There is an intriguing article in Scientific American about the consequences of sleep deprivation. When the brain is finally allowed to catch up with sleep, it tries to make-up for the loss of slow-wave sleep, but it also tries to make up for the loss of REM sleep as well - by making it more intense! As a result, the dreams are like scenes from something like "Jumanji" - wild animals running around and other crazy stuff. A very good article about various ideas on the function of sleep and dreams.
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My scientific specialty is chronobiology (circadian rhythms and photoperiodism), with additional interests in comparative physiology, animal behavior and evolution. I am not an MD so I cannot diagnose and treat your sleep problems. As well as writing this blog, I am also the Online Discussion Expert for PLoS. This is a personal blog and opinions within it in no way reflect the policies of PLoS. You can contact me at: Coturnix@gmail.com
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Less you sleep, craziest the dreams!
Category: Sleep
Posted on: September 20, 2007 2:14 PM, by Coturnix
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Comments
No wonder my dreams are like action movies on the weekends when I can sleep in.
Posted by: Novathecat | September 20, 2007 3:31 PM
Exactly the same as Novathecat- and I thought that was a bizarre glitch of mine, go figure...
Posted by: Brigit | September 20, 2007 11:37 PM
That's because we need REM sleep as much as slow-wave sleep to de-arouse stress and keep our instincts intact!
Posted by: Eleanor | September 21, 2007 5:26 AM