Hello all dreamers!

**Drandrewsarchus** · 03-01-2011 07:07 PM

Hello all!
I am a graduate student at Stanford University, currently working on a dissertation on sleep irregularity. My interest in lucid dreaming stems from the scientific discipline that I am working on as well as other multimedia arts that have inspired me (dammit, how could you not have incepted the Academy to vote??) I have been reading these forums for a few months now, and I hope to enlighten the dialogue on this forum with scientific debate and my own personal input. Please reply to this thread with your welcomes and any questions you might have on the science of sleep! I look forward to corresponding to my future friends on this message board.

**Matte87** · 03-01-2011 07:29 PM

Hi and welcome to DV! I'm curious to what you've come up with, but I don't really have any questions, I'll let the people ask them instead. Also, making a new thread in another section of the forums with what you've come up with will not only attract more people, but also be in a more fitting place

I'll move the thread for you if you like

Welcome once again! Keep on dreaming.

**Drandrewsarchus** · 03-01-2011 08:12 PM

Thank you for your welcome! I'm new to where the most effective forums for me would be. Any input would be appreciated!

**Matte87** · 03-01-2011 08:42 PM

Either in: General Dream Discussion
Research
Or Sleep and Health

Should fit in any of those

**Mental** · 03-02-2011 01:41 AM

Welcome Drandrewsarchus!

I'm definately glad to see you join given your background. Since you are at Stanford, do you know Dr. LaBerge? I'd also like to hear about your thesis.

**pepsibluefan** · 03-02-2011 01:51 AM

Awesome someone with schooling on the subject. Great to have you here, I look forward with what you come up with. Real excited.

**rockit2themoon** · 03-02-2011 03:25 AM

I'm studying Psychology right now and hope to specialize in dream research in the future as well. Good to have you here

**Entaria** · 03-02-2011 03:38 AM

Hey there! I'm a newbie too. I have a little bit of a science background as well, being a psychology student (though I am in the Bachelor of Arts program, rather than Science, so more the "soft" side of behavioural psychology rather than the "hard" side with neuroscience and brain chemistry). So, it should definitely be an interesting experience as I learn about myself and about how others dream

And I wish you good luck in learning something about your field as well.

**Myte** · 03-05-2011 12:03 AM

From a newbie to another - Welcome

**Drandrewsarchus** · 03-05-2011 12:50 AM

Hey all noobs!
My work is on depression and its affect on sleep cycles, most specifically REM sleep. Some of you may know that depression causes increase in sleep and just a general feeling of lethargy during the day. Even more interesting, instead of starting at NREM sleep patients may go right into REM. My (hopeful) hypothesis is that since REM sleep is sort of a simulator for the mind to problem solve [1], when under stress from depression, the brain will try to compensate to solve these external problems with extra sleep. It's a work in progress but I'm having a blast!

[1] Ullrich Wagner, Steffen Gais, Hilde Haider, Rolf Verleger Jan Born. Sleep inspires insight. Nature 427, 352-355. 22 January 2004.

**Angusaurus** · 03-05-2011 01:03 AM

Hi
Welcome to the forums.. Even though I'm new as well

Are you sayinng that depression aids with the induction of regular/lucid dreaming?

**Drandrewsarchus** · 03-05-2011 02:53 AM

REM is our most valuable sleep cycle. When you are deprived of it, your body goes into emergency mode and you will nod of to sleep asap because you need it so much. Depression causes your mind to get as much REM as possible. I suppose that you COULD use depression as a ways to get more REM and therefore lucid in your dreams more often but I wouldn't suggest such a thing! lol

**Entaria** · 03-05-2011 03:20 AM

Drandrewsarchus: Just out of curiosity, have there actually been any studies that prove depression causes an increase in REM sleep? Or is this one of the things you're working on? I've only ever been told/read that there is a correlation between depression and increased REM sleep, never that the causal relationship has been determined.

**Drandrewsarchus** · 03-05-2011 03:48 AM

Yes there is only correlation data at this point, and the actual relationship is in debate. I have met a researcher that believes the additional REM sleep is causing the depression. I was polite cause he's a big name in the area of sleep but I thought how much I and the many others on this forum love our dreams and there was no way that was the case. Through the work I'm doing I hope to solve the question

*sorry for the post above, I was posting on a whim and let my hypothesis get away and stated it as if I had actually finished the work...a common scientist mistake :-)

**Entaria** · 03-05-2011 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by Drandrewsarchus

*sorry for the post above, I was posting on a whim and let my hypothesis get away and stated it as if I had actually finished the work...a common scientist mistake :-)

No worries, I figured that was the case, but just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything recent.

I have to agree with you, it seems fairly unlikely that extra REM sleep would cause depression, considering this forum, but at the same time, I get the feeling the majority of people here aren't experiencing extra REM sleep, just remembering more of it. Just covered this in my Abnormal Psychology class, actually. My initial impression (not that I really know much about it) and what the text seemed to be pushing, was that it's more about the timing of the extra REM sleep (occurring during the time of the night when "Deep Sleep" would normally occur) than the extra REM sleep itself. I'd definitely be interested in hearing what you find, whenever that might be