The Architecture of Sleep and the Function of Dreams - Essay Example

The Architecture of Sleep and the Function of Dreams The phenomenon of sleep and dreams has inspired many researchers and ordinary persons alike. Generally, sleep is associated with rest; however, the human mind is working even when we are sleep and there are various stages of sleep in the course of one night. There are four phases of sleep in a normal adult. These phases are descending and subsequently ascending in nature; stages 3 and 4 comprise of SWS or Slow-Wave-Sleep. The REM-NREM [rapid eye movement –non rapid eye movement] cycle begins with the slowing of EEG frequency.

This stage is called stage 1 or NREM sleep. Sleep spindles appear in Stage 2, as EEG further reduces; and it keeps on decreasing while the amplitude of slow waves increases during stage 3. This mixed pattern causes high amplitude delta waves in the deepest sleep or Stage 4; which is also called SWS. Shifts in posture occur; followed by REM. ‘At an interval of 90 minutes, REM/NREM phases alternate; while the NREM stages dominate the first third of the night and REM stages dominates the last third’.

(McNamara, 2004, p.p 1-2) We dream during the REM phases of sleep. The dreams of the REM phase have the dream-like quality of emotional drama, fantasy, excitement, and liveliness. The dreams during the NREM phases are more like conceptual thinking and the scenes are usually taken or adapted from our everyday lives. Moreover, the dream intervals at the onset of sleep are short; and they increase in each subsequent REM-NREM cycle after every 90 minutes. The last dream could be of 30-40 minute duration.

Freud believed in his Interpretation of Dreams (1911) that the basic function of dreams was wish-fulfillment. ‘We now see what this function is. The dream has taken over the task of bringing the excitation of the Ucs, which had been left free, back under the domination of the preconscious; it thus discharges the excitation of the Ucs, acts as a safety valve for the latter, and at the same time, by a slight outlay of the waking activity, secures the sleep of the preconscious. Thus like the other psychic formation of its group, the dream offers itself as a compromise, serving both systems simultaneously, by fulfilling the wishes of both, in so far as they are mutually compatible.

’(Freud, p.356) Many theorists believe that dreams are directly related with emotional and psychological issues. Problem-solving theory was advocated by Rosalind Cartwright and it suggested that dreams could actually help the process of creative thinking and tend to resolve issues in everyday life. For example, a student might be having dreams about his exams, if exams are approaching. His inner fears might be expressed this way and to overcome the fear of failing his/her exams, he/she would try hard in exams.

In this case, dreams are a way to solve his/her problems. Freud’s dream theory was based on the excitation of neurons. Till the nineteenth century, the existence of the other type called ‘inhibitory neurons’ was not even hypothesized. The modern researchers are not convinced that dreams are caused by psychological factors- in fact; it is believed that dreams occur during REM-sleep, which is a purely biological process. Hobson and McCartey, two Harvard University students, have a different idea regarding the function of the brain.

According to them, dreams purport the genetic structure of the human brain upon which our brain circuits that determine our cognitive meaning and behavior, are constructed and tested. The activation-synthesis model by Hobson and McCartey suggest that dreams are the side effects of neuron activation in the lower brain; as a result of which random signals are sent to the cerebral cortex for synthesis, so as to make out sense of the dreams. Though, this theory does not suggest that dreams are meaningless; yet, it downplays the widely accepted fact in most cultures and societies that dreams are related to human psychology and emotions.

The cerebral cortex is the creative centre where all the information conveyed through millions of neurons is processed. While we are asleep, it works in less reactive mode as compared to wakefulness. As we switch from one state to the other, abrupt changes in the frequency of brain waves occur. Our cerebral cortex is the storehouse of our memory; therefore the majority of the people, places, sounds, and other feelings in our dreams are those that we are already familiar with. This explains how it synthesizes the abrupt and meaningless signals fired from the lower brain and weaves dreams.

The three famous theories about the nature and function of dreams are different in their approaches, yet they have a wide appeal in their own context. References McNamara, Patrick. (2004). An evolutionary psychology of sleep and dreams. USA: Praeger Publishers. Freud, Sigmund. (1911). The interpretation of dreams. (3rd Ed.),( A.A. Brill. Trans.). USA: Plain Label Books.