The reasons for sleep.

This is a topic that has held my interest for a long time now,freshly rekindled after a VERY short nap last night.
This mini sleep was not a particularly unusual event but the dream was..for two reasons..

One was the amazing detail involved in a subject about which I have very limited knowledge(Aircraft design..hypersonic at that)

Second was the length of time spent 'sleeping'.. less than two minutes.

Now what gets me is the speed at which the brain is processing such an amount of info..whether real or imaginary ..SOOO!!

Here's my first 'skunkwork' theory.. well possibly first,second and third.

1) While we are sleeping,our brains actually shift into high gear without all the mundane tasks of processing sight/ touch/ sound etc.

This is almost like a 'time shift' working at a rate where hours worth of info is converted to 'real' seconds.

Or

2) Sleeping is required so we can tap into the 'collective unconcious'.
Maybe we are part of a huge 'matrix' style organic supercomputer where our processing power is put to other uses

OR

3) While we are asleep we are susceptible to all the info whizzing about in radiowaves and can tune into certain bands.

Any other similar experiences or theories out there?

OH BTW.. If anyone wants to buy plans on reduced skin friction/scramjet aircraft.. gimme a call

reply to post by AGENT_T


i see that what ur saying is pretty interesting....

Get a flu from hell and you will find out how acquainted you can become with sleep. It helps restore us, mentally, and physically.

i think this is an interesting topic.i dont have dreams as much as i used to. i think its because i sleep with the T.V. on, but when i do i can control myself in my dreams but cant control when or what you dream. normally its like being in auto pilot. it took a long time to learn how to do it because you never know when ur going to dream but its pretty cool. i dought its just me that can do it though.
but the most interesting thing is how a long dream is really crammed into a couple minutes of sleep. our brain is an amazing thing.

Have a dream of night of the living dead in living color, knowing it's a dream, trying to shut it down, and it keeps coming back, then get back to me.

Haha 2.30am and still awake.

I dream in glorious technicolour with dolby surround sound most nights.
I can usually recall the dreams without much effort too.Manipulating dreams is always a bad idea.. I usually end up flying off and getting tangled in overhead electricity cables..or getting slapped.
Aaanyway..

I think I'm going with the 'collective unconscious' idea a little further because I usually go to sleep processing all kinds of info.. then when I wake up ..the problem's usually solved.

I've passed it out into the 'ether'.. someone's dreamt about it,solved it and passed it back again.
Thinking back I used to do this for homework and exams too..Studying is a thing of the past.

I looked into why some people prefer to sleep with background noise way way back.Most opinions are it causes a constant noise resembling life back in the womb.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else gets ingenious ideas whilst there are appliances left running during sleep. (I've always done it from sleeping disorders from youth.)

Maybe the white noise/monitor frequency/radio/tv DOES leave channels open for communication a la 'poltergeist.'

'Or getting slapped' God your kiliing me stop it. I hurt to laugh from coughing!

Originally posted by jpm1602
'Or getting slapped' God your kiliing me stop it. I hurt to laugh from coughing!

Haha gotta admit we all just have to try it once when when we get lucid lol.

Back on topic, I do believe that there are things we do not know about, and things to discover about sleep, especially in the learning while asleep department, and understanding if dreams are really just dreams? And what can be accomplished while your mind is in this state?

Its no wonder sleep is so interesting, because theres so much we don't know, its mysterious, Astral projection, dreams etc just what does it all mean.

I didn't know I was off topic Pheonix, but if you say so. I do agree there is a few doctoral degrees to be done on sleep. Your avatar hurts my conjuctivitis eyes.

[edit on 23-11-2007 by jpm1602]

reply to post by _Phoenix_


Definitely..
WHY should we feel refreshed after sleep?No food for an average of 8 hrs.
Relatively motionless.. That make you feel sluggish if you do it during the day.

A friend of mine from Israel was still looking into meditation techniques that would save him sleeping the 2 and a half hours he got between work places.
He was searching for a particular technique that would replace 8hrs sleeps with only half an hour of meditating.

I gotta say though. The guy was in great shape..Working security at night and lifeguard during the day.
..on less than 3hrs sleep per 24hrs.
That kinda blows the standing theory on how much is needed to setup the body for the next day.

Jesus bought a Hyundai. Blessed is the earth. Yup, now off topic.

[edit on 23-11-2007 by jpm1602]

Well sleep is necessary for Melatonin production.

The pineal gland functions in complete darkness.

You may have other things going on in sleepyville also as you mentioned in you opening post. I think quite possibly you set the stage for your waking life while you sleep.

But you do need the melatonin for your coloring and such.

reply to post by interestedalways


That might explain why I was still white as a milk bottle after 6 yrs in the Middle East then

I'd just like to ask everyone..
Exactly how much detail is normal in recalling your dreams.?
How many years do you remember your dreams? say... a 7/10 in the dream score.. Not dull but not traumatic dreams either..
Thanks.

Originally posted by AGENT_T

I think when you sleep your consciousness leaves your body/mind so that your body/mind can rest and regenerate

you know, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar??




[edit on 23-11-2007 by jimjamjerry]

I believe there is a number of classifications of dreams. Most unrecollected, some slightly remembered, and some intense. I hope more research is done on this topic. Peace.
AT I will tell you this. There was a dream that scored me. 21. 1984. My dad had just kicked off to ill health at 56 for a number of years. He came back to me the next day as a white horse. He made it all right. I had told my family I was moving out. Was in nursing school. Dad died 3 days later. After major stroke that paramedics on scene were too wussy too take off porch because of ice. My buddy Jim and me got him down and they took over.

[edit on 23-11-2007 by jpm1602]

[edit on 23-11-2007 by jpm1602]

reply to post by jimjamjerry


Yeah I can fully get that..


But if your brain wants to REALLY put its feet up and chill..
Why the huge increase in speed of thought/(dream)process..?
and the details it presents.?

Wouldn't it want to open a can or two and lie around watching grass grow or something easy?
I know I would after a hard day,s work.

Originally posted by AGENT_T
reply to post by jimjamjerry

 

But if your brain wants to REALLY put its feet up and chill..
Why the huge increase in speed of thought/(dream)process..?
and the details it presents.?

i think that's your mind pretending it has a life of it's own.

Originally posted by AGENT_T
Wouldn't it want to open a can or two and lie around watching grass grow or something easy?
I know I would after a hard day,s work.

no, the problem is that "consciousness" takes its toll on the body and mind and the only way for the body and mind to regenerate is to get a break of consciousness.

Originally posted by jimjamjerry
no, the problem is that "consciousness" takes its toll on the body

Hmm closer I think yeah.
Or possible your 'conscience' taking it,s toll.
I mean, you know what it's like trying to sleep if there's something you haven't completed..or if you've had a argument that hasn't been resolved..It just won't let you rest.

Conscience versus conscious.. Hmm!!.. Now this is going to keep me awake.

I've already learned tonight from Interestedalways about melatonin production.
It's actually inhibited by blue light too..which in turn affects your thyroid WOW.. So leaving your TV on at night makes you fat too!!.

So maybe I'll shut down my monitor tonight and see it sleep comes a little faster.It might even block out these subconcious thoughts on this blummin experimental aeroplane.

Just a thread, no one forces any belief or thought down anyones throat around here. That's why I like it.