Sleep Cycle Of Dreams

Imagine you have come home from a long night of work. You have not been sleeping well lately, so you practically collapse into the bed. In an instant, the world has changed into a world of wonder and magic. Suddenly, the sky darkens and your worst fears, snakes, spiders, your loved ones being hurt, begin to appear right before you.

You bolt upright in your bed and scream. As you calm down, you realize that it was only a nightmare.

This phenomenon happens to many people every night. In fact, it is one of the most common occurrences of sleep. These visions, these dreams, appear to everyone each time they sleep, yet few understand the science of their sleep and the meaning of their dreams.

Webster's Dictionary defines sleep as “the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored.” Brynie writes that the human body is controlled by a cycle known as the Circadian Clock. It corresponds to a twenty-four hour day and coordinates all biological activities in a life.(74-75).

The sleep cycle is one of the most complex biological cycles the body carries out. It goes through five stages. Stages one through four last for around seventy minutes(Brynie 14). In stage one, the senses begin to shut down(Kallen 14) and the brain begins “to send slow amplitude signals,” . A person's eyes still move, and any disruption will cause the sleeper to become startled.(Brynie 12). In stage two of sleep “brain waves slow and become theta waves,” which cycle 4-8 times per second. The sleeper in this stage is still easily startled.(Brynie 12). In stage three, the sleeper begins to become harder to wake. Delta rhythms occur.(Byrnie 13). In stage four, delta waves take over entirely and the sleeper is in the deepest...

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...acterized by very distinct waves. These waves also reflect actions within the dream. Climbing a ladder or staircase is reflected in sharp vertical waves and walking across plains are characterized by long wavelength waves with low amplitude(Kallen 24).

Researchers believe that dreams serve a very distinct purpose. They are necessary to the brains process of “housecleaning.” It is through dreams that researchers believe that the brain sorts, disposes of, and stores memories. Experts say that it is not harmful to remember some dreams, but the majority of dreams are often forgotten by morning(Byrnie 16).

In fact, those vivid images that are remembered have sparked incredible folklore about dreams. There are three overwhelming beliefs about dreams in popular culture. Most dreams seen in stories today are represented as either telepathic, prophetic,or inspirational.