Dreams

By: Lauren Masey, Jasen

Durrence, Stephen Scarbrough,
Anant Thakkar, Audrey Winnard
Dreams

Images that are
experienced during
sleep
Occurs during the 5
th

and last stage of sleep,
REM (Rapid Eye
Movement)

Levels of acetylcholine
in the pons of the
brainstem increases
while serotonin and
norepinephrine levels
drop
4-6 dreams a night but
less than 1% are
remembered
Evolution of Dreams
Shows the private thoughts of the dreamer
Solves problems through thoughts on:
Self
Other people
World
Problems
Desires
Throughout most of human evolution dreams have
been documented. If they didnt serve a purpose
we would not have them
Costs and Benefits
Dreams allow people to
process emotions and
relieve stress
Studies done on how
dreams may help organize
or retain memories
Dreaming can also be
looked at as a work of art
that does not require any
talent or special training
REM sleep or dream
sleep can lead to an
increase in blood pressure,
increased breathing, and
potentially disruptive sleep.
Some people experience
potentially harmful
dreaming because of a
condition that does not
shut down signals to the
spinal cord. This can lead
to severe injury or death.
Interpretation of Dreams

Interpretation of Dreams
First known dream interpretations dates
back to 3000-4000 B.C.
Cultures vary in their views of dreams.
Roman
Chinese
Egyptian
Christian

Sigmund Freud
Dreams are the royal road to the
unconscious.
Subconscious wishes to be interpreted.
They represent pleasure in your life
Unique Dreams in History

President Abraham Lincoln dreamt of his
assassination a few days before the actual
event.
Elias Howe dreamt of how to make the
sewing machine finally work in 1845.
Mary Shelleys idea for the novel
Frankenstein began with a dream.
Physiology: The Activation Synthesis
Theory
Developed by Allan
Hobson and Robert
McCarley in 1977
During sleep neurons
randomly fire causing
brain to synthesize
storylines to explain
them
Purely physiological,
not psychological

Dreams
Dream Theories are simply that- theories.
They are open to debate and interpretation
of information
Work Cited
dreamresearch.net
Longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/dreams
Helpguide.org/life/sleeping.htm
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20030804_633
52_63352
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D9
1730F93AA15751C1A961948260&sec=&spon=&pagewant
ed=1
http://www.biology-online.org/8/6_sleep_dreams.htm
http://www.a2zpsychology.com/psychology_guide/dreams.
htm
http://www.whatislife.com/issues/issues-sleep.htm