I learned about sleep today in Psychology class and I wanted to share it with all of you (or perhaps just you, Theo). There are two processes that affect sleep patterns:
1) Circadian Rhythm- which has something to do with the time of day it is
2) Sleep Cycle- which involves how long you’ve been awake
Has anyone ever taken a short nap and woken up with a slight memory of a crazy dream you were having? If so, you were sleep deprived at the time. Apparently, you do not fully dream until later, when you’re into the REM stage of sleep. The fact that you were able to dream after such a short period of sleep means that your brain is trying to catch up on REM sleep, so it dives into it without easing or slowly transitioning from wakefulness to sleep. This isn’t healthy (neither are caffeine, computer screens, all-nighters, long plane rides or insane schedules).
Here’s something useful I took away from the lecture: while you sleep (REM sleep, I mean), your brain strengthens and consolidates your memory. So, if you study for a test late into the night, you are much more likely to retain the information and arrive in class with a sunny demeanor if you sleep for even 90 minutes after studying. If you pull an all-nighter, there is no time for your brain to understand and commit to memory what you just learned.
There was a quote on my Physics teacher’s chalkboard in high school. Something along the lines of: “you never truly understand something until you teach it to someone else”.
I have just illustrated that point. Teaching is fun.
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