Rem Sleep Theory

All mammals exhibit Rapid-Eye-Movement, or REM, sleep, and yet on certain levels this type of sleep would seem to be disadvantageous. During REM sleep, which is when most dreams occur, the brain uses much more energy than during non-REM (NREM) sleep. (1) This "waste" of energy coupled with the increased vulnerability of this state on account of the body's paralysis at this time suggests that there must be a very important reason, or reasons, for the existence of REM sleep and in extension of dreams. Determining the function of dreams, however, has proved very problematic with many arguments which directly oppose each other. Some of the primary functions of dreaming have been

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can vary from person to person because different people need different amounts of sleep

These stages are characterized by bursts of electrical activity on electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. EEG readings monitor electrical activity representing neuronal activity in specific neurophysiological regions. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is characterized by desynchronized, saw-toothed theta rhythm waves and heightened cognitive activity. Comparatively, high amplitude, synchronous delta waves, and sharp hippocampal waves characterize slow wave sleep (SWS) sleep (stages 3-4 of non-REM sleep) (Tucker et al. 2006).

Research has found that REM sleep has evolved to become part of the dreaming process otherwise known as REM sleep-dreaming. Sleep with electroencephalographic evidence of the brain shows that a human’s brain is awake during sleep because involuntary eye movement occurs. This occurs during the dreaming consciousness every human possesses which is part of the secondary consciousness every human has. There is also non-REM sleep which is sleep that occurs without the rapid eye movement. The importance of REM sleep and dreaming has been studied for many years and has gradually become more informative. REM sleep is important for a human because it allows for developmental brain growth which furthers the evolution of humans.

One of the most fascinating natural occurrences known to science is something everyone's body requires them to do, this strange phenomenon is sleep. Sleep is not fully understood by anyone, there are too many variables and unanswered questions to discover what sleep is for and why the human body stresses sleeping so much. Dreams are just as undiscovered as sleep. There are many observations made about dreams and what parts of the brain are utilized during these inter-sleep hallucinations. But like sleep, there is no official reason or meaning behind it. Sleep and dreams, although strange and without apparent purpose, reveal many things about an individual, his or her habits, and potentially innermost subconscious thoughts.

The brain starts to generate deep and slow brain waves. These brain waves are known as delta waves. This stage is the transitional period between light sleep and a very deep sleep. During this stage people become less responsive to noises and activity around them.

Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive and psychological well-being of a person. Learning, memory processing and maintenance of the brain are among the most important functions of sleep. In addition to maintaining the brain, sleep has important roles in controlling the

Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. It occurs when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep even though you had the opportunity to get a full night of sleep. The causes, symptoms and severity of insomnia vary from person to person. Insomnia involves both a sleep disturbance and daytime symptoms. The effects of insomnia can impact nearly every aspect of your life. Studies show that

The stages of non-REM sleep, stages 1–3, are defined by EEG activity. Slow-wave sleep in stage 3 is the deepest stage of sleep. Alertness consists of desynchronized beta activity (13–30 Hz); relaxation and drowsiness consist of alpha activity (8–12 Hz); stage 1 sleep consists of alternating periods of alpha activity, irregular fast activity, and theta activity (3.5–7.5 Hz); the EEG of stage 2 sleep lacks alpha activity but contains sleep spindles (short periods of 12–14 Hz activity) and occasional K complexes; stage 3 sleep primarily consists of delta activity. About 90 minutes after the beginning of sleep, people enter REM sleep. Thereafter, cycles of REM and non-REM sleep occur in periods of approximately 90 minutes. Muscle tone decreases throughout the stages, resulting in deepest relaxation and paralysis in REM sleep (Carlson & Birkett, p. 268).

Insomnia is a condition that prevents a person from getting restful sleep. It can cause daytime sleepiness and dysfunction. About 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia. The symptoms of insomnia consist of having difficulty going to sleep, waking up often, having trouble going

Crash Course Psychology video #9 focuses on sleep—benefits of sleep, stages of sleep, consequences of a lack of sleep, sleep conditions, and dreaming. The video defines sleep as a periodic, natural, and reversible form of near loss of total consciousness. Sleeping is different from both hibernation and comatose states. On average, humans spend one third of their lives sleeping, and during that extensive amount of time dedicated to sleep, many processes occur within the body. As the body goes to sleep, the time spent in the near total loss of consciousness is devoted to letting the body take care of itself. Recuperation is a major aspect of sleep, as time spent asleep provides an opportunity for cells to rest and repair. Sleep also supports

Alone it makes up 50% of one sleep cycle. Unlike stage one and stage three, this stage is always half of the sleep cycle. This is what doctors consider to be the “deep sleep” stage. Here, all eye and muscle movements stop, creating a peaceful slumber that results in heavy breathing, or snoring. While this is the longest stage, it is where people receive most of their rest of the night. Also during this stage does the brain activity slow, again creating the ability to have deep, tranquilized sleep. It is recommended to not disturb the sleeping person, as it creates a disoriented person and is difficult to continue the cycle once awoken. Sleeping tests have resulted in doctors noticing a possible infrequent burst of brain activity occurring during this stage, although, as stated before, it is very infrequent and is nothing to be concerned with. No dreaming happens during this

During a single night of sleep, a healthy adult goes through multiple different stages which repeat themselves irregularly. Therefore, sleep involves REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and nREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep, which subdivides in stages 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Insomnia means having trouble with the quality or quantity of sleep. It can be caused by difficulties in either falling asleep or staying asleep. Self-reported sleeping problems, hating the sleep quality and day time tiredness are the only defining characteristics of insomnia because it is such an individual experience. The concept of good sleep is different from person to person. While the average night's sleep for an adult is around seven or eight hours, some people only need four, while others like up to 10 hours or more. What seems like insomnia to one person might be considered a good sleep by another (Florence Cardinal, Your Guide to Sleep Disorders.)

Sleep is an important part of the everyday life of a human being. There are multiple sleep cycles but in the process one of the most important stages is known as REM Sleep. REM also known as rapid eye movement is the very unique phase of sleep where the eyes begin to randomly move, and the extremities of the body become paralyzed while vivid dreaming begins to occur. This stage is the the most important for the consolidation of different memories and also in facial recognition and other mental processes. There are many studies that have been done about sleep and why it is important, but there are also many more studies to be conducted in the future because it is still pretty unsure to psychologists and doctors why sleep is actually so