Page 139 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

120 Mysteries of the Mind

the area as having no value. As a professor of infants’ immature nervous systems for the
philosophy at the University of Chicago, onslaught of experiences that come with the
Kleitman asked a graduate student, Eugene maturation of vision, hearing, and the other
Aserinsky, to study the relationship of eye senses. To further support this theory, Krippn-
movement and sleep; and in 1951, Aserinsky er cites studies done with older subjects that
identified rapid eye movement (REM) and indicate that young adults spend 25 percent of
demonstrated that the brain is active during their time dreaming while the proportion
sleep, thus establishing the course for other decreases to 20 percent among the elderly. It
dream researchers to follow. Although discus- seems that the brain, once it is functioning
sions of REM are now commonplace in the well, does not need as much dream time.
conversations of informed laypeople, it should Recent experiments demonstrate that sim-
be noted that prior to the work of Kleitman ple forms of mental functioning go on at night
and Aserinsky most scientists maintained that even when the individual is not dreaming.
the brain “tuned down” during sleep. The brain appears to require constant stimula-

Pursuing the REM research, Kleitman and tion even during sleep and may use dream
another of his medical students, William C. periods to “keep in tune” and to process infor-
Dement, found what may be the pattern for a mation that has accumulated during the day.
“good night’s sleep.” They discovered a night- In the mid-1950s, Drs. William Dement and
ly pattern of sleep that begins with about 90 Charles Fischer, working at Mount Sinai Hospi-
minutes of non-REM rest during which brain- tal in New York, asked a group of volunteers to
waves gradually lengthen and progress spend several nights in the laboratory. When
through four distinct stages of sleep, with the volunteers fell asleep, they were awakened
Stage Four the deepest stage. It is then that throughout the night each time the electroen-
the first REM episode of the night begins. cephalographs indicated the start of a dream
Rapid eye movement is now observable, but period. These volunteers got all of their regular
the body itself remains still. The central ner- sleep except for their dream time. After five
vous system becomes extremely active during nights of dreamlessness, they became nervous,
REM. It becomes so intensely active that Dr. jittery, irritable, and had trouble concentrating.
Frederick Snyder, of the National Institute of One volunteer quit the project in a panic.
Mental Health (NIMH), termed the activity
Another group of volunteers in another part
“a third state of earthly existence,” distinct
of the hospital was awakened the same number
from both non-REM sleep and wakefulness.
of times each night as those in the first group,
The breathing is even in non-REM sleep. but they were awakened when they were not
During the REM episode breathing may accel- dreaming. In other words, they were allowed
erate to a panting pace. The rhythm of the approximately their usual amount of dream
heart may speed up or slow down unaccount- time. These volunteers suffered none of the
ably. Blood pressure can dramatically fall. troubles and upsets that afflicted the first group.
Other physiological changes also occur during For the first time, the Dement and Fischer
REM. The flow of blood to the brain increases experiment presented evidence that regular
about 40 percent. Then the individual stirs dream sleep is essential to physical well-being.
and returns to the non-REM sleep cycle. This Some of the volunteers went as long as 15
pattern repeats itself throughout the night. nights without dream sleep, at which point

Dreaming, in Dr. Stanley Krippner’s esti- they tried to dream all of the time, and the
mation, is a primary means of brain develop- researchers had to awaken them constantly.
ment and maturation. Newborn infants spend When their dream time was no longer inter-
about half of their sleeping time in the rapid rupted, the volunteers spent much more time
eye movement or dream state. Although such than normal in dream sleep and continued to
dreams probably are concerned with tactile do so until they had made up their dream loss.
impressions rather than memories, he believes Dement summed up the results of their
that these dreams probably prepare the experiment by concluding that when people are

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