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Sleep and Dreams: Insomnia: persistent problems in

falling asleep, staying asleep, or awakening too early

Sleep apnea: repeated interruption of breathing during sleep

Narcolepsy: A rare sleep problem in which people suddenly fall asleep no matter what time it is or where they are.

Some people use sleeping pills to cope with insomnia but many psychologists believe that the safest, simplest, most effective ways of overcoming insomnia do not involve medication.

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Types and Causes of Insomnia

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Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea occur when a person’s air passages are blocked.

A nasal mask that provides a steady air flow can help prevent breathing interruptions.

10 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea

Section 2: Sleep and Dreams

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Sleep and Dreams: Narcolepsy in Dogs

No one knows for sure what causes narcolepsy, but it is believed to be a genetic disorder of REM-sleep functioning.

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Narcolepsy

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Sleepwalking Sleepwalkers may roam about almost nightly

during stages of deep sleep. When they wake up they typically do not

remember what they did or said. Most children outgrow sleepwalking as they

mature. Sleepwalkers can injure themselves so wake a

sleepwalker up and guide back to bed No evidence that sleepwalkers become violent

if they are awakened.

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Sleep and Dreams: Nightmares:

anxiety-arousing dreams occurring near the end of sleep, during REM sleep

Night terrors:

abrupt awakenings from stage 3 or stage 4 sleep accompanied by intense physiological arousal and feelings of panic

Nightmares We have all had nightmares at some point of our lives.

These dreams are quite normal. Nightmares are a subcategory of dreams. A nightmare is a dream including frightening and/or emotional content. When having a nightmare, it is possible to wake up in fear. You tend to remember nightmares and its details because of it being frightening. Sometimes, the images from a nightmare might stay with you throughout the day. 

One reason for nightmares may be a way of our unconscious to get our attention about a problem that you have been avoiding. Nightmares serve an important purpose in showing you what is troubling and causing you problems. Discussing, analyzing, and understanding your nightmares can lead to a solution for some problems.

Night Terrors A horrible dream occurring

during stage 3 or 4, when the body is not prepared for

Physical overload sets off major bodily changes

Breathing rate zooms Person feels choked Heart-rate 170 beats per-minute Fear of panic & dying

Sleeper usually springs up frombed, sweating, nauseated, & afraid

Night Terrors More common in children (1 to 6%) Attacks of fear may last 5 to 20 minutes Rarely recall incident

Unsure of cause, but runs in families Not nightmare

Nightmares are brief scary dreams typically found in REM sleep and easily recalled

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Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness

Meditation techniques designed to narrow one’s consciousness and block out all other distractions

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Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness Hypnosis altered state of consciousness during which people respond to suggestions and behave as though they are in a trance