cydira
April 26th, 2001, 09:10 PM
Class 1: The Brain & Dreams
For those of you who have not been introduced to the workings of the human brain, excellent information as to the mechanics of the process can be found in any encyclopedia. I am currently going to be quoting information from Introduction to Psychology: 4th Edition by James W. Kalat. Quoted sections will be noted by a double astrick at the end of the quote. If you can not get access to this text through your local library, you can request it through the interlibrary loan system of the nearest college or university.
Much of what is known for certain about the process of sleep is observed through experiments that track the circadian rhythms of the subjects. The circadian rhythm is the biological "clock" that is built into the brain. This "clock" controlls the hormone levels of your body that are associated with sleep. The suprachiamatic nucleus is the part of the brain that controlls this intrnal clock.** The phenonmenon known as jet lag is an excellent example of how this part of the brain controlls the internal clock. The suprachiamatic nucleus is attached to the optic nerve and responds to light, using the initial contact of light in the morning to "reset" your intenral clock.** Jet lag results when this internal clock is thrown off by a change in the times that the sun rises and sets.
The question that then arises is: how does the "internal clock" stuff relate to sleep and dreams? This can be seen when we examine the stages of sleep and the sleep cycle. Stage 1 sleep is known also as hypnagogic sleep. This is the initial stage of sleep that we feel and call "daydreaming" or "dozing". In this state, alpha brain waves can be seen in an EEG reading. Stage 2 & 3 are often characterized by increasingly larger (and therefore slower) brainwave activity known as beta waves. Stage 4 is known for the delta wave activity in the brain. This is the slowest that brainwaves are usually observed in a healthy individual and the only time these are observed is in stage 4 sleep. (for the entire paragraph **)
Rapid eye movement sleep, also known as REM sleep, is simmilar to stage 1 sleep. The difference is that in stage 1 sleep there is a relatively equal amount of brain wave activity and movement. In REM sleep, there is a state that was discovered in the 1950s by Michel Jouvet, paradoxial sleep.** Paradoxial sleep occurs after stage 4 sleep and is characterized by highened brain wave activity and fluctuations in the heart rate, breathing rate and the temperature of the sleeper.** This may seem to be stage 1 sleep except for one important defining trait. While all of this activity is occuring, the muscles are in a deep state of relaxation. It is in this state that we dream.**
Any questions?
For those of you who have not been introduced to the workings of the human brain, excellent information as to the mechanics of the process can be found in any encyclopedia. I am currently going to be quoting information from Introduction to Psychology: 4th Edition by James W. Kalat. Quoted sections will be noted by a double astrick at the end of the quote. If you can not get access to this text through your local library, you can request it through the interlibrary loan system of the nearest college or university.
Much of what is known for certain about the process of sleep is observed through experiments that track the circadian rhythms of the subjects. The circadian rhythm is the biological "clock" that is built into the brain. This "clock" controlls the hormone levels of your body that are associated with sleep. The suprachiamatic nucleus is the part of the brain that controlls this intrnal clock.** The phenonmenon known as jet lag is an excellent example of how this part of the brain controlls the internal clock. The suprachiamatic nucleus is attached to the optic nerve and responds to light, using the initial contact of light in the morning to "reset" your intenral clock.** Jet lag results when this internal clock is thrown off by a change in the times that the sun rises and sets.
The question that then arises is: how does the "internal clock" stuff relate to sleep and dreams? This can be seen when we examine the stages of sleep and the sleep cycle. Stage 1 sleep is known also as hypnagogic sleep. This is the initial stage of sleep that we feel and call "daydreaming" or "dozing". In this state, alpha brain waves can be seen in an EEG reading. Stage 2 & 3 are often characterized by increasingly larger (and therefore slower) brainwave activity known as beta waves. Stage 4 is known for the delta wave activity in the brain. This is the slowest that brainwaves are usually observed in a healthy individual and the only time these are observed is in stage 4 sleep. (for the entire paragraph **)
Rapid eye movement sleep, also known as REM sleep, is simmilar to stage 1 sleep. The difference is that in stage 1 sleep there is a relatively equal amount of brain wave activity and movement. In REM sleep, there is a state that was discovered in the 1950s by Michel Jouvet, paradoxial sleep.** Paradoxial sleep occurs after stage 4 sleep and is characterized by highened brain wave activity and fluctuations in the heart rate, breathing rate and the temperature of the sleeper.** This may seem to be stage 1 sleep except for one important defining trait. While all of this activity is occuring, the muscles are in a deep state of relaxation. It is in this state that we dream.**
Any questions?