Dreams and Memory Consolidation

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Sleep is an extremely interesting phenomenon in which the mind almost completely departs from the usual realm of consciousness. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness and a decreased ability to react to stimuli where we become less aware of our surroundings. However, it is more easily reversed than being in hibernation or a coma. It is a function that has been extensively researched by many. After all, we would not have evolved a mechanism that forces us to spend one-third of our lives sleeping unless sleep did us some good. What good does it do tough? Over the years, many theories have been proposed as to why we need sleep. The simplest is that it saves energy. An individual’s energy expenditure and demand is reduced during the day, or night, as an animalistic instinct when they are least efficient to search for food. This is also supported by the decrease of body temperature and caloric demand throughout sleep. For example, when NASA sent a robot to mars, it was programmed to shut down at night so exploration would not waste energy. This is like our bodies, as they need time to recuperate and to slow down. In addition, sleep provides an occasion for restorative functions of the brain where the body is allowed sufficient time to repair and rejuvenate itself. For example, animals that are deprived of sleep entirely lose all their immune function and will soon die in a matter of weeks. Other findings have shown that many restorative functions in the body like tissue repair, muscle growth, and growth hormone occur mainly during sleep. When people are deprived of sleep, inhibitory transmitters accumulate in the brain, interfering with attention and learning. People that are well rested will notice when their attention lapses, a...

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Moss, Robert. Dreaming True: How to Dream Your Future and Change Your Life for the Better.

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Pace-Schott, Edward F. Sleep and Dreaming: Scientific Advances and Reconsiderations.

Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.

Ratey, John J., and Albert M. Galaburda. A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and

the Four Theaters of the Brain. New York: Pantheon, 2001. Print.

"Sleep, Dreams, and Memory Consolidation: The Role of the Stress Hormone Cortisol."

Learning & Memory. Web. 19 June 2011. .

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