: ties all elements together into 1 bizarre tense “extravaganza”!

Typical dream 2 characters, in addition to the dreamer Indoors More passive (you are watching) More hostile/unpleasant More strange males than females Male dreams tend to differ from females: Males: More active, fighting, naked, $$$ Females: More endangered, emotional (not aggressive)

REM & dreaming 20 most common dreams: Falling (83) Being attacked or pursued (77) Trying repeatedly to do something (71) School, teachers, studying (71) Sexual experiences (66) Arriving too late (64) Eating (62) Being frozen with fright (58)

Being locked up (56) Finding money (56) Swimming (52) Snakes (49) Being dressed inappropriately (46) Being smothered (44) Being nude in public (43) Fire (41) Failing an exam (39) Flying (34) Seeing self as dead (33)

Do dreams having meaning? Freud: Dreams are symbolic Extensions of daily life: Dreams help you solve problems Activation-synthesis (Hobson & McCarley): Dreams are biological byproducts of a busy brain

Activation Synthesis

Dream analysis: Doris

NOVA: What are dreams?