Lecture #5: Sleep & Dreams

1. Lecture #5: Sleep & Dreams Music: “Dreams” By the Cranberries “California Dreaming” By the Mamas and Papas

2. Lecture #5: Agenda • 1.Structure of Consciousness • 2. Everyday Changes in Consciousness: • a) Circadian Rhythms • b) The Sleep Cycle • c) Sleep Deprivation • d) Tips for sleep success • e) Content of Dreams • f) Theories of Dreams • 3. Self-Guide to Dream Interpretation • 4. Movie: “The Mind Hidden and Divided”

3. 2. Everyday Changes in Consciousness • a) Circadian Rhythms • Biological clock governing cycles in bodily functions (e.g. wakefulness, metabolism, body temp. hormone secretion) • Originates in hypothalamus • SCN stimulated by light sends signals to pineal gland • Leads to the secretion of melatonin • Jet Lag: • Interferes with your biological clock • Flying West: phase-delay shifts/ much easier • Flying East: phase-advance shifts/ harder

4. p. 184

5. 2. b) The Sleep Cycle • 5 Stages: • Stage 1: • Light sleep 1-7 min. (theta waves) • Hypnic Jerks • Stage 2: • 10-25 min. (sleep spindles) • May involve some dreaming • Stages 3 & 4: • 30 min. slow-wave sleep (delta waves) • Longer in the first part of the night • When sleepwalking and night terrors occur • Usually within the first 2 hours of sleep • Stage 5: REM sleep (beta waves) • Rapid eye movements & dreaming • Gets progressively longer in later part of the night

6. Fig. 5.5 & 5.11 in text

7. 2. b) The sleep cycle (p. 196)

8. 2. b) Stage 5: REM Sleep (cont’d) • REM= Rapid Eye Movement • When most dreams occur • About 20% of sleep time • Paradoxical: • Heart rate and arousal increase • Brain activity resembles alert state • Major muscle groups inhibited • See Application section for “lucid dreaming”

9. 2. c) Sleep deprivation: • Impaired concentration and cognitive performance • Irritability • Immunity to disease • Misperceptions during monotonous tasks • Why we need sleep: • a) to conserve energy • b) for growth process & restoration of body tissue • c) to consolidate memory • d) to dream!

10. 2. d) Tips for Sleep Success • 1) Develop a consistent bedtime routine • Principles of conditioning • Train your body to know what to expect • 2) Go to bed at the same time each night • You’ll feel more rested than using variable bedtimes • 3) Wake up without an alarm clock • 4) Avoid caffeine after 2 p.m. • 5) Try going to bed earlier each night • To ensure you are getting enough sleep • 6) No long naps during the day • Power nap no longer than 20 minutes during the day

11. 2. e) Content of Dreams • Typical Dreams of Canadian University Students (p. 198) • Being chased or pursued, not injured (90%) • Sexual experiences • Falling • School, teachers, studying • Arriving too late • Being on the verge of falling • A person now alive as dead • Trying repeatedly to do something • Flying or soaring through the air • Vividly sensing a presence • Failing an examination • Physically attacked • Being frozen with fright (50%) • Inappropriately dressed • Seeing self as dead

12. 2. f) Theories of Dreams • Freud • “Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious” • Wish Fulfillment Theory: • Dreams express unconscious motives and wishes • Manifest & latent content • Criticisms

13. 2. f) Theories of Dreams (cont’d) • Problem-solving View: • Dreams reflect an attempt to solve problems in waking-life • Activation-Synthesis Model: • Biological view • Dreams are the by-product of random neural firing from subcortical structures in the brain.

14. Fig. 5.13, p. 200

15. 3. Self-Guide to Dream Interpretation • From Clara Hill (1996); For next week: • 1) Write your dream in the present tense • 2) Underline dream elements • 3) Provide more description of the dream elements • 4) Associate to dream elements • 5) Link to waking life • 6) Next week: Interpreting your dream • 7) & Making your dream work for you!

16. Stick around for the tutorial… & Sleep well!