Many people may have thought, "What in the world was that?" after waking up from a strange dream. Dreams may be very interesting, but they have more to them, such as the sleep cycle, insomnia, and many others people are not aware of. Nightmares and night terrors are also more than what most people think. Dreams are very fascinating and there is much more to them than people realize, but that also means it takes more to understand them.
Scientists have been studying the phenomenon for many years. (Arnoff 21) During sleep many things happen, such as the blood pressure and heart rate drop. ("Disorders" Online) The longer a person stays awake, the longer he will sleep. The Circadian system, the body's internal clock, is what determines how long people will sleep. (Finkbeiner Online) People normally sleep between six and a half and nine hours a day, (Porter 22) which equals one third of our lives. (Arnoff 21) Sleep also has four stages. (Finkbeiner Online) During stage 1 the person's eyes roll slowly back and forth and the brain works less efficiently than when awake. Stage 2 starts after a few minutes with slow brain waves interrupted by sudden bursts. Stage 3 lasts about ten minutes and is filled with high amplitude brain waves called delta waves; and it is difficult to wake the sleeper in this stage. Stage 4 is where dreaming, sleepwalking, and night terrors occur. Delta waves also occur in stage 4 more than half the time. (Parker 18ff)
Many people have trouble sleeping. This is called insomnia. Insomnia is a condition, not a normal event, that may be caused by internalized tension. ("Disorders" Online) In America one in three adults has occasional insomnia and one in ten has chronic insomnia. (Finkbeiner Online) The only time insomnia can be considered normal is after a tragedy; such as, September 11 or a death in the family. Insomnia may also be caused by what we eat or drink late at night. ("Disorders"...