Dr. John L. Turner Blog

Sleep 101

Sleep, unlike death, is characterized by a reversible state of unresponsiveness. Sleep is separated into two states, one of non-rapid eye movements (NREM) and one of rapid eye movements (REM).

Consider the stages of NREM sleep to be “synchronous” as far as the EEG waveforms are concerned. Large slow eye movements may be seen and  on EEG, the appearance of sleep spindles and K-complexes:

                               Sleep Spindle                                    K- Complex

REM sleep will show an “activated” EEG and all voluntary muscles will be paralyzed. When aroused from REM sleep, 80% will report that they were dreaming. My son Doushi (name in Japanese meaning ("One who intends to follow the right path") is four years old, and will serve as an example of youthful sleeping. As we age, certain hormonal factors released during sleep change in quantity and quality, but let us begin our study with youth.

After a typical weekday at preschool, coming home to continue play activities with many "Daddy, please play with me," invitations, and demonstrating many interests from toy cars to robots, after dinner, he will watch his portable DVD player for a bit, then allow his mother to call him to his private furo (a large plastic tub, always filled to the proper level and temperature.

He will play in the water for some time, then dry off, don his pajamas and brush his teeth. He will climb in to bed and soon be asleep, often within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

Stage I sleep

His eyes are closed, his breathing slows, and his little mind begins to wander . . mind and body now relaxing.

His pineal gland releases melatonin signaling to his brain and body that he is now in a condition of darkness.

Brain waves change from Beta to a slower, higher strength alpha waves. Next, waves change to theta waves of Stage I sleep (light sleep).

Mind is closed, he will not respond to his whispered name but will wake to a sudden noise and if he awakes, he may claim that he has not slept at all.

Stage II sleep

Doushi is easy to wake and if he does, he knows that he has been sleeping. Sleep spindles and K-complexes . . . now appear and reflect how sensory image is processed in the brain. Episodic in nature and lasting 2 - 3 seconds. After 5 -10 min spent in Stage II, it is on to the next stage of sleep:

Stage III sleep (relatively slow

Delta waves (large, more regular, low freq). Theta waves, sleep spindles and K-complexes are also observed in Stage III sleep. However, delta waves swamp the other waves - theta waves are gone and sleep spindles and K complexes are no longer seen. . . .then it is on to the fourth stage of sleep, a deep sleep:

Stage IV sleep

This is the stage of slow-wave sleep. Deep delta pattern. Deeply asleep and consciousness is essentially gone. Muscles relaxed and pituitary hormones have a role to play:

Growth hormone is released (and will greatly increased years from now when Doushi reaches puberty).

Prolactin is released into the blood stream. The reason for this is unknown. For young Doushi, this sleep stage will last about 45 min (longer than seen in adults).

A cycle begins which will be repeated several times throughout the night: Signs of a lighter stage of sleep now appear with sleep spindles, K-complexes and theta waves of Stage III sleep. After 10 minutes, rapid eye movements (REM) are noticed. Brain activity increases. Dreaming is in progress! Short bursts of alpha and beta may be seen from time to time. After 10 minutes, Doushi will cycle back to stages III and IV. This pattern repeats 4 to 6 more times alternating between REM and non-REM sleep.

Cortisol begins to rise during the latter part of the night. Function: to mobilize energy stores and peaks just before awakening. The boy awakens with a brief period of sleep inertia then becomes energetic and ready for another day of play . . . and of learning.

This is how we all would like to sleep, like a child.

 Next: Why do we dream?

To be continued . . .

Sleep - How does it work? Why do we sleep? Why do we dream?

Part 1 - Brain Waves

In MMM, you will read about EEG (electroencephalography technician) Thomas Bearden. He is now Dr. Thomas Bearden, a clinical psychologist. Together, we produced the Brainsounds Of the Pacific audio relaxation program in the mid 1980s as a tool for relaxation. At first, we had hoped the Hemi-Sync audio signals would help to induce the OBE. Some users reported a facilitation of the OBE state. All users of the audio programs report that the signals are helpful aids to promote the relaxation response. Two audio programs utilizing Hemi-Sync are offered as a free downloads to registered users here.

EEG

The EEG has allowed researchers to study sleep. The brain is thought capable of developing 10 watts of electrical power. However, from the scalp, perhaps only 5 - 50 mv (millionth of a volt) signals can be detected.The examination is done by placing an array of electrodes on the scalp using conductive paste. The signals produced by the brain are picked up through the skull and scalp tissues by the electrodes,  and amplified to produce a tracing:

Dr. William C. Dement, one of the researchers of rapid eye movements (REM) which mark the dreaming state, has been instrumental in bring sleep research to the forefront of modern medicine. Dr. Nathaniel Kleitman and Eugene Aserinsky first discovered REM sleep, something that  has been noted in dreaming adults and children, in the new-born nursery and, by ultrasound, in the developing fetus. We know the REM state to be correlated with dreaming. When when people are awakened during this phase of sleep, 85% will report their dreams. Animals apparently dream. Cockroaches do not dream, they prowl kitchens at night.

Before I go in to REM and dreams in preparation for a May 12th (12:00 noon) radio show with prolific author and experienced dreamer Robert Moss, I want to begin by reviewing the typical brain wave patterns detected by EEG. Later, I will discuss the two types of sleeping: the REM stage (Rapid Eye Movement) or paradoxical sleep, and the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage of sleeping.

Waking life, as we know it, consists of BETA waves which are fast, low- amplitude waves, and are characteristic of the awake state. Using the term HERTZ (or Hz instead of CPS or cycles/sec), BETA waves are from 15 to 40 Hz in frequency.

Beta waves

Notice the fast and low amplitude (voltage) beta waves. A person awake and engaged in conversation, and with a fully engaged mind, would demonstrate BETA on the EEG.

When we retire for the night, we slip into the ALPHA state.

apha waves

Alpha waves are between 9 and 14 Hz. Notice that alpha waves are not only slower in frequency than theta, but higher in amplitude or voltage. When resting, reflecting, or in light meditation, we are in alpha. When we take time to "smell the roses" we are in alpha. This is the relaxed state of mind (brain).

THETA waves are next in order and are from 5 to 8 Hz. When we daydream, we may be in theta. When in the psychological state of "flow," we are often in a theta state.

theta waves

And last are the DELTA waves, slow in frequency and of high amplitude. Delta waves range from 1.5 to 4 Hz. This will represent the tracing in the dreamless stage deep of sleep.

delta waves

Later, we will study how we drift from theta to alpha, then to theta and finally into a deep sleep delta state. Periods of REM appear from time to time,  increasing during the latter part of the night, and I'll describe how we drift into deep sleep, rise up through theta and alpha and cycle up and down to REM and non-REM sleep. We will discuss dreaming!

To be continued . . . 

Pondering Strange Events

A short discourse on dreams and reality

Yesterday, there was no sign of rain in Hilo, only a brilliant Sun, and very few clouds. Alas, it was time to cut the grass.

However, this gives me a couple of hours to listen to the iPOD and yesterday, I was listening to a Coast-to-Coast  interview with Rosemarie Ellen Guiley (Feb 27, 2009) on EVP and dreams. As most of you know, I am planning a bit of research into EVP and ITC with Martin who recently passed on. Therefore, this George Noory interview has been of particular interest.

Two things in particular came up as I listened to this podcast.

1.) Could what we think of as reality, be just a dream?

I have written on this topic and discussed it on TBD. Indeed, what we think of as "reality" may be, as Einstein said, "A grand illusion." The processing power of the human brain is stupendous and can render what our five senses present as "the real thing" as that grand illusion.

George made an interesting comment. I flashed back to the last hours in London with Martin: What if when a person dies, this is the way of removing themselves from the dream?
I thought about that as I watched Martin's organ systems shutting down, much like we turn off a computer, external drives, etc., one at a time. But how, in the case of death, is this accomplished? I thought hard on this and I have yet to come up with an answer. Perhaps it is a fading away from the dream as Mr. Noory suggested.

2.) A caller asked if it was possible to go from the dream state to an OBE state.

Ms. Guiley said that of course it can happen. I have a recent experience that took place shortly after my return from London:

I had the iPOD playing The Oh Of Pleasure - the tune often played at the start of Whitley Strieber's Dreamland - followed by a radio interview with Anne Strieber and Robert Moss' Dreams and the Iroquois. This in turn, was followed by the sound track of the movie, Forbidden Planet.

I want to tell you about a dream that occurred after the first playing of these tunes. I remember waking up to the Krell music, resetting the timer for another hour and later, hearing the whale song. This was the dream:

I was talking with someone and it was pointed out to me that I could jump to a parallel universe. NB: I must mention here that the concept of parallel universes and the Copenhagen theory in physics is one that I truly believe and I have often wondered if a "jump" to a parallel universe is a possibility.
I headed out the door to the garage. It was a different garage than what we have but after opening the door from the house, the large garage was pitch black. I knew that across the garage was another similar exit door and I took off running, estimating where the doorknob should be and indeed I was on target.

I approached the door at a run, opened it into a large courtyard/drive way. It was pitch black outside but the ski was slightly overcast but I looked up to see Orion high and slightly to the left. I began to run straight ahead, faster and faster and I yelled, "Take me to that parallel universe!" I jumped as if leaping up to the night sky.

Immediately, I found myself in my bed, lying face down as would be my custom but something was different! It was still dark in the room but, as we keep a night light on in the bathroom, I could see my wife to my right (she and my son Doushi are always to my left) and she appeared to be lying on her left side, her back to me and Doushi was asleep to her right. But she was in a large crib, and she was pale skinned and had her right arm extended up and her hand, fingers thin and spindly, were in a claw-like attitude and she was shaking as if she was having a seizure.

I reached over the shake her, called her name and I realized that I was about two feet above my bed! The feeling was exactly as if I was floating, slowly rising! My eyes (at this point) were physically open and I began to see the outline of the table lamp and items on the bed-side table and that feeling of floating stopped and I was back on the firmness of the bed again. Then I saw that the plastic bed rail that we have used since Doushi was a child, may have simulated the look of the rail of a crib . . . and I realized that it all had been a dream.

I took some time to think about it. For sure, the sensation of leaping up, off the ground as if "flying" into another dimension was a pleasant sensation! The strange look of my wife and her clawed hand was not upsetting, just strange and during that part of the dream, I watched as an interested observer.
The settling back down into my body was a bit disappointing, but I seemed to have no control. The experience was automatically ending at that point but not abruptly, just slowly and surely.

Was this but a dream?

To be continued . . .

Next:

Electronic aids to Lucid Dreaming

and

How to construct your own Ghost Box for $25.