SLEEP ALL NIGHT » Dream Recall http://www.masteryoursleep.com sleep problems and solutions Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:35:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 Dream Recall http://www.masteryoursleep.com/dream-recall/ http://www.masteryoursleep.com/dream-recall/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:53:54 +0000 Sleep Master http://www.masteryoursleep.com/?p=3483 Dream recall could be a very good indication of any sleep problems that may be developed during one’s life time. Please read this article and try to undersand the concept of Dream Recall:
 
It is usual to have around 40 REM sleep episodes each week, but only to recall two to three dreams each week.
  • Dream recall usually fades rapidly after the onset of wakefulness, suggesting that dreams are not incorporated into either short- or long-term memory.
  • Dream recall is increased in the following situations. wakefulness Narcolepsy in which REM sleep intrudes into partial the number of awakenings during the night
Dream recall is increased in the following situations:  
  • Narcolepsy in which REM sleep intrudes into partial wakefulness
  • Insomnia
  • Dream recall increases in proportion to due to the number of awakenings during the night
  • Abrupt wakenings from REM sleep
  • This is usually due to environmental stimuli such as noises.Sleep fragmentation caused by obstructive sleep apnoeas only occasionally leads to dream recall, probably because of the extent of the fragmentation of REM sleep which prevents dreams from becoming fully formed.
  • Pregnancy
  •  Fever
  •  REM sleep rebound due to either REM sleep deprivation or withdrawal of drugs, such as tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or alcohol.

Recall of dreams is less frequent in the following situations:  

1. Old age, despite the duration of REM sleep remaining constant in old age
2. Sleep inertia. Drowsiness or confusion on arousal may inhibit recall of dreams  
3. Depression  
4. Pontine degeneration    
 
 

  • Dream recall may be absent in conditions such as progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy, particularly of the olivo-ponto-cerebellar atrophy type.
  • Loss of dream recall is usually associated with loss of saccadic eye movements, although pursuit movements are retained
5. Lesions affecting particularly the inferior parietal lobe, the frontal lobes bilaterally or the posterior dominant hemisphere 
6. Hydrocephalus
7. Drugs, e.g. benzodiazepines, barbiturates, alcohol.   
 
 

Conclusion
The types of dreams typically associated with REM sleep are more than just the usual type of experience characteristic of wakefulness and they differ from the mundane, logical ‘dreams’ of NREM sleep. Dreams are a self-report of mental activity and thinking which is based on life experiences, but they have several unusual features. First, dreams, unlike waking thoughts, are involuntary. Second, they involve considerable imagination and are unpredictable and in some ways show the chaotic organization that is characteristic of many physiological aspects of REM sleep. They often expand or unfold in an billogical way, and are not constrained by normality. Events are not accurately perceived or represented, but are orderly and not random. Illogicality is accepted passively by the dreamer, suggesting that there is a different pattern of information processing than in wakefulness. The associations between ideas and events are much weaker or looser than in the more logical thought processes of wakefulness and probably of NREM sleep. Despite the illogicality there is a sense of social awareness during dreams in that the thoughts and actions of other people in response to the dream content are realistically assessed. The content of dreams reflects the current concerns of the subject and previous experiences.
  •  Emotional events of the previous week are strongly represented. Dreams are reactive and are more closely linked to pre- than post-sleep thoughts and emotions.
  • Previous experiences are often recreated. Some external stimuli occurring during sleep are ignored and others are incorporated into the dream narrative in a modified form.
  • These are almost always self-centred or personal, and death of the dreamer never occurs in the dream.
  • There is a limited number of main themes of dreams. These are connected to basic biological needs that are common to all individuals.
  • Aggressive or hostile behaviour towards others or towards the dreamer, resulting in dominance or submission, may manifest in dreams by various actions and emotions.
  •  Dreams that have a content of bonding to other people, or a sexual content, or that are related to feeding are common.
  •  Many people have repetitive dreams or dream themes and the frequency of repetitive dreams is related to the intensity of the individual’s concern about the topic.
  • The content of the dreams also varies according to the following factors. 

 

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