Understanding Sleep Science to Improve Your Dream Recall and Dream Practice
The basis of any dream practice is built on the understanding of why and how we dream as well as the importance of getting regular, restful sleep.
This article covers the basic science of sleep and dreams, providing you with a succinct foundational knowledge to help you build your dream practice. While it may seem obvious, you can't dream if you don't sleep!
Please note that the sleep and dream sciences are still in their relative infancies when compared to the physical sciences and it's completely possible, if not probable, that the information in this article may change as the years wear on and we understand more about these subjects. Additionally, I would like to clarify that I am not a sleep scientist and this information is of a very general nature. If you are interested in exploring more about the science of sleep and dreams, please head to your local library or bookstore and check out some detailed books from individuals in their respective scientific communities.
Circadian Rhythm
Every period of sleep begins with the circadian rhythm.
Circadian rhythm is your body's way of tracking your biological needs across a 24-hour period of time. A specific part of the brain's hypothalamus, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), consistently checks in with your body and its processes throughout the day to determine exactly how much time has passed.
This internal tracking system is most heavily influenced by the daily cycle of the sun though there are many factors that contribute to your perceived passage of time and how your body feels within it.
Some of the things the SCN uses to determine your circadian rhythm are the levels of sunlight exposure processed through eyesight, digestive processes like when and how much you've eaten, the levels of exertion and activity that your muscles physically experience, and even your internal body temperature or stress levels.
Sleep Drive
Working with the circadian rhythm to determine when you need to sleep is a chemical called adenosine.
Adenosine is generally a product of energy-expenditure. The more energy you use throughout the day, the more adenosine is accumulated in the body.
This build-up of adenosine creates an internal pressure to sleep called the homeostatic sleep drive. Once the body has reached its daily adenosine threshold it signals that sleep is needed to recover. During sleep, the body clears out the build-up of adenosine, wiping the slate clean for the next day.
Melatonin
Once the adenosine threshold has been reached and your circadian rhythm determines that it’s time for sleep, another chemical process is triggered: the production of the hormone melatonin.
Produced by the pineal gland, melatonin's main job is to tell you that it’s time for sleep, encouraging you to lie down and get comfortable. The release of melatonin is key to a satisfying dream practice. It assists you in staying asleep long enough until you engage the last stage of sleep in a sleep cycle where most dreams occur: rapid eye movement (REM).
Melatonin Supplements
It's common to come across an ad for melatonin or to see a shelf full of melatonin supplements at the store, however, melatonin is naturally produced by the pineal gland and most people don't need an additional supplement. If you're struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep at night, the direct cause may not lie in melatonin production. The more likely culprits are:
Late-night exposure to the blue light in your phone or TV screen which may influence the perception of "daylight" to your circadian rhythm
Personal stress factors like anxiety, depression, or other mental and emotional difficulties
Consumption of caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime
An unsupportive sleep environment (uncomfortable temperature, feeling unsafe in your home, loud noises, etc.)
However, if you suffer from insomnia, have recently changed time zones or work schedules, or have great difficulty getting a good night's sleep even after addressing the usual culprits above, a melatonin supplement may be supportive for you. If you're interested in exploring a melatonin supplement I recommend contacting a health professional for investigation and clarity.
The Stages of Sleep
As the build-up of adenosine and the measured passage of time from your circadian rhythm trigger melatonin production, you find yourself ready to fall asleep and engage your first sleep cycle.
The average adult experiences 4-6 sleep cycles per night which take about 90 minutes each to complete. A single sleep cycle is made-up of 2 different phases characterized as either non-rapid eye movement (N-REM) or rapid eye movement (REM). These phases are further broken up into 3 stages of N-REM sleep and 1 stage of REM sleep. Let's break that down for clarity…
Breakdown of a Single Sleep Cycle
First Phase
Sleep Stage 1: Transition. Stage 1 guides you from wakefulness into sleep. It typically only lasts for a few minutes and you can still be aware of your surroundings in this stage. If someone were to wake you from sleep stage 1 you might not even think that you had been asleep.
Sleep Stage 2: Light Sleep. Stage 2 engages a significant period of light sleep. In fact, most of your total time asleep is spent in stage 2. Light sleep is characterized by slowed eye movement and reduced muscle tension. If you were looking at someone’s brain waves on an electroencephalographic (EEG) scan, you would see minimal activity and occasional short bursts of waves called spindles during this stage. Some memory formation and consolidation take place in stage 2.
Sleep Stage 3: Deep Sleep. Stage 3 is the deepest form of sleep and is characterized by lowered heart and breathing rates, a completely relaxed body, and slow, delta brain waves. Many physical health benefits occur during this stage including cell regeneration, tissue repair, tissue growth, and immune system maintenance. Stage 3 varies in duration throughout the night with more time spent in this stage during the first cycle of sleep, followed by a decrease in duration every cycle of sleep thereafter.
Second Phase
Sleep Stage 4: REM Sleep. Stage 4 is when the bulk of dreaming occurs, though you can dream during any stage of sleep. This stage is characterized by more varied heart and breathing rates, rapid eye movement, REM atonia or the temporary paralysis of muscles (excluding those that operate the eyes and lungs), and a measurable increase in brain activity similar to waking brain patterns. Stage 4 varies in duration throughout the night with the least amount of time spent in this stage during the first cycle of sleep, followed by an increase in duration every cycle of sleep thereafter.
Once the REM sleep stage has completed you’ll circle back again to Sleep Stage 1 and enter the next sleep cycle.
The stages of sleep and typical brainwaves associated with each. Source: NCBI
More on Dreaming and REM Sleep
The majority of your dreamtime experiences occur during REM sleep because this stage provides the perfect environment for dreams by combining elements of consciousness with temporary physical paralysis.
Activating Elements of Consciousness
In the earlier, N-REM stages of sleep, deeper brainwaves inhibit areas of the brain that contribute to conscious thought, emotion, and the perception of external stimuli. This allows the brain and body to fully relax so that the necessary restorative and healing processes of sleep can begin.
During REM sleep your brainwaves shift to lighter, more sporadic and excitable waves that are exceptionally close to what you'd experience during wakefulness. The shift in brainwave activity engages some areas of the brain that process emotion, memory, visual perception and other senses without activating our perception of external stimuli. This creates a semi-conscious environment where you can experience certain facets of life—a true sandbox of the mind.
However, it is in your best interest for the brain to prevent any physical connection between what's happening in your dreams and what your body is doing which is where physical paralysis comes into play.
Physical measurements within each sleep stage. NCBI
REM Atonia
During REM sleep several chemical processes activate a total paralysis of the body with a single goal in mind: to keep you alive.
Known as REM atonia, this physical paralysis is most notably engaged by the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its interaction with glycine. Together these 2 chemicals directly suppress your nervous system, essentially turning you into a limp noodle.
REM atonia is an essential evolutionary function, preventing you from acting out your dreams and potentially bringing physical harm to yourself.
However, some individuals have complications in developing or activating their REM atonia process which can lead to sleep walking and talking. Sleep walking is more common in children who generally develop the process by adulthood but there are some individuals who never fully form this process or the process can become interrupted during certain parts of their lives.
Sometimes it's not necessarily concerning (like my husband who talks in his sleep which leads to hilarious conversations that I recall in the morning) but if your lack of REM atonia is causing you difficulty please reach out to a sleep professional for assistance!
Set Yourself Up For Sleep and Dream Success
In order to get the most out of your dream practice it’s important to first focus on setting yourself up for sleep success. As you know by now, sleep is an intricate process built upon several factors all working together in harmony to provide you with the ideal environment for dreaming. When you set yourself up for sleep success you directly increase your probability for experiencing and recalling dreams.
In this brief recap, think about your current sleep habits and where you might implement changes to support sleep and dream success:
Circadian Rhythm: Your body's internal clock tells works best when in rhythm. If you don't have a consistent bedtime it might be worthwhile to try one out.
Adenosine: When you expend enough energy throughout the day you're more likely to experience sleep success. Incorporating regular physical activity into your day can improve sleep.
Melatonin: More often than not, you're producing enough of this sleep hormone. If you're still struggling to fall asleep try limiting your exposure to blue light, avoiding caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime, and reoptimizing your sleep environment or reach out to a sleep professional for help.
Sleep Stages: Our bodies and minds get the most benefit from sleep when we experience the fullness of each phase and stage of sleep in a given sleep cycle. If you’re waking up feeling exhausted you may be missing something in one or more of the sleep stages. If you have access to a wearable sleep tracker or device you can observe the quality of your sleep through each stage. Think about your surroundings or other affecting factors (maybe your cat getting the zoomies at 3am is pulling you out of your deep, restorative sleep).
REM Atonia: Being a limp-noodle isn't so bad when you wake up safe and sound. If you’re someone who regularly sleep walks into potentially dangerous situations it might be time to seek out some help.
All of these suggestions can help you experience more restful and restorative sleep which directly supports your dream experiences, ability to recall your dreams, and your overall dream practice.
Take a look at your current sleep system and make any supportive changes that you can. Your sleep success is dream success.
