What Dreams May Come
Show of hands, who here knows alot about dreams? I’m not talkin about dream analysis and what it means if you dream of a giant pasta dish scolding you in public … I mean the mechanics of dreams.
I actually know enough to be dangerous. I did some light research on it once or twice. As most people know, dreaming happens during the REM (rapid eye movement) cycle of sleep. What many don’t know is that REM is not the deepest part of sleep (as far as brain waves and what not is concerned). Also, REM usually happens many times in a night. REM usually occurs in ninety minute cycles throughout the night, and as the night progresses, these intervals of REM increase in length until finally, the last two hours of slumber contain a high percentage of REM.
In between REM are various other mind-states that are equally normal parts of sleep … some even ‘deeper’ than REM.
Anyhow … lately I’ve been waking up every hour to hour and half from intense dreams. And, it’s not the typical mid-sleep-wakings that happen normally and which we as sleepers have no recall of … this is the kind of waking that leaves you very actively awake and wondering if you’ll get back to sleep.
Thirty minutes or so later, I do fall back asleep … and about an hour later I’ll wake up again – wide awake – from another vivid dream.
Not only is this making it rather difficult to get a full nights sleep … I have to wonder WTF is up with my sleep cycle that I can so quickly and consistently drop all the way back to REM … only to be slapped awake such a short amount of time later. The dreams themselves don’t seem any shorter than typical dreams. (And for those of you who think dreams take place in the brain at something far faster than real time – that has been disproven … dream time is very close to real time.)
I’m beginning to wonder when the last time I made it past REM into really really deep sleep was. I mean I usually aim for 5-6 hours of sleep … I don’t have alot of buffer time to be screwing around with waking up and starting the cycle all over again.
I had 4-5 of these intense dream / wakings last night (and several dreams which were otherwise normal). One of these dreams involved me and a large group of people in an open air observatory at the sears tower (no such observatory actually exists). Suddenly there was this wind storm … like tornado level winds. The whole building was waving (which normally happens some – and is noticeable – but this was REALLY bad). It was one of those certain-death and why-am-I-the-only-one-who-realizes-it type of dreams.
The most disconcerting part of the dream however was that I was wearing a cowboy hat … that would NEVER happen in reality.
*shudder*
David Meade ... Indianapolis based vlogger, geek, rock star, ham radio operator, protector of innocents, defender of the weak, and role model to millions of children everywhere.
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Taylor
28 Jun, 2005
Laughing! Great minds think alike – I was getting ready to do a patented “Taylor Photo” with the cowboy hat, then I saw yours… I may do one yet, though.
Jess
28 Jun, 2005
OMG, that is the funniest damn thing I have seen in days! Thank you so much for that pic………I needed a good laugh!
Dave, my dear, don’t EVER wear a cowboy hat, not even as a joke! Relish the full head of hair you have and show it off, NEVER NEVER NEVER hide it under a hat, and if you must NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER make it a cowboy hat, you look like a goon! LOL
Doug
30 Jun, 2005
First.. I’d like to see the data that “disproves” dream time is ANYTHING compared to real time.
What… do they have a usb jack in some patients head so they can record the dream and play it back next to a real world stop watch?
Have dreams somehow been verified as being produced by the makers of 24?
Are patients some how bypassing sleep paralysis so that they can use sign language to let the real world know how much time has passed in their dreams?
I think not.
More likely somebody measured brainwaves that were “consistent with a dream state”.
How do they know that pattern of “dream like” brainwaves didn’t contain a million dreams, only one of which was remembered?
Perhaps dreams take real time.
Perhaps they happen 1000 times faster.
But I seriously doubt either side of the debate has been proven or disapproved.
Regardless… I think you SHOULD have been scolded by a big dish of pasta for wearing a cowboy hat.
David
30 Jun, 2005
Actually Doug (regardless of what you doubt) it has been disproven.
There are 3 things exempt from sleep paralysis. Your heart beating, your lungs breathing, and your eyes moving (REM Sleep).
Now, you should never attempt to mess with your heart rate even if you have the ability … so that leaves two methods of timing and signaling.
Lucid Dreamers were asked to memorize a complex series of specific eye movements (for example: left, up, left, right, up, left, down, left, right, up … or whatever). As soon as they became lucid in their dreams they were to move their (dream) eyes in that pattern. Amazingly (but not too amazingly) the brain moved the sleeper’s real eyes in the same pattern. This was observed consistently, and exactingly (and never when the sleeper said they failed to achieve lucidity).
This allowed for several seriously cool discoveries: 1) it is possible for lucid dreamers to move their eyes in a manor of their choice. 2) The dreamers were in fact reaching a lucid state (they were able to provide an exact signal (which was changed each experiemt attempt) – showing they had achieved a level of control in their dreams).
With this under their belts they moved on to phase 2.
In phase two the lucid dreamers were asked to make the appropriate signal and then wait for 10 seconds. Then they were to hold their breath for 10 seconds (in the dream).
Amazingly (but not too amazingly) the sleeper’s body held it’s breath along with the dream character.
The sleeper would become lucid … give the signal … and sure enough roughly 10 seconds later they would stop breathing … and roughly 10 seconds later … begin again.
When the sleepers were asked to do the same exercise when awake it was shown that the person’s estimate of 10 seconds was roughly the same when they were asleep as it was when they were awake.
Doug
30 Jun, 2005
That doesn’t prove anything other than LUCID dreams use real time.
LUCID dreams by definition require some degree of “real world awareness” so it is not at all surprising that the mind starts to function at real time.
Unconscious dreams could be (and ARE I would guess) COMPLETLY different animals.
Animals upon which no such proof has been measured.
Shove that in your cowboy hat and smoke it.
Kevin
30 Jun, 2005
I thought you weren’t involving yourself in social situations today???
Doug
30 Jun, 2005
Hmmm I guess that’s true Kevin.
But it doesn’t make me any less right.
David
30 Jun, 2005
Firstly there is no photoshop contest (but if there were the fine print would state that all submissions should be no wider than 400 pixels).
… secondly …
You should have followed your own advice and stayed out of social interactions today … you’re a little bitch today … a little bitch who for some reason wants to fight about things you don’t have any data on. (Generally not a wise move … it’s called trolling in some circles … and its childish in all of them.)
Save your all capital bolded assumptions for someone who – like you – knows nothing about what you speak of.
Your use of the capital letters doesn’t impress me in the slightest nor does it somehow make you right.
Lucid dreams are not “a completely different animal” in relationship to “regular” dreams … I would give you the explanations and proof and what not but I’m sure you’d just give me a 42pt bolded assumption again … please do yourself a favor and save such unprovoked confrontation for someone who hasn’t read about half a dozen books more than you on the subject … they might not roll their eyes at you quite so much.
David
30 Jun, 2005
oh .. and I don’t know who the hot chick is … the photo is (for all its brilliant editing) a forgery …
Kevin? Who is she?
Kevin
30 Jun, 2005
I’m not sure, but I’d suggest you find out.
She has that “come hither” smile.
I don’t know anything about dreams.
I’ll stay out of this one, I’ve learned my lesson.
David
30 Jun, 2005
lol … damn … So … you can’t hook me up, Kev?
Kevin
30 Jun, 2005
I googled Sears Tower images….
not “chicks Dave could hook up with, and possibly fark with a cowboy hat”
Jess
30 Jun, 2005
Now boys, let’s not fight! First of all, David must be right, he’s an older twin. And, as we all know, older twins are always right! Secondly, it’s not pretty watching the two of you battle it out in text. If you really want a go at eachother, lets involve some pudding or something. Sell tickets. You know, make it fun for everyone!
Doug
1 Jul, 2005
Dave -
Edit my comments again and I’ll just stop bothering to leave them.
David Responds:
Welcome to DAVIDMeade.com … I will apply content however I (the David Meade of DavidMeade.com) damn well please … troll on my site again and your comments will simply be deleted.
You want to reply leave your own comment.
David Responds:
*David looks around confused and checks the url*
… hmm … nope, it’s still MY website – guess that means you don’t get to tell me how to use it.
Kevin
1 Jul, 2005
YAY!!!
20 Comments!!
Woo Hoo!!!