Putting an End to Misinformation
In the past few weeks I've noticed several people spreading misinformation about dreaming. And I'd like to correct some of this for people now.
I recently took a coarse on neurology. We had a section devoted to sleep and dreams. When a chart of the sleep stages was handed out many were surprised to find (and some thought it was mislabeled) that REM (dreaming) sleep occurred in the stage of lightest sleep rather than the deepest. Here is an approximation of that chart.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Hypnogram.svg
Of course I'd known this for some time yet I was surprised to find out how many people didn't, including those on this forum. Most assume (incorrectly) that dreams occur in deep sleep. Due to the foreign and bizzare nature of dreams this might be a logical connection. But it is completely false. The movie Inception is one example of this myth being propagated. The characters in the film took heavy anesthetics to increase their ability to dream. However, scientists know that you generally do not dream at all while under heavy sleeping medication. In fact, it is the opposite. Cognitive boosters such as nootropics are the real REM enhancers.
If you don't believe me, take a look at another chart.
http://www.alleydog.com/images/sleepwaves.gif
As you can see. The section labeled REM looks closest to the waking state. Although the later stages seem more "active" this is not the case. The chart is not measuring brain activity but rather "sleep spindles" a measure of sleep depth. The least of which occur in the waking state and REM sleep.
For more proof here are several reasons we know that dreams occur in light sleep.
- Deep sleep stages occur early in the night (when you are most tired) while dreams occur near the morning (when you are most awake)
- The brain is mostly unconscious in deep sleep, the rich narratives and self awareness we feel during dreams are not possible without some frontal lobe activity
- Sleeping in unfamiliar places or in unfamiliar ways puts your body on alert, causing you to sleep lighter (evolutionary defense mechanism). However this is also where the most vivid dreams are reported.
- Generally, the dreams determined to be the most "vivid" are those that are most logical and best remembered. For either to happen requires a high level of conscious processing in the brain.
- You are most likely to wake up naturally during or after REM sleep and you feel better rested when you do so. This is because, during this time, your brain is already closest to being awake.
- Although sleeping pills such as Melatonin are known to increase REM periods, they are actually working in the opposite way you'd expect. By causing deep sleep early in the night your pent up lack of REM causes an explosion of dreams at the end of the night, but only once the drug has worn off. This is known as the REM rebound effect.
If you think of things this way, you will realize that your most vivid dreams are actually occurring while you straddle the barrier between sleep and wakefulness. If you can manage to stay asleep while being functionally awake or vise versa, you will can increase the vividity and the chance of lucidity in all your dreams.
I hope this post has cleared up this misconception for everyone and helped further their lucid goals.
