Warm-Up• Describe a recurring dream that you have. What

do you think that dream means?

Sleep and Dreams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNE2hNmmT3A

Circadian Rhythms• Circadian Rhythms are our biological clocks,

the govern the function of people, animals, and plants.

• This is a cycle that happens every 24 hours.• This sequence, in humans, includes body

temperature, blood pressure, and sleepiness and wakefulness.

• Sleep-Wake cycle is associated with the rotation of the earth.

The Stages of Sleep• Sleep stages are determined by brain wave

patterns.• There are four different brain wave patterns;

beta, alpha, theta, and delta waves.• When we are awake and alert our brain emits

beta waves, but as we become drowsy brain waves move from beta to alpha waves which are slower.

The Stages of Sleep – Stage 1

• As we enter stage 1 our brain waves slow down from the alpha rhythm to the slower pattern of theta waves.

• As we enter this stage we are accompanied by brief dreamlike images that resemble vivid photographs.

• Stage 1 is the lightest sleep and if awakened we feel like we have not been to sleep yet.

• This stage lasts about 30-40 minutes before moving into stages 2, 3, and 4.

The Stages of Sleep – Stages 2, 3, and 4

• As we move into stage 2 of sleep our breathing, heart rate, and body temperature decreases.

• From here we move into stage 3 where deep sleep begins and delta waves are generated, these are the slowest waves.

• Stage 4 is the deepest sleep, and it is the one during which someone would have the greatest difficulty waking us up.

• After around half an hour in Stage 4 we move back to stage 3, then 2, then 1.

• This takes about 90 minutes.

The Stages of Sleep - REM

• Once we go through these stages our body changes and our breathing becomes irregular, our blood pressure rises, and the heart beats faster.

• Brain waves become similar to those in stage 1 and we enter in REM (or rapid eye movement) sleep.

• Even though our eyelids are closed our eyes are moving rapidly.

• This is the stage in which dreaming occurs.

• During a typical eight hour night we go through these stages about five times.

Why Do We Need Sleep?

• People need sleep to help revive the tired body and to build up resistance to infection.

• Sleep also helps to recover from stress and we need more sleep if we are having problems at school, with family and friends, or at work.

Sleep Studies• Randy Gardner experiment: He was a 17 year

old in 1964 who stayed awake for 11 straight days to find out what would happen without sleep.

• He became irritable, could not focus eyes, had speech difficulties, and had memory lapses.

• Other studies have revealed that people and animals who are REM deprived learn more slowly and tend to rapidly forget what they have learned.

How To Sleep• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeV17prAzeg

Sleep Problems• Insomnia is the inability to sleep.• The most common type of insomnia is difficulty

falling asleep.• People with insomnia are more likely to worry and

have “racing minds” when they go to bed.• The best way to deal with this issue is by trying to

relax. If you cannot then you create tension and can make the problem worse.

• Occasional insomnia is fairly normal, it is only a problem if it occurs over a long period of time.

• Nightmares are caused by stress or anxiety.

• They occur during REM sleep and usually in the morning.

• Night Terrors are severe nightmares, and dreamers feel their heart racing and gasp for air.

• Most people do not remember what happens.

• Occurs during the 3rd and 4th stage of sleep.

• Most common in children.

• Sleep Walking is usually in children, most usually do not remember the next day, and they usually grow out of it.

• Sleep Apnea is when breathing is interrupted during sleep.

• This occurs when air passages are blocked.• Usually caused by obesity and snoring.• People that experience this may feel tired during

the day.• Narcolepsy is suddenly falling asleep no matter

what time it is or where you are.• It is believed this is caused by a genetic

functioning problem.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0h2nleWTwI

Warm-Up• If you had the opportunity, would you want to be

hypnotized? Why or Why Not? What reason would you choose to be hypnotized for?

Dreaming• Dreaming occurs in REM sleep.• You can dream in color or black and white.• Dreams can feel very real.• Can be experienced in real time.• The Freudian View

o Theorized that dreams reflect a person’s unconscious wishes and urges.

• The Biopsychological Approacho Believes that dreams occur biological and is a result of

neurons firing into the part of the brain that controls movement and vision.

• Lucid Dreamingo Dreaming while knowing you are dreaming.

Interpretation• Dreams contain many symbols and can be

interpreted many different ways.

Meditation, Biofeedback, and Hypnosis

Meditation• Meditation is a method some people use to try to

narrow their consciousness so that the stresses of the outside world fade away.

• Many techniques, but all of these methods share a common thread. They all focus on a peaceful, repetitive stimulus.

• By Narrowing consciousnesspeople can suspend planning, worrying, and other concerns.

Biofeedback• Biofeedback is a system that provides, or “feeds

back”, information about something happening in the body.

• Through training, people have learned to control certain bodily functions, such as heart rate.

• It can be used as a way to treat tension headaches, and high blood pressure.

Hypnosis• http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjLcD03IS1I&NR=1&feature=fvwp

• Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness during which people respond to suggestions and behave as though they are in a trance.

• Some psychologist question whether it is actually an altered state or if it is just a heightened state of awareness, because brain wave patterns in hypnotic states are the same as in the waking state.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgDHX2_kqbE

Hypnosis• Hypnosis is used by psychologists to help clients

reduce anxiety, manage pain, or overcome fears and addiction.

• Posthypnotic suggestion is when a therapist uses hypnosis to help someone quit a habit.

• Hypnosis works because of the power of suggestion and the willingness of the participant to believe it is real. People with vivid imaginations are much more suggestible.