May 24
Not all people dream in color. In fact, 12% of people dream exclusively in black and white. Additionally, people who become blind after birth can still see images in their dreams while those who never experienced sight have vivid dreams involving their other senses.
Everyone has awoken from a frightening dream or rolled out of bed feeling fulfilled because of a dream. Dreams allow individuals to feel as if they are using the time they spend sleeping for entertainment and learning. Dreams have always been an area of interest for many people, but the true origin and substance of dreaming remain a mystery to most.
Dreams, as defined by Dictionary.com, are “a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.” 1
Dreams occur in all stages of sleep but occur most frequently and vividly in the first stage of REM sleep.2 This stage is the most important in the sleep cycle as it provides a period of restoration and healing for the body and mind.
If an individual gets the recommended eight hours of sleep in a night, they can go through at least 4 stages of REM sleep resulting in hours of dream time, although most dreams are never recalled.2 Many individuals report never remembering dreams when, in actuality, they are simply not placing importance on dreaming. People tend to recall their dreams about once every few days on average; however, if one is awakened during REM sleep, they can recall their dream 80% of the time.3
It is thought that dreams occur because of the process during REM sleep when the brain synapses are activated and intensive firing of neuronal pathways that hold memories and experiences occurs.2 This stimulation may be what causes dreaming and recall of prior experiences, future goals and a mix of the two.
Some of the most common dreams are those of individuals being chased, pursued, embarrassed, failing at something, or falling. While these types of dreams can all derive from different situations and causes, they all present a frightened sensation to the individual having the dream. Additionally, all dreamers place emphasis on different areas of their lives causing similar dreams to have various meanings to different individuals.3 For instance, more than 80% of college students noted having had dreams of the falling nature. These dreams are thought to originate from feelings of insecurity or fearing loss of emotional balance.3
While the significance of dreams is still unknown, it remains that REM sleep is truly essential to the body and mind’s health and wellness through storage of information and healing that is vital to performance during the daytime.
Bibliography:
1. Dream (n.d) On Dictionary.com—Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dreams?s=t
2. Maas, Dr. James B., Megan L. Wherry, David J Axelrod, Barbara R. Hogan, and Jennifer A. Blumin. Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance. New York : Villard, 1998.
3. Carskadon, Mary A. Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming. New York: Macmillan Pub., 1993.
There is something about the afternoon that puts a lull in individuals’ moods and alertness.
In today’s hectic and fast paced society, finding time to nap is a rarity in itself; however, many individuals claim that a quick “power nap” allows them to catch up on sleep and get a burst of energy. As individuals across the world become more sleep deprived, naps are not only becoming more acceptable, but also necessary.
Personally, every time I nap I must set aside an entire afternoon because I wake up feeling more drowsy and drained than prior to the nap. This groggy feeling that comes after a nap is the result of napping for too long of a time period. Naps should be around 15-30 minutes long to avoid slipping into delta sleep (deep sleep). Once one is in deep sleep, being woken up from or completing phase of sleep causes one to feel extremely tired. If choosing to take a longer nap, it is suggested that one naps for an hour to an hour and a half to complete a full sleep cycle. This, however, will reduce your alertness for around an hour after napping.
There are three types of napping according to the National Sleep Foundation. Planned Napping is characterized by intentionally setting aside time to nap during a day, which is often done to prepare for a night when one is aware that they will not have ample opportunity for sleep in the near future. Emergency Napping is characterized by immediate need to rest and inability to continue with whatever activity you were engaged in. Habitual Napping is characterized by consistent nap schedule each day. 1
There are plenty of beneficial reasons to slide back into bed midday and nap. Regular napping has been known to reduce stress, reduce the risk of heart disease and strengthen the ability to pay close attention to details. Some cultures value a daily siesta and are known for having a more relaxed outlook and productive work ethic. Faster paced, more industrialized nations such as the United States, Japan, Germany and Russia are known for not endorsing daytime napping.3
If individuals have a difficult time falling asleep at night, napping is not encouraged because it pushes back the time you would be falling asleep leading to a restless night and lack of sleep necessary for the next day’s success. Specialists actually recommend napping as long as it is done in a consistent pattern each day. Irregular napping can make consistent nocturnal sleep impossible.2
Late afternoon napping is discouraged for everyone and especially senior citizens who have difficulty sleeping. Because that period of time is so close to the average bedtime for most individuals, napping too late will make it more difficult to fall asleep at night and wake up the following morning.
While napping may seem an unattainable action for most of us, half of the world’s population finds time to nap in the stretch from 1 to 4 p.m. and the average American naps one or two times each week. 2 Many sleep specialists believe that napping can actually be very beneficial to individuals who are not able to get consistent nocturnal rest.
If you are forced to work through your well deserved nap-time, you will most likely experience increased alertness that resembles the sensation you would have after napping. Although, this is helpful and briefly rejuvenating, your body still wants and needs sleep.
Kick the coffee habit and try napping as an alternative to your midday need to rest.
Bibliography:
1. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/napping “Napping”
2. Maas, Dr. James B., Megan L. Wherry, David J Axelrod, Barbara R. Hogan, and Jennifer A. Blumin. Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance. New York : Villard, 1998.
3. Carskadon, Mary A. Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming. New York: Macmillan Pub., 1993.
Everyone has heard that the ideal amount of sleep is 8 hours every night. The truth is everyone is different. Some people function just fine on as little as 4-5 hours of sleep. On the other hand, there are just as many people out there who sleep 9-10 hours every night. So knowing how much sleep you need as an individual is the most important factor in determining if you are or aren’t getting enough sleep.
How much sleep are you getting now?
The first step is to determine exactly how much sleep you are currently getting. Most people tend to think, “I lay down to go to sleep at this time and I wake up at this time, so I got this amount of sleep.” It’s not that simple, as there’s the time it takes you to fall asleep and it also does not count the number of times you wake up or amount of time you were awake before going back to sleep. Once you factor that time in, the 8 hours you thought you got may be more like 6 or 7 hours.
Is it enough sleep for you?
There’s a short test you can take that will determine if you are getting less than your ideal amount of sleep. Ask yourself the following questions; Do I need an alarm clock to wake up at the right time? Do I have trouble getting out of bed every morning? Do I get tired quickly when driving? Do I have trouble remembering things or concentrating? Do I fall asleep as soon as I lay down to go to bed? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you are not getting enough sleep.
Determine if you are getting enough sleep.
On average most people need to get another hour to an hour and a half more sleep than they are currently getting. You can determine this by going to bed around a time you normally can fall asleep that is close to 8 hours before you need to be up. Stick to going to bed around this time and take note of when you wake up. You may wake up early for a few days because you are used to the shorter sleeping schedule, but if you aren’t getting enough sleep, you will begin to sleep longer. Once you start sleeping longer start going to bed 30 minutes earlier for a week, then 15 minutes earlier the next week. Keep adding 15 minutes a week until you are able to wake up when you need to and have energy through the whole day. You can also make sure you have the correct amount of sleep each night by going to bed 15-30 minutes late one night, and see if you feel drowsy the next day, if you do, you know you are getting the right amount of sleep.1
In conclusion
If you are one of the lucky few that are consistently getting the proper sleep they need to make it through the day alert, focused, and in the proper mood, congratulations. Share your suggestions, methods, or tips for how you get the right amount of sleep in the comments.
1. Maas, Dr. James B., Megan L. Wherry, David J Axelrod, Barbara R. Hogan, and Jennifer A. Blumin. Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance. New York : Villard, 1998.
Jan 13
A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year.
If you fall asleep in less than five minutes at night it means you’re sleep deprived. The ideal is between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning you’re still tired enough to sleep deeply, but not so exhausted you feel sleepy by day.
One of the loudest snores recorded in Guiness World Records was 93 decibels (120db is a jet engine), by Kare Walkert of Kumla, Sweden, in 1993.
Jan 13
The record for the longest period without sleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes during a rocking chair marathon. The record holder reported hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory and concentration lapses.
Exposure to noise at night can suppress immune function even if the sleeper doesn’t wake. Unfamiliar noise, and noise during the first and last two hours of sleep, has the greatest disruptive effect on the sleep cycle.
Some people enjoy sleeping alone, but sometimes it’s unavoidable or unwanted. Several members of the Cimicidae family have moved into the comfort of many homes across the U.S. and into their beds and other comfortable places. Cimex lectularius, also known as the bed bug, is a parasitical bug that is mainly associated with humans, birds and bats. Although they parasitize with these different creatures, they adapt best to human environments 1.
There are many people that don’t know what bed bugs are capable of and why they choose to sleep in beds with other humans. Another question that has also risen to the surface is, what do they look like? The answer is this: They are a small bug that has a chestnut brown color to them, dorso-ventrally flattened, and the adult bug usually measures up to c. 5 mm across2. Bed bugs can look similar to other small insects such as ticks and fleas, but don’t get confused as to where each bug can hide or even sleep at night.
Bed bugs are known for spending most of their lifetime concealed in harbourages, including around the seams of mattresses, in bed-frames, behind head-boards, behind skirting boards, in furniture, inside electrical fittings, behind pictures and coving, in curtains, under fitted carpets and in wall voids2. These small creatures hide and sleep in other places that aren’t exclusive to peoples’ beds. They are also sometimes found on or in clothing and the seams on clothes, but they are almost never found on humans.
Whenever there is an unfortunate event of bed bugs being spotted on someone, one most know what the dangers of that situation are. After someone has been bitten, that person may or may not show a substantial, red, itchy reaction wherever the bite occurs. While some people have extreme and quick reactions to a bite, some people may never have any reaction at all2. This can be very fortunate in some cases, but knowing that someone has been bitten only means an early detection of an infestation in your home, apartment, office, etc. Although bites may sometimes become secondarily infected, research has consistently indicated that bedbugs do not transmit blood-borne infections, such as HIV or hepatitis2. With this being known, the worse consequence of a bed bug is only irritation, itchiness, and swelling of certain areas.
The infestation of bed bugs can be very annoying, irritating, and also very costly. After some people have experienced them moving into their homes, their only solution may be to throw out any mattresses, (a memory foam mattress naturally resists bed bugs) furniture, carpet, linens, and many other items that could have contained bed bugs. This only means that replacements are in need for any place or item that has been bothered by this insect. If you ever suspect bed bugs, we recommend contacting a pesticide specialist immediately. COMING SOON:Please read ‘How to Prevent and Control Bed Bugs’ for tips you can use to help prevent and control them in your home.
[1] Reinhardt, Klaus, and Michael T. Siva-Jothy. “Biology of Bed Bugs (Cimicidae).” Annual Review of Entomology 52. (2007): 351-374. PDF. 30 Nov 2010. <http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ento.52.040306.133913>.
[2] Boase, Clive. “Bedbugs – Back from the Brink.” Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 (2001): 159-162. Web. 30 Nov 2010. <http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2001/PO/b106301b>.
