Researched
and Composed by
Adam “Old School” Knowlden
Sleep Theory
What happens as we fall
into our nightly slumber?
There have been many
efforts to answer this very question.
Although scientists are still trying to
learn exactly why people need sleep, animal studies show that sleep is essential
for survival. For example, one study showed that while rats normally live for
two to three years, those deprived of REM sleep lived only 5 weeks on average,
and those rats deprived of all sleep stages live only about 3 weeks. Rats
deprived of sleep also developed unusually low body temperatures and sores on
their tail and paws. The sores may develop because the rats’ immune systems
become weakened. Some studies suggest that sleep deprivation affects the immune
system in harmful ways.
Sleep appears indispensable for our nervous
systems to work properly. Too little sleep leaves us somnolent and unable to
concentrate fully on mental tasks the next day. This factor can have grave
implications for the body builder, as the nervous system is essential for
demanding maximum physical exertion workout after workout.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to lead to
impaired memory and physical performance and reduced ability to carry out
mathematical calculations. If sleep deprivation persists, hallucinations and
mood swings might develop.
Some sleep researches believe sleep gives
neurons used while we are awake a chance to shut down and revamp themselves.
Deprived of sleep, neurons may become so exhausted in energy or so polluted with
byproducts of normal cellular activities that they begin to malfunction. Sleep
also may give the brain a chance to exercise important neuronal connections that
might otherwise depreciate from lack of activity.
Many of the body’s cells also show improved
assembly and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. As proteins are
the building blocks required for cell growth and for repair of damage from
issues like stress and ultraviolet rays, deep sleep may essentially be "beauty
sleep."
Activity in areas of the brain that manage
emotions, decision-making processes, and social interactions are considerably
reduced during deep sleep, suggesting that SWS sleep may help people maintain
emotional and social functioning while they are awake. Another study on rats
showed that particular nerve-signaling patterns which the rats generated during
the day were recurring during deep sleep. This pattern repetition may help
encode memories and enhance learning.
There is little doubt that the function(s)
of sleep must entail restoration, and most probably mainly for the brain.
Moreover, it has been proposed that sleep may not be a global
phenomenon encompassing the entire brain, but that slow waves may
reflect local recovery processes. Findings in the bottlenose dolphin contributed
to this hypothesis.
These animals have the capacity to exhibit
"deep" slow-wave sleep only in one brain hemisphere while the
EEG (electroencephalographic (EEG) slow-wave activity (SWA, mean EEG
power density in the 0.75- to 4.0-Hz range) in the other hemisphere
exhibits a waking pattern.
Furthermore, after uni-hemispheric sleep
deprivation, the deprived brain hemisphere showed a larger increase
of deep slow-wave sleep. Also birds seem to have the
capacity to exhibit minor hemispheric asymmetries in the EEG, but they last only
a few seconds and are related to unilateral eye-opening.
Sleep could be regarded as a use-dependent
local phenomenon serving to stimulate synapses insufficiently used during
wakefulness to maintain neuronal connections. According to
this hypothesis, synaptic connectivity is strengthened locally and
modulates EEG synchronization during sleep. An alternative hypothesis
proposed a restoration of brain glycogen levels during sleep, which
are thought to be depleted during the brain activity related to
wakefulness. Recent evidence supports the notion that a previous
experience can affect the cell firing of specific neurons during
sleep. Thus in rats an experience-dependent reversal of the phase of
multiunit firing of hippocampal cells was shown in REM sleep following
running in specific tracks.
Perhaps the most accepted
theory of memory encoding comes from Dr. Gvorgy Buzsaki. His two-stage model
(REM and non-REM- see
Z factor Part One)
of memory trace formation has stimulated deeper research that helps identify
exactly what is happening during sleep.
With his understanding of
neural networks, masterminded experiments on neuronal firing, and complex
mathematical analysis of spatiotemporal firing patterns, Buzsaki concluded that
both REM and NREM work together to merge memories.
The hippocampus, a tiny
brain organ, is vital for memory formation. However, scientists have always had
a difficult time understanding the relationship between the hippocampus from
other areas of the cerebral cortex that also show synaptic plasticity (the
ability to store memories). This is exactly where Buzsaki’s ingenious two-part
component theory comes into play!
The hippocampus performs
as the central mainframe for the brain that can acts to store short term memory
patterns. Moreover, these patterns have to be encoded in the neo-cortex to
provide adequate space for coding new short-term memories.
Now comes the intriguing
part! Sleep is responsible for the intricate process of re-organization of the
neural network of the brain. As opposed to rest or conservation of energy,
neural arithmetic requires the brain to be shut off from external environmental
input!
This automatic rewiring
program is the foremost reason for which we fall into sleep and why there is no
conscious processing involved! Through the night’s multiple sleep cycles the
brain works as hard as during a physics exam. During sleep the brain rewires
circuits to ensure all recently acquired knowledge is optimally stored for
future utilization.
Ultimately,
in spite of a century of scientific study of
sleep, including three decades of modern intensive research, the function of
sleep remains an enigma. This is not to say that there is a paucity of theories
of the role of sleep. Much of what we know comes from sleep deprivation studies.
One of the major goals of modern sleep
research is to understand how sleep and wakefulness interact; another goal is to
obtain an in-depth appreciation for what sleep really is! As such, the theories
presented in this paper are subject to change as further research is conducted
and analyzed.
Sleep Parameters
There are two biological factors that drive
you to bed. Combined these factors are known as the biological clock, and
referred to as “A Two-process Model of Sleep
Regulation.”
Abstract confirmation that
the sleep/wake regularity is generated endogenously has been shown by studies
utilizing a wide variety of experimental paradigms such as sleep deprivation,
sleep disarticulation, isolating subjects in environments free of external
influences, or imposing on subjects sleep/wake schedules widely deviating from
24 hours.
Factor one of the model is
known as the circadian component which says that lethargy returns in cycles
which are usually about one day long--To be exact, it varies between
individuals, seasons, and other daily factors such as stress, timing of sleep,
timing of the light period, intensity of light, exercise, and many more. There
are a multitude of studies that attempt to give theories as the exact period of
the endogenous circadian pacemaker for regulating sleep patterns. Combined these
studied tend to give ranges that fall into an area of 24.01 hours to 25.5 hours.
Besides sleep tendency,
the circadian pacemaker has been shown to regulate sleep consolidation, sleep
stage organization, and electroencephalographic behaviors. The pattern of light
exposure throughout the 24 hours seems to contribute in the entrainment of the
circadian pacesetter to the geophysical day/night cycle.
Melatonin, the pineal
hormone produced during the “night” hours, partakes in communicating both
between the environmental light-dark cycle and the circadian pacemaker; and
between the circadian pacemaker and the sleep-wake-generating mechanism.
The second component of
the model, the homeostatic factor dictates that lethargy increases with the
length of time we stay awake.
The equilibrium of these two factors
determines the most favorable time for sleep. For example strong tiredness
resulting from the circadian component may not be sufficient to get good sleep
if the timing goes against the sleep-high in the homeostatic component.
There are over 100 body
functions that fluctuate between their maximum and minimum values once per day.
These fluctuations in human functioning take approximately 25 hours to complete.
In 1959 Dr. Franz Halber of Germany used the Latin term circadian, which
translated means “about a day” to describe these changing body processes.
Circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms are
controlled by a circadian pacemaker, or a biological clock. This "clock" is the
section of the brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN is a
pair of structures that contain about 20, 000 neurons and is located in the
hypothalamus above where the optic nerves cross.
Among many of its roles,
the hypothalamus plays a very important role in our daily cycles. Cued by a rise
in the hormone melatonin, the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus will
normally begin the process of lulling our bodies to sleep. The melatonin is
produced by the pineal gland deep within our brain. This gland is regulated by
light signals sent to it by way of the retina. Light exposure suppresses
melatonin production and resets our daily cycle. Light in this instance is
called a zeitgebers. This entire process is known as a circadian rhythm, (circa
"about", dies "day").
Circadian rhythms include
three different parts, a central oscillator, afferent pathways that carry
environmental information to the oscillator, and efferent pathways that
communicate the rhythm of the oscillator to the physiology and behavior of the
organism. To accomplish this,
various hormones, such as melatonin, and vital signs, like body temperature,
fluctuate on a regular basis, creating "lows" and "peaks." Many rhythms
bottom-out early in the morning, when people are asleep, and peak during the
day, when most people are active. Without circadian rhythms, the body and mind
would have no internal means of regulating cycles of activity and rest.
By excluding people of
controls, such as light and other external time cues, researchers have learned
that most people’s biological clocks work on a 25-hour cycle more so than a
24-hour one. However since sunlight or other bright lights can reset the SCN,
our biological cycles typically follow the 24-hour cycle of the sun, rather than
our innate cycle. Circadian rhythms can be affected at some level by almost any
kind of external time cue, such as the sounding of your alarm clock, the clatter
of a dog barking, or the timing of your meals. Scientists call external time
cues zeitgebers (German for "time givers").
Most of us are able to entrain this 25
circadian rhythm into a 24-hour cycle by using factors that reset the
oscillation. These factors include intense morning light, work, exercise, etc..
As a result of the influence of zeitgebers, in a well-adjusted individual, the
cycle can be set back by 30-60 minutes each day.
Under natural environments, our "body clock"
or circadian rhythms are linked or "entrained" to an external clock time by the
synchronizing effects of the physical world in which we live. The continual
resetting of our internal rhythms to a 24-hour sun cycle is accomplished by
environmental time cues (zeitgebers).
These zeitgebers may be physical or social
in nature. The most powerful time cue for our bodies is the alternating light
levels in our environment. When interruptions occur in our natural time
patterns, these zeitgebers either act upon the circadian system to bring it into
synchronization with the new time pattern or zeitgebers actually discourage
adjustment to the new routine.
One of the most straightforwardly measured
of these circadian rhythms is the body’s temperature. Healthy humans experience
rhythmic variations in their body temperature during the course of each day. For
most people, the difference between high and low values is about two degrees
Fahrenheit (97° to 99°), with the lowest value typically occurring in the early
morning hours (2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.) and the highest values commonly occurring
in the evening (7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.). Studies in which the body temperature
has been monitored in a time-free environment have shown that our temperature
level fluctuates in the same 25 to 26-hour pattern, no matter when we sleep or
when we are awake. In short, our body temperature cycle operates independently
of our sleep/wake cycle.
When the sleep/wake and body temperature
cycles are no longer in phase or "in sync" with each other, we experience a
condition known as internal de-synchronization. This de-synchronization usually
is aggravated further by the influence of zeitgebers.
The general tendency to sustain sleep is
subject to such a circadian rhythm. In most cases, the maximum sleepiness comes
in the middle of the night, reaches the minimum at awakening, and again
increases slightly at nap time in the afternoon.
However, the circadian drowsiness is often
transferred in phase as contrasted with your desired sleep time. As a result, if
your maximum sleepiness comes in the morning, you may find it harder to fall
asleep late in the evening, even if you missed a lot of sleep on the preceding
day.(2,8) In other words, the optimum timing of your sleep should take into
consideration your circadian rhythm. Which understanding how will be the
intention of this article.
Homeostatic component
The Homeostatic component of the two-stage
model states that sleep is regulated in its
intensity as a function of the duration of previous wakefulness. This
component reflects the time that has elapsed since sleeping. In other words, the
longer the time period that has elapsed since the last period of sleep, the
greater is the tendency to feel tired.
Homeostasis is the idiom that refers to
preserving equilibrium in physiological and metabolic functions. For example, if
you consume liquids containing an abundance of calcium, homeostatic mechanisms
will ensure that you expel calcium with urine or deposit it in the bones. This
is used to make sure your blood levels of calcium remain constant.
Similar mechanisms are used to regulate
overall sleepiness and its manifold subcomponents.
Several recent results show that sleep and
sleep regulation are not only global phenomena encompassing the entire brain,
but have local features. It is well established that slow-wave activity [SWA;
mean electroencephalographic (EEG) power density in the 0.75-4.0 Hz band] in
non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is a function of the prior history of sleep
and wakefulness. SWA is thought to reflect the homeostatic component of the
two-process model of sleep regulation. According to this model timing and
structure of sleep are determined by the interaction of a homeostatic process
and a circadian process.
The effect of 24-h sleep deprivation on
sleep was investigated in rats whose circadian rest-activity rhythms were
extensively disrupted by bilateral lesions of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN).
Sleep deprivation caused an increase in total sleep, REM sleep and the slow wave
sleep fraction of non-REM sleep. It is concluded that the homeostatic component
of sleep regulation is morphologically and functionally distinct from the
circadian component.
The homeostatic regulation of sleep is one
of its most prevalent features of our bodies. Thus electroencephalographic (EEG)
slow-wave activity (SWA, mean EEG power density in the 0.75- to
4.0-Hz range) in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep changes as a
function of the previous sleep-waking history and may represent a
measure of sleep intensity.
These factors can be temporarily masked by,
caffeine, stress, exercise and other factors may temporarily reduce your
sleepiness.
The homeostatic mechanism prepares you for
sleep after a long day of intellectual and physical work. At the same time it
prevents you from falling asleep in emergency situations.
In review, the homeostatic component of the
sleep drive is a function of the duration of wakefulness. As one stays awake
longer, the drive to sleep intensifies over time. The drive to sleep at night in
humans also has a circadian (24-hour or daily) component governed by a
biological clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the brain.
Putting the components together for
Dynamic Slumber!
As the evidence shows, an
optimal night’s sleep requires a balance of both components. Dr. Wozniak has conducted
a 3 year research project entitled, “Optimizing the timing of brainwork with
respect to the circadian cycle”. This research was generated on the basis of
3-year-long daily measurements of a free-running sleep rhythm. (Free running
sleep discussed later)
“Optimizing
the timing of brainwork with respect to the circadian cycle.”
“This exemplary
graph was generated on the basis of 3-year-long daily measurements of a
free-running sleep rhythm. The horizontal axis expresses the number of hours
from awakening (note that the free running rhythm period is often longer than 24
hours). Homeostatic sleepiness can roughly be expressed as the ability to
initiate sleep. Percent of initiated sleep blocks is painted as a thick blue
line (right-side calibrations of the vertical axis). Circadian sleepiness can
roughly be expressed as the ability to maintain sleep. Average length of
initiated sleep blocks is painted as a thick red line (left-side calibrations of
the vertical axis). Adenosine-related homeostatic sleep propensity increases in
proportion to mental effort and can be partially cleared by caffeine, stress,
etc.. Circadian component correlates (1) negatively with temperature, ACTH, cortisol, and catecholamines, and (2) positively with melatonin and NREM
propensity. Optimum timing of brainwork requires both low homeostatic and
circadian sleepiness. There are two quality alertness blocks during the day:
first after the awakening and second after the siesta. Both are marked yellow in
the graph. For best learning and best creative results use these yellow blocks.
Caffeine can only be used to enhance alertness early in this optimum window
(brown color). Later use will affect sleep (caffeine half-life is about six
hours). Optimum timing of exercise is not marked as it may vary depending on the
optimum timing of zeitgebers (e.g. early morning for DSPS people and evening for
ASPS people). Gray dots are actual sleep block measurements with timing on the
horizontal, and the length on the vertical axis.”
From this data Dr. Wozniak
has complied two rules for optimal equilibrium of circadian and homeostatic
sleep factors!
1. Strong homeostatic
sleepiness: this typically means going to sleep not earlier than 15-19 hours
upon awakening from the preceding nights sleep.
2. Ascending circadian
sleepiness: this means going to sleep at a time of day when a rapid increase
in drowsiness is experienced; No earlier and no later. Understanding the timing
of your circadian rhythm is critical for good night sleep.
Furthermore, be aware that using the
circadian component will only work when all its physiological subcomponents run
in synch (as it is the case in free running sleep). Those with irregular sleep
hours and highly stressful lives may simply be unable to establish the point of
ascending circadian sleepiness as this point may not exist in their situation.
Lark/Owl prototypes?
Many would classify themselves as a morning
person, commonly known as “Lark”, or night personality, commonly referred to as
“Owl”?
Research shows that 15% of people would
classify themselves as "morning type" or lark. Another 20% would call themselves
"evening type" or owl. The remaining 65% are indifferent or "mid-range". What
prototype do you tend to fall under?
Dr. Wozniak claims one can easily adapt to a
completely different schedule by means of chronotherapy (e.g. by shifting their
sleeping hours by 30-45 minutes per day).
“If you ask a typical owl to go to sleep 30-45 minutes later each day,
the owl will initially sleep during the day and soon will find itself going to
sleep in the very early evening just to get up before the larks! Surprisingly,
even the most committed owl can then comfortably stick to the early waking hours
for quite long! There seems to be no natural preference as to the sleeping time
of the day!”- Dr. Wozniak
However, there is a factor that drives
people into believing they are of a given sleep-time preference type. This is
the length of the circadian cycle and their ability to entrain it to 24 hours.
As mentioned earlier, typical circadian period lasts about 25 hours. Those whose
cycle is particularly long, tend to go to sleep later each day. They push the
limit of morning hours up to the point when their compulsory wake-up time
results in unbearable sleepiness. In other words, people with long cycles will
tend to work during the night and sleep in the morning as long as it is only
possible.
Larks and owls do not
differ in their preferred timing of sleep in reference to daytime. The
difference comes from the duration of the circadian cycle and sensitivity to
zeitgebers. You can, without much difficulty, make a lark work contentedly late
into the night and cause an owl get up at 3 am. This can be done by
chronotherapy (cycle adjustment)!
A smaller quantity of people, will practice
short circadian periods and experience extreme tiredness in early evening. This
is the “lark type”. Daily rituals force these lark prototypes to go to sleep
slightly later than their natural partiality (family, work, light, etc.). Even
with this prototype it is still possible to advocate a lark to progressively
shift sleeping hours and perform like an owl.
As for "indifferent type", these are the
percentage of the populace with a steady 24.5-25 hours circadian cycle and
healthy sensitivity to zeitgebers. These prototypes tend to sleep in "normal
hours" and can also be motivated to shift to getting up early or to going to
sleep late.
As opposed to the "indifferent type", owls
shifted to a morning routine will gradually tend to proceed to their norm of a
“late-night” rhythm. Likewise, larks will rapidly shift back to sun-rise hours.
Free Running Sleep
Chronotype is the scientific name for your
individual circadian rhythm pattern.
A majority of sleep disorders
which originate within the body (for example insomnia) result from errors in
synchronization of sleep with the body clock. Only a small portion of sleep
problems are organic in nature and cannot be resolved with
chronotherapy.
Chronotherapy is used to
influence the sleep-wake cycle in an attempt to change the patient’s core
circadian rhythm.
One of the simplest solutions
towards getting good sleep is free-running sleep.
In simple terms, free-running
sleep requires throwing away your alarm clock. Free-running sleep can resolve
the majority of synchronization-dependent sleep disorders.
Free-running rhythms were
also observed in people isolated in caves for extended periods. Long periods of
separation in caves were generally considered as a test of human endurance.
Sleep diaries, however, kept by these volunteers spending times ranging from
15-205 days in isolation, and provided clear evidence of a lengthening of the
sleep-wake cycle to 25 hours and even significantly longer. Similarly,
free-running rhythms were reported in subjects living in isolation in the
natural environment of the high arctic region under unvarying daylight lighting
conditions.
Free-running sleep is
sleep that is not artificially regulated. It is used as a form of chronotheapy
that can help to cure some sleep disorders. Most people in the industrial world
cannot afford free-running sleep. Only a small part of the population can sleep
in a perfect 24 hour cycle and in synchrony with the schedules demanded by
external influences.
The most typical violation of
free-running sleep is the use of an alarm clock. Another violation is staying
awake past one's accustomed bedtime in spite of drowsiness. (Staying up late
when one is not sleepy does not violate free-running sleep.) Going to sleep too
early (e.g. to force longer sleep before early arising) may also disturb the
free-running sleep cycle.
Researchers agree that optimum
sleep is realized with a “set” sleep schedule. That is going to bed each night at
the same time, and awakening at roughly the same time.
The set schedule should also
be in correspondence to both the circadian and homeopathic components.
REM sleep- Enter the Vortex
REM sleep, the chief
contributor of the state of dreaming, is a fundamental player in encompassing a
complete night’s sleep.
Modern Research has revealed
many tantalizing theories regarding dreams.
“A single definition for dreaming is most likely impossible given the
wide spectrum of fields engaged in the study of dreaming, and the diversity in
currently applied definitions. Many studies do not specify a definition, yet
results are likely to be comparable only when comparable definitions of the
topic are used. The alternative is to develop a classification system organizing
the multiplicity of definitions for dream. A dream should not be exclusively
defined as a non-conscious electrophysiologic state. Dreaming is, at least in
part, a mental experience that can be described during waking consciousness.
Definitions for dreaming should be utilized in research and discussion which
address the various axes which define dreaming: Wake/sleep, Recall, and
Content.”
One interesting study entitled, “Personalized
Method for Interpreting Dreams
(PMID)—As
Applied to Relationship Issues” showed an emotional connection:
“The purpose of this study was to develop a dreamwork model that would
help individuals deal with relationship issues. Seventy dreams, involving seven
major relationships, were selected from the woman participant’s dreams. A dream
interpretation model, the Personalized Method for Interpreting Dreams (PMID) was
developed. Well-founded concepts in the PMID are: 1) dreams reflect emotions;
and, 2) pre-dream thoughts, current circumstances, and personal definitions
build dream meanings. The newest dreamwork concept of the PMID is the systemic
perspective that relationship issues are best understood by discovering how
relationship experiences influence our thoughts, emotions and behavior in other
relationships. With a dreamwork systemic approach, the individual gathers
together and studies series of dreams about major relationships in his or her
life, primarily the family. Results of the thesis study show that the
participant’s use of the model was a factor in reducing stressful relationship
issues.”
G. William Domhoff
believes:
“Discoveries in three distinct areas of dream
research make it possible to suggest the outlines of a new neurocognitive theory
of dreaming. The first relevant findings come from assessments of patients with
brain injuries, which show that lesions in different areas have differential
effects on dreaming and thereby imply the contours of the neural network
necessary for dreaming. The second set of results comes from work with children
ages 3-15 in the sleep laboratory, which reveals that only 20-30% of REM period
awakenings lead to dream reports up to age 9 and that the dreams of children
under age 5 are bland and static in content. The third set of findings comes
from a rigorous system of content analysis, which demonstrates the repetitive
nature of much dream content and that dream content in general is continuous
with waking conceptions and emotional preoccupations. Based on these findings,
dreaming is best understood as a developmental cognitive achievement that
depends upon the maturation and maintenance of a specific network of forebrain
structures. The output of this neural network for dreaming is guided by a
“continuity principle” linked to current personal concerns on the one hand and a
“repetition principle” rooted in past emotional preoccupations on the other.”
(31)
States, Bert O. in, “The meaning of
dreams”, Comments…
“To begin, I question whether random vs. meaningful
(as in Globus’s title) offers the best pairing of the alternatives. Order and
disorder (to invoke the language of chaos theory) would probably be a cleaner
opposition; and orderliness, as an antonym of randomness, does not in itself
produce or contain meaningfulness, though it may be true that orderliness in
some degree is a precondition of meaningfulness….It is not a question, then, of
dreams meaning one or several things, but of the impossibility of equating
meaning itself to possible interpretations. Indeed, we dream about things whose
meaning we already know in an emotional and preconceptual sense, and that is
probably why we dream about them and why dreams make a certain kind of
essentialized sense. The dream is the instantiation of a felt meaning which is
the cause of the dream, not its effect; it is brought directly into sleep from
the day’s experience, and what meaning one gets out of it on the waking side by
way of interpretation is itself a new meaning (because a new symbolization)
which leaves the experience behind in the act of conceptualizing it for waking
understanding. If you dream that you are dancing, you may be dreaming about one
of several things: how easy it is to dance, how graceful and exhilarating your
effort, or how impossible and awkward; your dream-dance, then, will be the
dancing of a feeling about dancing, which is to say about one of dancing’s
meanings to you. In any case, as Yeats might put it, you can’t tell the meaning
from the dance.”
Nielsen,
Tore A in, “Changes in the kinesthetic content of dreams following somatosensory
stimulation of leg muscles during REM sleep.”(Dreaming: Journal of the
Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 3(2) 99-113, Jun 1993.)
Observed,
“The notion that dreaming is isolated from sensory activity is
challenged by demonstrations that somatosensory stimuli are frequently
incorporated into dream content. To further study such effects, four volunteers
were administered pressure stimulation to either the left or right leg during
REM sleep and awakened to report their dreams. These dreams were rated and
compared to non-stimulated dreams. Stimulated dreams more frequently contained
leg sensations and references to the pressure stimulus than did non-stimulated
dreams; dreamed leg activity, but not dreamed arm activity, was also rated as
more intense. Incorporations of the stimulus were typically simple, direct
kinesthetic sensations of pressure or squeezing but were also sometimes embedded
in more extended 'problem-solving' sequences. Stimulation also increased bodily
bizarreness. The latter included changes in kinesthetic quality of movement,
instabilities of posture and the environment, and visual-kinesthetic synthesias.
Although micro-arousals may be an explanatory factor, the results suggest that
somatosensory stimulation influences 'kinesthetic fantasy', a dimension of
dreaming associated with both central and peripheral sources of kinesthetic
activity.”
Another interesting theory
presented by Kahn, David; Hobson, J.
Allan, in “Self-organization theory of dreaming”.
(Dreaming: Journal of the Association for
the Study of Dreams. Vol 3(3)
151-178, Sep 1993.)
Stated,
“Our general hypothesis is that the brain
self-organizes neuronal signals whose cognitive correlates produce
discontinuities and incongruities in an on-going narrative. This could go on in
any sleep-wake state but, according to our theory, it is qualitatively
distinctive in REM sleep/dreaming. To demonstrate the origins of this idea, we
review the cognitive psychology of dreaming and the neurophysiology of rapid eye
movement sleep in terms of the self-organization concept. We also review
mathematical models of self-organization for their relevance to dreaming. We
then go on to test our hypothesis in a preliminary way at the level of
neurophysiology. Bifurcation parameters were chosen to be the relative amounts
of cholinergic and aminergic neurotransmitters, the burst frequency of
pontogeniculoocipital (PGO) waves (producing noise-induced transitions), and an
electrical activation parameter. A class of mathematical models universally
applicable to self-organizing systems near the system's bifurcation points was
found to model the neurophysiology in a formal manner isomorphic to distinctive
and global cognitive features of dreaming.”
Commenting on Bergon’s theory of Dreaming ,
Patrick McNamara, Ph.D., “Bergson's Theory
of Dreaming”
(Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 6(3)
173-186, Sept 1996.)
“Bergson's reflections (in "Le Rêve," 1901/1920) on the nature of
dreaming anticipated modern cognitively-oriented accounts of the dream.
According to Bergson dreaming is a selectionist process. When the brain relaxes
its inhibitory powers with the onset of sleep, the cognitive system is rapidly
flooded with a vast array of memory images. The cognitive system tries to
arrange the proliferating memory images into some kind of narrative. A few of
these memory images, by chance, roughly match the affective and physical
sensations that still occur in sleep and are "selected" as the raw material for
the dream narrative. The discordant assimilation of memory images with the
current affective and physical state of the organism constitutes the dream.”
The interpretation and meaning of dreams may
never be fully understood. But the fact that they are accompanied with REM sleep
illustrates their significance to a complete night’s sleep.
REM sleep is
usually not subdivided into stages, however, "tonic" and "phasic" aspects of REM
sleep are often distinguished.
Phasic REM
sleep events are alternating (i.e., rapid eye movements and muscle twitches).
Tonic REM sleep events are unrelenting (i.e., desynchronized [activated EEG] and
striated [voluntary] muscle inhibition. As explained below, tonic versus phasic
distinctions may be relevant to physiological changes that accompany sleep.
At this
point only sleep-related changes in the brain that can be recorded from outside
the head (EEG) have been measured.
However, a
more thorough picture of brain activity materializes as changes deeper within
the brain are considered. PGO waves, which are one of the most characteristic of
these changes, are sharp waves that precursor the onset of REM sleep.
They start
while the cortical EEG still illustrate the signs of NREM sleep and they occur
most regularly during REM sleep, normally showing up in clusters. PGO waves are
named for the positions where they can be easily recorded- the pons (where they
begin), the lateral geniculate nucleus, and the Occipital (visual) cortex.
These are
significant for two major reasons. First, they indicate that, previous to the
cortical EEG signs of REM, acute changes in the neural activity are taking place
within the brain and, secondly, they signify a powerful example of how other
brain regions are influenced by activity stemming from the pontine brainstem.
Eye movement
configurations are also able to distinguish sleep states. Involuntary, slow,
rolling, pendulum eye movements occur during drowsy alertness and during the
transition from drowsy sleeplessness to NREM sleep. This eye movement model can
be simulated only by following a slowly moving target. Bursts of rapid eye
movements occur during REM sleep; these bursts are mixed together with periods
of no eye movements.
There are
patterns of REM sleep eye actions that vary in a fairly consistent manner
throughout the night. REM episodes occurring late in the night have more eye
movement bursts than REM occurrence taking place early in the night. It has been
suggested that the bursts of eye movements signify "scanning" of the
hallucinated dream panorama.
The scanning
hypothesis predicts that during REM sleep the sequence of rapid eye movement
directions will be that required to watch the sequence of dream scenes.
Nonetheless, most of the evidence does not validate the scanning hypothesis.
However, striking correspondences between eye movement patterns and dream
reports have also been distinguished, for example, in one report a series of
horizontal eye movements were documented; when awakened the subject reported
that he had been watching a ping pong game. In spite of such isolated reports,
there is no considerable evidence that indicates that how our eyes move during a
dream is immediately connected to what we "see" in the dream.
Perhaps the
greatest mystery in the field of sleep and
wakefulness is the function of REM
sleep. It seems obvious that
REM sleep must have some
vital function. Virtually all mammals have REM
sleep. In human adults it occupies approximately 90
to 120 minutes of sleep time each night. The intense
brain activity during this state is mirrored by intense mental activity
experienced as dreams.
Although sleep researchers are
in disagreement of the role of REM sleep, they are all in agreement that it is
clearly fundamental to fully perform the functions of sleep. It is difficult to
believe that this physiological state does not have some
vital survival role. (See
Z Factor part 2
for various theories).
Irreducible Complexity
Sleep has been described as a nightly
miracle that baffles science.
The understanding of one of the most recurrent events that transpires in the
human body is even now in its extreme scientific infancy.
“On average, human beings
spend a third of their lives in sleep, yet scientists do not yet know precisely
what sleep accomplishes. It is presumed to serve some restorative function, but
just how sleep refreshes us is unclear”-
Guinness.
“Scientists are still seeking answers to many
questions about man’s need for sleep. They do not know, for example, why man
cannot simply rest, as insects do. Nor have they discovered exactly how sleep
restores vigor to the body”-
Hartman.
Multiple
hypotheses have been presented in this paper that has endeavored to understand
the advancement of current sleep theory.
However, as the
results have shown, “There are many theories about sleep, but none is
universally accepted”- Schifferes.
Recently the
journal BioScience acknowledged that “modern researchers are,
at the most fundamental level, as confounded by the purpose and ultimate control
of sleep as were Hippocrates and Aristotle more than 2500 years ago”-
Gillis.
Consider some of
the origin theories that have been conjured up regarding the source and
disposition of sleep.
Alemaeon, a Greek
physician of the 6th century B.C., claimed that sleep is a direct result of
blood draining from the head. When the cranial blood depletes to a certain
point, we lose consciousness and fall asleep. Doctors dubbed it “cerebral
anemia.” Modern research has revealed this concept is totally unfounded.
Aristotle, the
renowned philosopher of the 4th century B.C., in his work “De Somno et
vigilin” (“On sleeping and waking”) contended that the digestion
process causes “vapors” to ascend to the brain as a result of a higher
temperature in the head. As the brain cools down, these vapors move down into
the heart, chilling the body’s pump and generating sleep. This validity of this
argument speaks for itself.
What is commonly
called the “poison” or “chemical” theory alleges that sleep is the result of
particular day-time waste by-products, which steadily amass to the point where a
transitory state of unconsciousness is induced.
This view is
disproved by several facts.
·
A person can fall asleep at any
time of the day.
·
One who is sleeping naturally can
be easily awakened – which demonstrates the body is not “drugged” by by-product
poisons.
·
Siamese twins share the same
blood system, however one can be sleeping while the other is wide awake.
This assumption
likewise fall shorts of explaining sleep.
Sigmund Freud, the
father of “psychoanalysis” believed that nightly slumber is merely a regression
from the hardships of life. He alleged that man subconsciously longs to withdraw
to the sanctuary of “fetal life,” and so he “developed” the sleep mechanism to
adjust this need.
However, this
philosophy is incredibly weak. One would presume, then, that someone enlightened
on this subject, as Freud obviously thought he was, could have disowned the
sleep “tradition” and lived life wide awake; Twenty-four, seven. (He didn’t!)
Perhaps the
silliest theory is the claim that “to understand sleep we need to understand its
evolutionary need for adaptation”. This approach to understanding sleep only
causes more gaps than answers. And if continued upon as the sole reasoning
behind sleep theory, the mystery will never be revealed.
Some evolutionists
have claimed that sleep is a progress out of our animal ancestry. The claim is
made that in our “pre-human” past, at night our “ancestors” would group together
for security from predators. The darkness, shared with the body heat of the
group, produced a sort of stupor, interrupted only by the rising sun. Over many
ages this ultimately produced the habitual custom of sleep.
Thomas Edison, one
of the greatest inventors of all time, adopted this view and asserted: “A
million years from now, we won’t go to bed at all. Really, sleep is an
absurdity, a bad habit” (quoted from Webster). Edison accused that those who
spend a lot of time sleeping are simpletons – which doesn’t speak to highly of
Albert Einstein, who had a daily prescription of 10 hours of sleep, or for that
matter, body builders.
According to
evolutionary chronology, “modern man” has been on the earth between two and
three million years. Why hasn’t “modern man” abandoned the sleep habit? The fact
is, we still have the same sleep cycle that is evidenced in all the historical
records of antiquity.
“Considering
these facts of evolution and development, we are confronted with the question:
What function does paradoxical sleep serve after all? As Kleitman reported in
his article "Patterns of Dreaming," Dement found that when he repeatedly
interrupted people's dreams by waking them, this had the effect of making them
dream more during their subsequent sleep periods. These results indicated that
dreaming fulfills some genuine need. What that need may be remains a mystery.-
Michael Jovet- Scientific American
Critical thinking
regarding the claim of “the evolution of sleep” revelas more scientific
absurdity than a fundamental basis for understanding and establishing a solid
sleep theory.
1.
The need for sleep is inherent and vital to survival.
2.
Evidence points that it is essential for circadian and homeopathic
functions.
3.
Evolutionists believe that sleep evolved, in other words there was a
point in time when we did not need sleep.
For this
conjecture to hold any ground as to apply to sleep theory, some vital questions
need to be answered.
At what point did
our “ancestors” go without the need for sleep, and once they did evolve the need
for sleep, how did they survive with sleep deprivation in time to evolve the
necessary brain functions for it compatibility? The evidence shows that the
brain requires sleep. How did the brain go without sleep as it evolved the
Also why would
evolution “create” more roadblocks for survival? If there was a point in time
where sleep was not needed, why would evolution continue to mutate a more
hindering adaptation, that would only create more hardships and unnecessary
elements needed for survival?
If the claim is
made that sleep was needed for the evolution of the human brain, how did these
early ancestors brains optimally function before sleep was fully formed?
In order for this
claim to be valid, the brain had to have evolved all the essential parts
required of itself for the sleep process, along with the inherent needs of sleep
simultaneously. It takes a multitude of operating systems for sleep to work. How
did the brain simultaneously develop these systems, and in what way could the
ancestor survive in the mean time? Which came first the need for sleep, or the
complexity of sleep? And how did the independent factors exist without the
support of the other?
Everyday living is
evidence of the brain’s inability to cope with sleep deprivation.
Parts of the brain, for instance the frontal
lobe, did not function when the subject was severely sleep deprived. However,
other parts of the brain, like the prefrontal cortex, exhibited more activity
than normal, possibly to compensate for this non activity. The sleepier the
subject, the more active the prefrontal lobe became.
This reversal of activity was evident in
many regions of the brain. This reveals that the brain does try to compensate
for the effects of sleep deprivation. However, lack of sleep does adversely
affect the electrical patterns of the brain and it cannot function normally.
How did the
evolution of the brain triumph over the effects of sleep deprivation while
simultaneously developing the necessary systems to further enhance sleep’s
circadian and homeopathic complexities?
“It
is possible that sleep may have evolved from rest to allow more flexibility
within this rather rigid rhythm of rest and activity”
This
is assigning an almost creative force to evolution. And this still begs the
question. If the creature survived without sleep to start with, why would
naturalistic evolution “create” more unnecessary adaptations? And in the mean
time, if the parts of sleep were added a bit at a time, how did the brain cope
with sleep deprivation in time to allow for the next mutations?
“Researchers
think that sleep arose to allow organisms to conserve and restore their energy”
(Irene Tobler, Scientific America)
Evidence reveals sleep has many more contributions to the body than restoration
of energy, and again this is saying all the many components required for sleep
and the need for them evolved simultaneously, fully functional and complete.
What advantageous benefit would a energy restoration mechanism do if it was only
half functional?
“It seems that the
elementary features which characterize sleep in its most evolved state--as it is
found in mammals and birds--are already present even in very primitive
organisms.” (Irene
Tobler, Scientific America)
In
other words, there is no evidence of evolution being any part of sleep theory.
There is no
evidence for a naturalistic explanation which accounts for the origin of sleep.
Sleep is a mechanism, designed by God, to assist the well-being of certain types
of biological organisms, including man.
Eccentric effects
occur when a person is sleep deprived. In the span of 24-48 hours, mood changes,
e.g., depression, become apparent. As more time elapses, experimental subjects,
in most cases, start to hallucinate and are even prone to violent behavior.
Though sleep
appears to have been primarily designed for the health of the brain there are
numerous physical side-effects as well. Contemplate the following observations
from Miller and Goode:
“What happens in the body when
we go to sleep, we know in considerable detail. There is a general slowing down
of all the body’s rhythms, a diminuendo of all its processes. Heartbeat and
respiration retard to a leisurely pace; blood pressure and temperature fall to a
lower level; the level of adrenaline in the blood and the volume of urine also
fall”.
Hartman stated, “Sleep
restores energy to the body, particularly to the brain and nervous system”.
Sleep also
supports healing. Dr. Justus Schifferes, former Director of the Health Education
Council, states that:
“sleep is more than a time of rest and relaxation. It is also a time
of recuperation and repair, of growth and regrowth. During the normal course of
living, cells of the body wear out and must be replaced. This regeneration takes
place more rapidly during sleep. It has been shown, for example, that the
epithelial cells of the skin divide and make new cells about twice as fast
during sleep”.
Empirical evidence
supports that sleep performs its most vital functions on the brain. This is
suggested by the fact that those who are deprived of sleep over several days
experience minimal physical damage as compared to the mental havoc that
distresses them. John Pfeiffer cites a study done on several hundred soldiers
who stayed awake for more than four days. Medical examinations afterward
revealed no significant physical debilitation. Sleeplessness has its most
important effect on one organ, the brain.
Assorted
experimental evidence appears to propose that sleep seems to activate the immune
system. Scientific studies have shown that long term sleep deprivation can
hasten fatal blood infections in laboratory animals.
The brain and
sleep are ironic in nature. In essence the brain is a paradox. It needs sleep,
but it does not sleep. The brain is quite active during sleep is demonstrated in
a couple of ways.
The brain it is
the control center that organizes all of the body systems, keeping them running
automatically, (see
X-ray Vision Part 2)
even when we are not consciously thinking about these functions.
Also dreaming
reveals that the brain is still very active during sleep.
Contemporary
researchers are of the opinion that sleep helps keep “the brain’s nerve networks
up to par.” This might justify why it is so difficult to think clearly when one
has been deprived of sleep. Dr. Mark Mahowald, a neurologist and a specialist in
sleep disorders, says: “In a sense, sleep serves as an all-systems
run-through that keeps the brain at optimal functioning.”
Some suggest that sleep provides the brain with “cleanup time” in which the
jumbled activities of the day are sorted and stored, much as in a computer.
The emotional
benefits of sleep are evident. Shakespeare summed this concept up well –
Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of
care, The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, Balm of hurt minds,
great nature’s second course Chief nourisher in life’s feast.
As one reflects
upon the matters discussed above, two facts stand out clearly.
1.
Sleep is an absolute necessity for human existence.
2.
Man has a long way to go in understanding this phenomenon. As Gills puts
it, sleep is a complex behavior with probably no single, simple explanation.
The design of sleep is
undeniable.
Every effect
demands a sufficient cause. The data connected with sleep research reinforce the
suggestion that there was an intelligent Source for this experience. There are
far too many revealing evidences that reflect design in the process.
If sleep is ever
to be wholly understood, and a sound theory put into place, it must start with
the assumption of design.
ABC
strives to present you the most up-to-date information regarding the science of
body building, for the sole intent of accelerating your knowledge of the sport.
We would also be foolish to not give a bow to the One whom we owe the
irreducible complexity of the human body too.
Old School,
oldschoolabcbbing@gmail.com
References and Sources Cited:
1. Achermann
P., Borbély A.A. Combining Various Models of Sleep Regulation. Journal of Sleep
Research, 1: 144-147, 1992.
2. Achermann
P., Dijk D.J., Brunner D.P. Borbély A.A. A Model of Human Sleep Homeostasis
Based on EEG Slow-wave Activity: Quantitative Comparison of Data and
Simulations. Brain Res Bull, 31: 97-113, 1993.
3. Achermann
P., Dijk D.J., Brunner D.P. Borbély A.A. A Model of Human Sleep Homeostasis
Based on EEG Slow-wave Activity: Quantitative Comparison of Data and
Simulations. Brain Res Bull, 31: 97-113, 1993.
4. Achermann
P., Borbély A.A. Simulation of Daytime Vilgilence by Additive Interaction of a
Homeostatic and a Circadian Process. Biol Cybernetics 71: 115-121, 1994.
5. Amlaner
CJJ, and Ball NJ. Avian sleep. In: Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine,
edited by Kryger MH, Roth T, and Dement WC. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 1994, p.
81-94.
6. Benington
JH, and Heller HC. Restoration of brain energy metabolism as the function of
sleep. Prog Neurobiol 45: 347-360, 1995
7. Brain
Basics. National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke
8. Borbély
A.A. A Two-process Model of Sleep Regulation. Human Neurobiology 1:195-204,
1982.
9. Buzsáki G (1989) A twostage model of memory trace
formation: a role for "noisy" brain states. Neuroscience 31: 551570
10. Cardinal, Florence: Brain Disorders. “This is
your brain without sleep.”
11. Circadian Rhythm: How does it effect me? Charles Thacker
12.
Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Sabah Quraishi
13. Daan S.,
Beersma D.G.M., Borbély A.A. Timing of Human Sleep: Recovery Process Gated by a
Circadian Pacemaker. American Journal of Physiology 246: R161-R178, 1984.
14. Daan S, Beersma DG, Borbely A. Timing of human sleep:
recovery process gated by a circadian pacemaker. Am. J. Physiol 1984; 246:
R161-R178
15. Davis,
Susan (1996), “Why We Must Sleep,” American Health, April.
16. Definitions of Dream: A Paradigm for
Comparing Field Descriptive Specific Studies of Dream. Dreaming: Journal of the
Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 11(4) 195-202, Dec 2001.
17.
Department of Medicince. University of Minnesota.
18. The
effect of sleep deprivation on sleep in rats with suprachiasmatic lesions.
Tobler I, Borbely AA, Groos G. Neurosci Lett. 1983 Nov 21;42(1):49-54.
19. Gillis, A.M. (1996), “Why Sleep?,” BioScience, June.
20. Guinness, Alma E., ed. (1987), ABC’s of The Human Body (Pleasantville, NY:
Reader’s Digest Assoc.).
21. Hartmann, Ernest (1979), “Sleep,” The World Book Encyclopedia (Chicago:
World Book-Childcraft), Vol. 17.
22. Hormonal and Pharmacological Manipulation of the CircadianClock: Recent
Developments and Future Strategies by Gary Richardson and Barbara Tate.
23. Horne JA. Sleep function, with particular reference to sleep
deprivation. Ann Clin Res 17: 199-208, 1985
24. Human Fatigue Risk Simulations in 24/7 Operations .Rainer Guttkuhn, Udo
Trutschel, Anneke Heitmann, Acacia Aguirre, Martin Moore-Ede Circadian
Technologies, Inc., 24 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421
25. Krueger JM, and Obál FJ. Brain organization and sleep function. Behav Brain
Res 69: 177-185, 1995
26. Lavie, Peretz (1996), The Enchanted World of Sleep (New Haven: Yale
University Press).
27. The meaning of dreams. Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of
Dreams. Vol. 2(4) 249-262, Dec 1992
28. Meddis, Ray (1977), The Sleep Instinct (London: Henley &Boston).
29. Miller, Benjamin and Goode, Ruth (1960), Man And His Body (New York: Simon &
Schuster).
30. Moore-Ede, M. C. and G. S. Richardson (1985). "Medical implications of
shift-work." Annu Rev Med 36(607): 607-17.
31.Moore, R. Y. and V. B. Eichler (1972). "Loss of a circadian adrenal
corticosterone rhythm following suprachiasmatic lesions in the rat." Brain
Research 42(1): 201-6.
32. Mukhametov LM, Supin AY, and Polyakova IG. Interhemispheric asymmetry of the
electroencephalographic sleep patterns in dolphins. Brain Res 134: 581-584, 1977
33. A New
Neurocognitive Theory of Dreams
Dreaming: Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams. Vol 11(1) 13-33,
Mar 2001.
34. Pfeiffer,
John (1961), The Human Brain (New York: Harper & Brothers)
35. Piotr A. Wozniak (2000) Good sleep, Good learning, Good lifeBiol 1407
Concepts of Biology II, Texarkana College, Texarkana, TX 75599
36. Poe GR,
Nitz DA, McNaughton BL, and Barnes CA. Experience-dependent phase-reversal of
hippocampal neuron firing during REM sleep. Brain Res 855: 176-180, 2000
37. Ricci, Paul (1986), Fundamentals of Critical Thinking (Lexington, MA: Ginn
Press).
38. Round the
Clock Systems
39. Schiffers,
Justus J. (1977), The Family Medical Encyclopedia (New York: Simon &Schuster).
40. Sleep: An Evidence of Divine Design, Wayne Jackson Christian Courier:
ArchivesThursday, January 17, 2002
41.
SLEEP-WAKE AS A BIOLOGICAL RHYTHM.
Author/s: P. Lavie Issue: Annual, 2001
42. The Sleep Research Society. Basics
of sleep behavior
43. Sleep: An Evidence of Divine Design,
Wayne Jackson Christian Courier: ArchivesThursday, January 17, 2002
44. Tobler I.
Phylogeny of sleep regulation. In: Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine,
edited by Kryger MH, Roth T, and Dement WC. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2000, p.
72-81.
45.
Topography of EEG dynamics after sleep deprivation in mice.
Huber R, Deboer T, Tobler I. Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology,
University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
46.Trachsel,
L., D. M. Edgar, et al. (1992). "Sleep homeostasis in suprachiasmatic nuclei-lesioned
rats: effects of sleep deprivation and triazolam administration." Brain Research
589(2): 253-61.
47. Webster,
Gary (1957), Wonders of Man (New York: Sheed & Ward).
48.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
© ABC Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
|
