Sleep and Dreams
Assignment 3: Essay—Sleep and Dreams
Tracy Black
PSY1001 SO3
Dr. Lottie G. Olson-Davidson
South University Online
Assignment 3: Essay—Sleep and Dreams
What is the biological basis of sleep and dreams?
There have been quite a few studies on sleep and why the body needs it. One study found that during sleep, the brain transfers information from short-term memory to long-term memory (Hunter, 2008). Some studies have shown that sleep helps you to stay mentally sharp because your body is getting the rest it needs (Wagner et al, 2004; as cited in Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 348). Others have found that sleep promotes the repair and the formation of brain cells (Siegel, 2003; Winerman, 2006; as cited in Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 348). Yet another study found that sleep and dreams help the brain to rid itself of all the useless information that it had stored from the day 's activities, making room for the induction of new information (Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 348).
Where do dreams occur in the cycle of sleep, and why are they important to our psychological well-being? (Hint: Your text may have the answers for this one.)
Dreams can occur anytime during the sleep cycle, but they occur the most and are the most vivid when in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep (Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 350). There is a connection between our sleep-dreams and the thoughts we have while we are awake (Pesant & Zadra, 2006). Research done on the relationship between dreams and the thoughts we have during our waking hours, found that the content of our dreams reflects these waking thoughts. Dreaming also helps us to process any new information we are learning along with the previous day’s thoughts (Pesant and Zadra, 2006). The same study also found there is a connection between a person 's psychological health and the types of dreams people have. People that have a lower psychological well-being tend to have more dreams in which the interactions are more aggressive
Tracy Black
PSY1001 SO3
Dr. Lottie G. Olson-Davidson
South University Online
Assignment 3: Essay—Sleep and Dreams
What is the biological basis of sleep and dreams?
There have been quite a few studies on sleep and why the body needs it. One study found that during sleep, the brain transfers information from short-term memory to long-term memory (Hunter, 2008). Some studies have shown that sleep helps you to stay mentally sharp because your body is getting the rest it needs (Wagner et al, 2004; as cited in Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 348). Others have found that sleep promotes the repair and the formation of brain cells (Siegel, 2003; Winerman, 2006; as cited in Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 348). Yet another study found that sleep and dreams help the brain to rid itself of all the useless information that it had stored from the day 's activities, making room for the induction of new information (Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 348).
Where do dreams occur in the cycle of sleep, and why are they important to our psychological well-being? (Hint: Your text may have the answers for this one.)
Dreams can occur anytime during the sleep cycle, but they occur the most and are the most vivid when in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep (Zimbardo et al, 2009, p. 350). There is a connection between our sleep-dreams and the thoughts we have while we are awake (Pesant & Zadra, 2006). Research done on the relationship between dreams and the thoughts we have during our waking hours, found that the content of our dreams reflects these waking thoughts. Dreaming also helps us to process any new information we are learning along with the previous day’s thoughts (Pesant and Zadra, 2006). The same study also found there is a connection between a person 's psychological health and the types of dreams people have. People that have a lower psychological well-being tend to have more dreams in which the interactions are more aggressive
References: Hunter, P. (2008, November). To sleep, perchance to live. Sleeping is vital for health, cognitive function, memory and long life McNamara, P., Andresen, J., Clark, J., Zborowski, M., and Duffy, C. A. (2001). Impact of Attachment styles on dream recall and dream content: a test of the attachment hypothesis of Sigmund, F. (1913). The interpretation of dreams (3rd ed., pp. 1-510). New York, NY: The Macmillan Company. [Digitized version]. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=OSYJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&#v=onepage&q&f=false