Sleep Log and Dream Reflection Paper
We dream often (4-5 dreams per night) and the ones that we do remember leave us often amazed or confused.
A sleep log is a great way of studying both your sleep behavior and your dreams. For the this week along with your other work you will be keeping record of what goes on in your sleep in the attached Sleep and Dreams log. Now, some people can easily remember their dreams, while others struggle. Luckily for all of you, I have also attached at the bottom of this page, some helpful tips on remembering your dreams.
Part I. The Sleep Log
You will be graded on the detail and comprehensiveness of your sleep log.
Part II. The Sleep and Dream Reflection (At least 500 words)
After you keep your log for the week, you will go back and analyze your findings. The purpose of Part II is to participate in a thoughtful reflection of your sleeping habits and your dreams. You must make clear connections between your personal sleep log and the topics/readings included in this chapter
The big picture questions are: ( Keep in mind is you are not able to capture your dreams you still can clearly answer 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and a majority of the items on the Dream log )
In what ways has this project provided insight into your sleeping habits and your recent dreams?
Why do we sleep and Why do we dream?
What are your sleep habits. How do you typically wake up in the morning? What is your sleep space like? How do these factors affect the quantity and quality of your sleep?
What are your sleep patterns (time/length of sleep, naps)?Are you consistent with these patterns? Do you think your caffeine intake affects your sleep? How do these factors affect the quantity and quality of your sleep?
Is there a correlation between the amount of sleep you get and your daily energy level? What about your mood? Ability to concentrate or focus? Ability to think quickly? How does sleep affect your memory? Define Sleep Debt, does it apply to you?
According to the text, Many people experience disturbances in their sleep at some point in their lives, list and define 3 disorders, have you experienced any such disorders?
7. Define lucid dreams, Have you had recurring or lucid dreams?
8. Define, Threat Simulation Theory, have you experience threat simulation in Dream?
How To Remember Your Dreams
Remembering your dreams is the starting place for learning to have lucid dreams. If you don’t recall your dreams, even if you do have a lucid dream, you won’t remember it! And, in order to be able to recognize your dreams as dreams while they are happening, you have to be familiar with the way your own dreams work. Before it will be worth your time to work on lucid dream induction methods, you should be able to recall at least one dream every night.
Getting plenty of sleep is the first step to good dream recall. If you are rested it will be easier to focus on your goal of recalling dreams, and you won’t mind so much taking the time during the night to record your dreams. Another benefit of getting plenty of sleep is that dream periods get longer and closer together as the night proceeds. The first dream of the night is the shortest, perhaps 10 minutes in length, while after 8 hours of sleep, dream periods can be 45 minutes to an hour long. We all dream every night, about one dream period every 90 minutes. People who say they never dream simply never remember their dreams. You may have more than one dream during a REM (dream) period, separated by short arousals that are most often forgotten. It is generally accepted among sleep researchers that dreams are not recalled unless the sleeper awakens directly from the dream, rather than after going on to other stages of sleep.
It can be useful while you are developing your dream recall to keep a complete dream journal. Keep the journal handy by your bed and record every dream you remember, no matter how fragmentary. Start by writing down all your dreams, not just the complete, coherent, or interesting oneseven if all you remember is a face or a room, write it down.
When you awaken in the night and recall what you were dreaming, record the dream right away. If you don’t, in the morning you may find you remember nothing about the dream, and you will certainly have forgotten many interesting details. We seem to have built-in dream erasers in our minds, which make dream experiences more difficult to recall than waking ones. So, whenever you remember a dream, write it down. If you don’t feel like writing out a long dream story at 3 AM, note down key points of the plot. Also write down the precise content of any dialogue from the dream, because words will almost inevitably be forgotten in a very short time.
Possibly, all you will need to do to increase your dream recall is to remind yourself as you are falling asleep that you wish to awaken fully from your dreams and remember them. This works in a similar manner to remembering to awaken at a certain
