DO NOW
• Advice for sleepless
Calvin:
Sleep Stages
Click dude for alpha
Waves.
Click to see an
awake brain.
• While we sleep our
brain has electrical
activity (brain waves) in
which researchers
record.
• EEG machine is used to
measure the activity
and stages of sleep.
Brain Waves and Sleep Stages
 Alpha Waves
 slow waves of a
relaxed, awake brain
 Delta Waves
 large, slow waves of
deep sleep
 Hallucinations
 false sensory
experiences
Stage 1
• Kind of awake and kind
of asleep.
• Only lasts about 5
minutes, and you
usually only experience
it once a night.
Click the couple to see Theta Waves
Stage 2
• Begin to show sleep
spindles…short bursts
of rapid brain waves.
• EEG
Click image to see Stage Two of sleep.
Stages 3 and 4
• Slow wave sleep.
• Produce Delta waves.
• If awoken you will be very
groggy.
• Vital for restoring body’s
growth hormones and
good overall health.
Click boys to see deep sleep.
From stage 4, your brain begins to speed up and you
go to stage 3, then 2….then ……
REM Sleep
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Click boy dreaming to see REM sleep.
Rapid Eye Movement
AKA “paradoxical sleep”
Brain is very active.
Dreams usually occur in REM.
Body is essentially paralyzed.
REM Rebound
Stages in a Typical Night’s Sleep
Awake
Sleep
stages
1
2
3
REM
4
0
1
2
3
4
Hours of sleep
5
6
7
What are dreams?
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Story-like sensations and perceptions.
Most bizarre and vivid dreams occur during REM sleep.
May contain a certain amount of logic.
May be influenced by daytime activities to some degree.
Lucid dreaming – when you are aware that you are
dreaming
10 Facts about Dreams
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Everybody dreams.
You forget most of your dreams.
Not all dreams are in color.
Men and women dream differently.
Animals probably dream.
You can control your dreams (lucid dreaming).
Negative emotions are more common in dreams.
Blind people dream.
You are paralyzed during your dreams.
Many dreams are universal.
Dreams
5 most common dream themes:
• Falling, Being Chased, Teeth Falling Out, Back at School,
Spouse Cheating on You
• Sensory stimuli can intrude into dreams
Recurrent Dreams
• Occur between 60% and 75% of adults, and
more often in women than men
• Presence of unresolved conflicts or stressors
in an individual’s life
• Often comprised of common dream themes
– being attacked or chased, falling, being stuck,
being late, missing or failing an
exam, losing control of a car
– themes may be considered
“scripts”
Nightmares
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Occur during REM sleep
5% of population have them
On average pf 1X per week
Usually happens when we miss REM sleep,
don’t get enough sleep, drink too much
alcohol, eat spicy foods, or see something that
is scary.
Dreams: Sigmund Freud
 Wrote “The Interpretation of Dreams” (1900)
 Freud wrote that dreams are "...disguised
fulfillments of repressed wishes."
Why Do We Dream?
Wish Fulfillment - Freud
– Psychodynamic Approach
– Dreams represent our unconscious desires
– Repressed desires show up in the form of symbols
• Manifest content – the literal content of a dream
(transcription)
• Latent content – the true meaning behind the dream
(unconscious desires)
Why Do We Dream?
• Activation-Synthesis Theory
– Views dreaming from a biological approach
– Dreams result from random brain activity– the brain’s
interpretation of what is happening physiologically during REM
sleep
• Information-Processing Theory (Problem-Solving Theory)
– Stress throughout the day increases the # and intensity of
dreams – content relates to daily concerns
– The function of REM is to integrate the info processed during
the day into our memories
Why Do We Dream?
• Physiological Function – Brain stimulation from
REM helps develop and preserve neural pathways
• Cognitive Development – Dream content reflects
dreamers’ cognitive development (their knowledge
and understanding). Part of the brain maturation
process.
Exit Slip
• Please read the crazy
dream and follow the
subsequent directions.
• Collected for a
classwork grade.
Dream Theories
 Wish Fulfillment- also Freud
 Dreams express otherwise
unacceptable feelings;
“psychic
safety valve”
Dream Theories
 Information-Processing/Waking Life
 Dreams help us sort out
the day’s events and
consolidate memories
 Ex: High grades –
high sleep correlation
Dream Theories
 Physiological Functioning
 Brain stimulation from
REM sleep may help
develop and preserve
neural pathways
 Explains why infants
spend so much time
in sleep and REM
Dream Theories
 Activation-Synthesis
 Dream is your brain trying to make sense out of random
neural firings
 Limbic system (emotion) and visual cortex have
increased activity while dreaming
Dream Theories
 Cognitive Theory
 Dream content reflects dreamer’s cognitive
development
 Children under 9:
Dreams are like
slideshows that don’t
make sense
 Older: Coherent
storylines in which we
are actors