Guest guest Posted April 15, 2002 Report Share Posted April 15, 2002 > I thought dreams happened when you didn't sleep well. I was told that you dream only when you are falling asleep or waking up - i.e., not in a deep sleep. Have I been mislead? > > C. --snip-- Most people will have 3-4 REM (Rapid Eye Movement) periods per night. This stage of sleep happens at onset and before natural waking, as well as once or twice in between. It is known as paradoxical sleep because the mind is very active while the body is paralyzed (presumably to prevent one getting up and acting out what is going through their head). One may have several dreams during a single REM period. People usually remember dreams that occur in the last REM periods of the night. Some psychologists interpret dream activity as random electrical discharges that are interpreted by our mind supposedly serving no purpose. Others see them as necessary to integrate material that is difficult to accomodate in the waking state (get relaxed and sort it out). For that reason, some yogis aspire to deep dreamless sleep (lack of need of REM). Many sleep medications will cause such deep dreamless sleep, but upon discontinuing them, we get what is called rebound REM: nightmares and intense, more frequent dreaming; presumably to catch up. Some who sleep very lightly may awake during each REM cycle because of cortisol, blood sugar imbalances, resulting in less time in deep sleep and a less than restful night. Bottom line, if your sleep is restful and you dream, enjoy it. Schroeder, MA Psychology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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