Essay about Sleep and Dreams - 2192 Words.
For the purpose of this essay the definition of dreams and dreaming as “mental activity occurring during sleep” (Hobson, 2002, p.7) will be employed due to its simplicity. 1.2.2 Function.
Dreams are a form of cognitive activity that occur during sleep. Like vivid memories and daytime fantasies, dreams involve visual images in the absence of external visual stimulation. Some dreams are so realistic and well organized that we feel as though they must be real-- that we simply c.
The high levels of brain activity signal the most important feature of REM sleep; this is when dreams occur. Unlike the rapidly fading images of Stage 1 sleep, REM dreams are emotional and story-like, involving the same cognitive processes that operate while awake. This is why dreams often incorporate both old memories and current worries.
In addition to exploring these ideas in more detail, we provide some background concerning (1) the states of sleep and the role of various neurotransmitters in switching from one sleep state to another, (2) how the characteristics of dreams vary as a function of sleep state, (3) the memory content typically associated with dreaming in different.
Stage 3—appearance of sleep spindles and low frequency, high voltage waves. Stage 4—very high voltage waves with a marked decrease in frequency refer to as delta waves (Fig. 9.58 and Table 9.6). Importance of REM sleep: Suppressed emotions will be vent out during this sleep and hence normalize the balanced activity of neurons.
Sleep is a natural, periodically recurring state of rest characterized by reduced activity, lessened responsiveness to stimuli and distinctive patterns of brain activity. ” If a person lives to be seventy years of age, they would have roughly spent twenty-one years of their life asleep.
Opinions on the origins of dreams and their function vary from a simple by-product of brain activity to an unconscious expression of human deepest desires and unfulfilled wishes. If you are planning on writing an essay about dreams and their meaning, try relying only on the reliable scientific papers and outline the main issues you want to.