Page 22 - 20060708 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - July/August 2006

22 The Mystery Of Sleep The Mystery Of Sleep 22 THE MYSTERY OF THE MYSTERY OF SLEEP SLEEP It wasn’t until 1954 that science made a big breakthrough and recognized that REM (rapid eye movement) during sleep was caused by dreaming. Since then, the science of sleep has expanded rapidly, with over 100 distinct sleeping disorders now classified and many doctors devoting their careers exclusively to sleep problems. INTO THE WAVES: Scientists now recognize four stages of sleep: STAGE 1: After your muscles relax, your brain produces smaller waves of 9 to 12 cycles per second. You think normal,everyday thoughts. Pulse and breathing are regular. STAGE 2: Brain waves get larger with sudden and most of this happens during REM sleep. THE LEGEND: You can trade soda can pull- bursts. Your eyes go “off” and wouldn’t Laboratory tests showed that if mice learned tabs for time on kidney dialysis machines. anything if they were opened. Eyes may roll complex tasks and then were deprived of their (Each pull-tab is worth one minute of dialysis slowly back and forth. REM time, they forgot what they learned. In for someone in need.) STAGE 3: tests on students at the University of Ottawa, HOW IT SPREAD Word of mouth. Brain waves get slower and bigger, researchers noticed that the faster student THE TRUTH: This is just the latest version of about 5 times larger than in Stage 1. learned things, the more REM time they a classic legend. For more than 40 years, people STAGE 4: Profound unconsciousness, with the required. Slower learners needed less REM have been collecting worthless items - empty biggest, slowest brain waves. It takes over an time. matchbooks, the little tags on tea bags and even hour to reach this stage. Most people go to Stage cellophane strips from cigarette packs - as a 4 once or twice, then comeback to lighter sleep * Life stresses and changes also increase the humanitarian gesture, believing they will (generally Stage 1), and experience REM need for REM. Using a group of divorcing provide vital medical treatment (time in an iron (dream-state). women in their early 30s as subjects, psycho- lung was popular in th e1960s) or seeing-eye analyst Rosalind Cartwright conducted a study dogs. The definitive word: “There is no pull- THE REM EXPERIENCE: that demonstrated they needed more REM time tab/kidney dialysis donation program.,” writes Once you’re in REM. . . to assimilate their big changes. Jan Brunvand in Too Good To Be True. “It * The muscles of your inner ear begin vibrating never existed. Anywhere.” (science doesn’t know why). *Among people over 65, those who are * Brain waves resemble a waking state, but mentally sharper experience REM more THE LEGEND: A man insured his expensive you’re dreaming. frequently. cigars, smoked them, then tried to collect on the * Muscles are relaxed, but may twitch or move. insurance policy ny claiming they were * Pulse and breathing speed up. But we breath * Most people don’t reach REM until about an destroyed “in a series of small fires.” The less oxygen and use fewer calories than in other hour and a half after going to sleep; people with insurance company refused to pay up, so the stages of sleep. depression, however, get to REM in about half man sued and won. But when he collected his * Blood flow and brain temperature accelerate. this time. They also experience it more money, the insurance company had him arrested * Eyes dart all over the place, “seeing” what intensely. for arson. we’re dreaming. HOW IT SPREAD: The story was posted to The first REM episode averages 10 * REM occupies approximately 22 percent of alt.smokers.cigars newsgroup on the Internet in minutes; then episodes recur on a 90 to 100- sleeping time. 1996. It was identified as an urban legend and minute cycle, with the deeper sleep stages (3 or debunked at the onset; nevertheless, it has been 4) getting shorter in between. During REM our Pleasant dreams.! circulating as a true story ever since. bodily processes are not operated by the larger, THE TRUTH: The cigar story is an example of URBAN LEGENDS evolved parts of our brain, but by the brain stem URBAN LEGENDS a classic theme in urban legends: a clever - the “ancient brain” we had millions of years person finds a loophole in some kind of rule or ago when we were arboreal (living in trees) THE LEGEND: The Lego company has regulation and exploits it, but gets nailed in the mammals. started to add a plastic homeless person to some end. of its kits. The reason: to make Legos more ACToids REM FACTS: “relevant.” F FACToids HOW IT SPREAD: By word of mouth in the * We can dream without REM, but scientists early1990s. It made the rounds of toy stores, - Four most dangerous steps on most staircases: have established that these dreams are simple where some employees apparently accepted the the two at the top and the two at the bottom. and uneventful. REM dreaming on the other rumor at face value... and passed it on to - It takes 720 peanuts to make one pound of hand, is the more exciting, dramatic kind. We do customers. One Toy’s “R” Us salesperson peanut butter. REM dreaming about two hours a night. In a explained to a reporter that the program was - India has an estimated 550 million voters. lifetime, this adds up to 5 or 6 years of REM designed “to teach kids sensitivity and - In Montreal, Quebec it is illegal to water a sleeping. compassion.” garden in the rain. THE TRUTH: In 1992 the Chicago Tribune - At last count, Minnesota had 99 lakes named * You may seem to think that because your body asked the Lego Company directly about the Mud Lake. seems to go offline, your mind does too. Not so. rumors. A spokesperson insisted they were - Top speed of a pigeon in flight: 90 mph. Your brain spends the night integrating the info false. “You see,” he said, “only happy, smiling - The ancient Greeks played cards. In those and experiences you’ve gained during the day, people live in Legoland.” days, aces were known as “dogs.”