Sleeping and Dreaming

There are four stages of sleep EEG. During the first stage, EEG waves are low voltage and high frequency. They are similar to the EEG waves of a person who is awake. The main difference is that EEG waves during the first stage of sleep are slower. There is a gradual increase in EEG voltage and a decrease in frequency during the second, third, and fourth stages. Stage two sleep also produces to unique wave forms called sleep spindles and K complexes The third stage of sleep EEG contains intermittent delta waves, the slowest and largest waves. As the fourth stage of sleep occurs delta waves become more predominant. After a person goes through all for stages of sleep EEG, he or she will move backwards through each stage once more. When stage one is reached a second time, REM sleep occurs. (Pinel, 2007)

Dreams occur during REM sleep. There are five common beliefs about dreaming that I will be addressing. The first belief is that external stimuli may be incorporated into dreams. This has been proven true. Many people also believe that dreams progress more quickly than real life. However, it is likely that dreams run in real time. Others claim that they do not have dreams. Yet, everyone goes through REM sleep. Additionally, most people will remember dreaming if they are awakened during the REM phase. It is assumed that penile erections during sleep are the result of sexual dreams. In reality, erections are not an indicator of sexual dreams. Finally, it is a common myth that sleep talking and sleep walking occur during dreams. They can both occur during any stage of sleep, most commonly during periods of wakefulness. (Pinel, 2007)

Two common theories about dreams are the Freudian theory, and the activation synthesis theory. According to the Freudian theory, dreams stem from repressed sexual desires. The activation synthesis theory proposes that dreams are a result of the cortex attempting to assemble neural signals. (Pinel, 2007) I agree the most with...