I don't feel like I'm sleeping. My brain is working. Inception or how to learn to control dreams. What part of the brain is responsible for dreams

On average, a person spends about 25-30% of his life in sleep. That is, if you live 80 years, you will sleep for about 24 years. Just think - 24 years old!!! It is simply unforgivable to waste this time in vain. Therefore, everything related to sleep still causes so much controversy, and research on this topic never stops.

Accordingly, a huge number of myths have gathered around this area. Do we really need to sleep at least 8 hours a night and can we control our dreams? The first is not necessarily and not in the way we are used to. Second, we can. Do you want to know how?

Before understanding whether we are able to control our dreams, let's briefly go through the main myths about the sleep process itself.

Myths and other folklore about dreams

Myth #1. A person needs 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It is believed that a person should sleep at least 7-8 hours a day - this is exactly how much our brain and body need to recuperate and prepare for a new full-fledged working day. But ... Hundreds of historical records made before the 17th century indicate that earlier people had a slightly different sleep rhythm. It consisted of two sessions and was torn apart by several hours of being awake at night. Many experts in the field of sleep study believe that this rhythm is more natural for humans. I think that many of us woke up more than once full of strength and ready to work in the middle of the night after just a few hours of sleep. This has happened to me more than once.

The only thing I can advise, based on personal experience: do not try to fall asleep in this state, because you will not succeed anyway. You will only exhaust yourself and those around you with your anxiety. The best thing you can do is go and do some... work or read. The most interesting thing is that it is at this time that the most interesting ideas come to mind. After a few hours of such activity, you will want to sleep again and wake up in the morning in your standard state, as if these night vigils never happened.

Myth #2. During sleep, the brain is at rest. Since serious research began on sleep and the states of brain activity during this period, scientists have proven that during sleep the brain does not turn off completely and continues to work. But many still believe that during sleep, their brain is completely turned off, as if the switch is moved from the “On” position. to the "Off" position. During sleep, our brain is in four phases, which replace each other every 90 minutes. Each phase of sleep consists of three phases restful sleep, which is also known as "slow-wave sleep" or "traditional sleep", which in general makes up about 80% of the total time of the 90-minute cycle, and from the REM phase, which is characterized by rapid eye movement. It is during this phase that we dream.

Myth #3. Teenagers are just lazy and like to sleep in longer. Most teenagers sleep late and even after waking up they are in no hurry to get out of bed. They can lie there all morning without showing any signs of life. Many parents swear and think that they are just too lazy to get up. In fact, the biological clock of adolescents works a little differently than that of adults.

Studies have shown that up to about 20 years of age human body More of the hormone melatonin is released (peak around age 20), so teenagers experience increased daytime sleepiness if they are forced to stick to a standard 8-hour sleep schedule. And if we add here practically complete absence serious social obligations, in addition to passing exams and cleaning their room, it turns out that their sleep is much calmer and healthier than the sleep of adults.

Myth number 4. Dreams are filled with symbolism. And here we can say hello to grandfather Freud, who believed that dreams (especially nightmares) are filled with symbolism and are "the royal road to the unconscious." They are a mirror reflection of our lives and their detailed analysis can reveal all our subconscious fears, problems and secret desires.

In fact, the truth is that no one yet fully knows how true this theory is. One of the most influential neurobiological theories says that dreams are sporadic neural activity in the brainstem and random activation of memories that are stored in our minds. According to the same theory, dreams are the result of processes in the higher layers of our brain that try to translate this random activity into at least some consistent subjective experience.

Recently, a survey was conducted among 15 people with paralysis of the lower body. In their dreams, they quite often see themselves again on their feet, but at the same time they see such dreams much less often than those who are able to move on their own. If Freud's theory were 100% correct, then people with paralysis would have such dreams much more often, since this is their only cherished dream - to walk again.

Inception or control over dreams

In the film "Inception", director Chris Nolan used the idea that dreams can be controlled and "seeded" certain thoughts into a person's mind with the help of controlled dreams. Actually, it's not such a fantasy, because the idea of ​​the film was based on scientific research, which prove that lucid dreams are quite real.

Lucid dreaming is an often pleasurable state of partially awake consciousness that simultaneously sees dreams and can control them. This state most often occurs towards the end of sleep, somewhere between awakening and daydreaming.

If you have never experienced lucid dream, there are several techniques that will help you achieve this amazing state.

In Control Your Dreams, psychologist Tom Stafford and Katherine Bardsley, a lucid dreamer, advise you to start practicing mindfulness when you are awake but not yet fully awake. While this may sound rather strange, but when you learn to notice to yourself that you are already awake, that is, to be aware of this state, you will learn to be aware that you are currently in a dream.

A sudden blackout is a good test to determine if you are fully awake or still asleep. Because if you are still sleeping, the light level hasn't changed in your dream. The option of pinching yourself is not very suitable, because you can do it both in reality and in a dream. If you realize that you are still dreaming, try not to worry, otherwise you will quickly wake up. You need to calm down and remember this state. And each time you catch yourself realizing that you are still in a dream, you will be one step closer to becoming fully in control of the events that occur in the dream.

I had a lucid dream experience. And not just once. And this is a very interesting, exciting state. When you realize that all this is a dream, but you still have not woken up, it becomes very curious and fun. Because when you really realize this, you are able to influence the events that take place and what used to scare the hell out of you before now looks stupid. By the way, this is a great way to deal with your fears, both far-fetched and quite real. It seems to me that it is in this state that we get the most interesting ideas, solutions to problems and insights (Bingo!), because we can remember them clearly enough so that we will not forget when we finally wake up.

Our brain does not completely stop working for a second during sleep. While the rest of the body is resting, brain activity continues to function. While we sleep, energy is restored, our memory is cleared of unnecessary information, even the body is cleansed of toxins. In each phase, brain activity is different, all phases pass in an hour and a half, so we repeat them several times a night.

rest in different periods night is very different in brain activity and in the work of the whole organism. These periods vary in time, but the entire cycle takes one and a half hours.

Moreover, the distribution of sleep phases changes closer to the morning:

In an hour and a half at night, the body completely goes through this cycle, starting from falling asleep and ending with a fast phase. During the night, the brain may have several such cycles for sleep. Doctors advise that in order to get enough sleep, the number of hours should be a multiple of this cycle. Awakening in the fast phase is considered the most complete for the body. Such a dream can restore strength without any antidepressants.

Few people imagine what happens to our body and brain at night. We have dreams, this is another confirmation that the brain does not turn off during sleep, but continues to work. During the night's rest, our body is completely rebooted and cleared of unimportant information.

We receive a huge amount of information every day. The work of the brain during sleep involves the processing of all this information, its rethinking and distribution.

There are several important functions that our nervous system performs while we sleep:

Very often people try to work or study something at night. Actually, this is not the best idea. In a dream, you will remember better and process the knowledge that you received during the night.

This will allow you to make the most of it. Constant lack of sleep leads to the death of neurons in the brain.

Our brain is essentially a huge computer with a lot of information and complex operating system. And at night, it reloads information and distributes it into folders. Our brain cannot turn off, but cleansing the brain in a dream is quite real.

What man does not know the meaning healthy sleep. It's not just muscle relaxation and detachment from reality.

With a normal rest at night, we get advantages over those who do not get enough sleep:

These are just a few positive sides healthy sleep. Complete rest at night - a direct road to longevity.

Best of all, the benefits of a night's rest are reflected in the old proverb: "The morning is wiser than the evening." Our brain, equipped with millions of neurons, continues to work during rest. But it is thanks to this work that we feel different in the morning.

While we rest and view bright colorful dreams, our main computer in our head is working. It sorts everything we learned during the day, helps answer the day's questions, and helps us remember the information we need.

Healthy sleep people call strong, peaceful, sweet. After such a dream, a person will wake up energetic, in a good mood, ready to move mountains.

Sound sleep speaks of a healthy body and the right way life. Superficial sleep, and even interrupted by frequent waking up, signals, like a flashing light, that not everything is in order in the body and help is needed. Since you are reading this article, it means that you are worried about the question, "why can't I fall asleep and often wake up at night." Let's figure out what a bad dream tells us. What to do to restore fast falling asleep without frequent waking up.

Poor sleep can be caused by a variety of factors.

Types of violation of night rest

Sleep disturbance is manifested by difficult falling asleep and frequent waking up, or, conversely, in drowsiness. Types of sleep disorders:

1. Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently.
2. Hypersomnia is increased sleepiness.
3. Parasomnia is a malfunction of the organs and systems associated with sleep.

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. In everyday life, it is simply called insomnia. All types of sleep disorders require treatment after examination by polysomnography.

Causes of insomnia

With insomnia, the question often arises, "why do I often wake up at night." The most common cause of insomnia is a nocturnal lifestyle, in which a person works or plays at night, and then sleeps all day. The change of night into day is unnatural for a person. The biological rhythms of owls and predatory animals are adapted to night hunting and are conditioned by the natural laws of survival and continuation of life. The functions of their organs are tuned to a nocturnal lifestyle - acute night vision. Human biological rhythms are genetically tuned for an active life during the day and rest at night. The human brain produces the sleep hormone melatonin at night. With insomnia, the hormone drops to a critical level, and thus, insomnia becomes chronic.

The main hormone of the pineal gland is melatonin.

Insomnia can also be caused by short-term or permanent conditions or illnesses.

The most common factors that lead to insomnia are:

• situational insomnia due to emotional overexcitation;
• mental or neurological diseases;
• chronic alcoholism;
• long-term use of hypnotics and sedatives, as well as the syndrome of their withdrawal;
• somatic diseases - disorders in the functioning of organs and systems that lead to insomnia for various reasons.

Elderly people quite often complain to the doctor, "I wake up at night, prescribe a remedy for a good sleep." In old age, the violation of night rest is natural. Herbal medicines help older people to get rid of sensitive sleep. In the treatment of sensitive sleep in the elderly, it is also recommended to take vasodilator(for example, vinpocetine).

What diseases disturb sleep?

If a person says, "I often wake up," then he should think about what caused a sensitive night's rest. Cause of frequent waking bad sleep are such somatic diseases:

• cardiopulmonary insufficiency;
• syndrome restless legs;
• obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in snoring people;

Sleep apnea disease

• enuresis (bedwetting).

With cardiopulmonary insufficiency, the reason for a sensitive night's rest is oxygen starvation - hypoxia, which forces one to take an elevated position of the body to facilitate breathing.

The problem of "often waking up at night" occurs with restless legs syndrome. Very often, varicose veins manifest themselves vascular insufficiency legs. In case of violation of blood circulation in the legs, to restore it, a reflex need arises for movement lower limbs. It is this unconscious desire that causes restless leg syndrome. If during the day a person moves his legs without noticing it, then at night involuntary movements make a person wake up often. Timely measures taken to treat the legs will help get rid of insomnia.

One of the serious reasons for a sensitive night's rest is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) in people who snore. It is caused by dangerous cessation of breathing at night due to diseases of the nasopharynx. A person wakes up from suffocation due to the cessation or restriction of air flow through the nasopharynx. Somnologists and neurologists deal with the causes and treatment of sleep disturbances during snoring. If you are concerned about the problem of “often waking up at night”, you should contact these specialists. Snoring treatment will relieve you of insomnia.

Treatment with finished drugs

Ready-made remedies for insomnia in drops, tablets, capsules and solutions are very popular. To get rid of insomnia or light sleep, the following medications will help:

• Novo-Passit is a combined mixture medicinal herbs and guaifenesin. This remedy not only calms, but also relieves anxiety, as a result of which it will be easier to fall asleep. Novo-Passit is often used to treat insomnia.
• Phytosed has a calming effect and facilitates falling asleep.
• Corvalol, Valocordin drops also soothe, help get rid of anxiety, thus improving the quality of night rest.
• Motherwort Forte tablets contain not only the plant, but also magnesium with vitamin B6. This composition of the drug relieves irritability, will help get rid of the problem of difficult falling asleep. Treatment with motherwort is effective with a sensitive night's rest.
• Donormil tablets, accelerate falling asleep, increase the duration of sleep. Take them 15-30 minutes before going to bed for two weeks.
• Valocordin-doxylamine has proven itself as a light sleeping pill. Its use is indicated for situational sleep disturbance after nervous tension.
• Melatonin is a hormone-like drug. It, like a natural hormone, regulates sleep. Its use is recommended at the very beginning of the treatment of insomnia in order to start the correct rhythm of life - work during the day, rest at night. The drug is recommended to be taken with medicines preferably of vegetable origin.

Ready-made products for good sleep can be bought at any pharmacy without a prescription.

Herbal use for insomnia

Sedative herbs

For mild cases of sleep disturbance, herbal remedies are very effective. They can be prepared at home in the form of a decoction or infusion. Popular herbs used to treat insomnia include:

• valerian root;
• Melissa;
• motherwort;
• lavender and oregano;
• peppermint.

The pharmacy has ready-made collections of herbs for the treatment of insomnia. To prepare the infusion, you should brew 2 tbsp. l. dry collection with a glass of boiling water, put in a water bath for 15-30 minutes, then insist for 45 minutes. You need to take the remedy in filtered form 3 times a day. Take your last infusion 40 minutes before going to bed. Infusions help to deepen superficial and sensitive sleep.

The use of synthetic sleeping pills

In the treatment of insomnia, drugs of the benzodiazepine group are used. We give preference to such medicines:

• Triazolam and Midazolam are recommended for difficulty falling asleep. These sleeping pills short action.
• Relanium, Elenium and flurazepam have a longer duration of action. It is recommended to take them upon awakening in the early morning hours. However, they cause daytime sleepiness.
• sleeping pills medium duration actions: Imovan and Zolpidem. These drugs are addictive.

Sleeping pills

• Amitriptyline and doxemine belong to the group of antidepressants. They are prescribed by neurologists for depression.

The disadvantage of this group is that they are addictive. If the drug is discontinued after prolonged use, insomnia may develop.

As a result, we considered the most common causes sleep disorders in humans. We learned how to get rid of bad unproductive sleep with the help of herbs and ready-made pharmaceutical preparations. Remember, chronic insomnia needs to be treated, and for this you should contact a neurologist.

Thoughts before going to bed are different: sometimes about the problems of the past day, sometimes about something more global, and sometimes it's just a hodgepodge of unrelated events. But one thing unites them: they prevent us from having a good rest. I didn't give before special significance to what happens in my head before going to bed - I just tried to “turn off” through force. And I did this until I began to think about the following: is it really possible to wake up like in the movies - get out of bed with a smile, stretch, look out the window and start your day with a clear mind. For me, after waking up, the following was the norm: fatigue, reluctance to get out of bed and resistance to any work. That's why I started reading about sleep.

What effect do thoughts before sleep have?

That's what I had before - all the negative consequences of not being able to sleep because of the thoughts in my head.

1. Confusion of consciousness after waking up.
2. Fatigue - I had not yet managed to do anything, but there was already a feeling that I was exhausted.
3. Annoyed by any trouble during the day, even the smallest.

And here is what I acquired using the techniques that I described below. These are all the positive changes that have happened in my life thanks to good sleep:

1. There was a cheerful state and clarity of mind after waking up.
2. There was a desire to work - to spend energy on something useful.
3. It became difficult to unbalance me during the day - the problems did not bother me so much, there was little that could make me irritated.

For me, these changes were very valuable. If you want to bring them into your life too, here are 8 ways to do it.

How to turn off the chaotic flow of thoughts before bed?

Some of the methods described here affect our sensations more than consciousness. But this should not confuse you: after all, feelings affect the mind, just as the mind affects feelings. That is, working with one element, you can influence another. Let's move on to the exercises:

Relax - let yourself fall asleep

The first thing that helped me understand how to get rid of thoughts before bed was permission to rest. How to give it to yourself? Talk to yourself: say that everything is done and now is the time to rest. It so happens that lying in bed we begin to worry about the tasks that need to be completed in the near future. And the brain does not always understand when to work on them, and when to rest - until you clearly let it know. If something is bothering you, you need to get rid of it as soon as possible. And the best thing to do is now, he thinks. But if you tell yourself that everything is in order: now you are resting, and tomorrow you will get to work, then thoughts will allow you to fall asleep without problems.

Meditate

Sometimes, lying in bed, it is difficult to calm the mind. Therefore, I usually meditate before bedtime - and this is best done in my favorite chair. As soon as I sit down in it, I accept correct posture, I close my eyes and begin to breathe deeply - consciousness almost immediately comes to order. It takes a few minutes for me to clear my head and go to bed.

Write down everything that is in your head

It happens that unpleasant things happen, and we try to move away from them. Shove deep into yourself. But this does not remain without consequences - after all, this attempt to escape from problems is one of the reasons for the appearance of a stream of thoughts before bedtime. What you need to do is get everything out of your head onto paper. Spend at least a second of time on what is bothering you right now.

Write down each thought - whether it be painful or unpleasant. When you unload them on paper, they will calm your mind and stop influencing you.

Ventilate the room you sleep in

Another factor that can affect our sense of self and thus give rise to negative thoughts is the compressed air in the room. Ventilate the room regularly before going to bed and, if possible, open the window at night.

Breathe deeply

Simple deep breathing can also calm the mind. It is not for nothing that proper breathing is called “the key to a happy life”. If you learn to manage it, you will learn to manage what is happening in your head. Just lie in bed and breathe deeply: 1-8 - inhale, 1-4 - exhale.

Come up with a story

Another interesting way to get rid of thoughts before bed is to create a character in your head and send it to an interesting place. Come up with a kind of story, but, at the same time, do not strain your brains. Just let this man do what he wants. Be curious about where his journey will take him.

Sometimes the fact that our thoughts are confused and interfere with sleep is due to the fact that we have a lot of energy left, and it is not clear what tasks to spend it on. The brain jumps randomly to various tasks that we could potentially solve. But since we are lying in bed, we will not do anything anyway. So just give your brain a task: to follow the character.

Listen to relaxing music

If you can’t calm your mind on your own, turn on relaxing music. Often this is what is required to calm the body and the noise in the mind. But it is better not to resort to various tools from the outside. After all, if you do this often, you can get used to them, and lose the ability to control your thoughts on your own. But as a tool to fall asleep quickly, it fits.

Read your favorite book

It is best to read what you are already familiar with. In order not to arouse interest and violent emotions in your head, you should not read detective stories, horrors and thrillers. Just once again enjoy the events that you have already read about. Pick a few of your favorite books and read a couple of pages a day when your thoughts keep you awake.

Prevention: how to make sure that before going to bed thoughts are not too active

The above methods will help you when you are already faced with an endless stream of thoughts. In order to avoid such a problem, follow these recommendations:

1. At least 15 minutes a day of physical activity. I don’t know if it’s evolutionarily inherent in us or not, but without physical activity it’s much more difficult to fall asleep in the evening. As it was before? If you are not physically tired, then you have done nothing to survive. And this is dangerous - thoughts began to "rebel" and force you to stay awake, to do something. I don't know if there is any scientific explanation this - but it works. If there is time for physical activity in the daily routine, then it is easier to calm your mind and fall asleep.
2. Keep a daily routine. Surely you know that eating at the same time, it is better absorbed by the body. The same is with sleep: if you go to bed at the same time every day, then rest will be more effective. You will switch the state of mind from “work” to “relaxation” faster.
3. Don't use your phone, computer, or TV 2 hours before bed. Another thing that often occurs in our time and does not allow you to fall asleep quickly is eye strain. If you sit at a computer, phone or watch TV, and then immediately go to sleep, it is more difficult for the brain to switch to rest. The eyes have not yet had time to relax, prepare for sleep, so to speak. Therefore, try to spend 1-2 hours before going to bed without contact with the monitor.

What if you want to fall asleep right now?

Surely you are reading this article from your phone, lying in bed, or sitting at a computer and looking for a solution to turn off thoughts and fall asleep right now. So here are a few quick tips to help you:

Open the window in the room. Take a pen and a blank sheet: write down everything that is in your head. Yes, it may take 10-15 minutes, but this activity will give you quality sleep. And it is much more important than quantity - you can sleep for 10 hours, but still feel terrible in the morning, but with a clean head you can relax in a few hours. If you have time, then read the article in its entirety. Try various ways calm the mind, see what works best for you, and rest better at night.

Article content

The need for daily sleep is due not only to human desire and physiology, but also to science. Absolutely every person spends about a third of his life on this occupation. Everything that he did the whole previous day, what tasks he solved, what he thought about, what he planned, what memories he came across, the brain digests and puts them “on the shelves” when a person is fast asleep. It turns out that when a person is unconscious and plunges into the arms of Morpheus, the brain continues its active work. Consider how the brain functions during sleep, what it actually does and how it behaves.

What does the brain do at night

When we sleep, our brain continues to function. This activity, activity of the brain is due to the peculiarities of its structure. The list of his tasks at this moment is as follows:

1. Making vital decisions. Studies have shown that the brain is able to make prompt decisions on any issues and tasks. The source Current Biology published the results of studies in which respondents were asked to sort words into categories by pressing a button, while still being able to fall asleep. The experiment continued into sleep, as the brains of the participants demonstrated the ability to make decisions even after the body fell asleep.
2. Memory classification. Studying the question of what happens to our brain during sleep, it can be noted that it is engaged in the processing of memories and the loss of connections with old moments. It sorts human memory in such a way that the right moments are not forgotten. According to Dr. M. Walker, who works at the University of California, if a person attends a piano lesson after a healthy sleep and sleeps the right amount of time the next night, then the material will be learned and reproduced 20-30% better than when checking knowledge immediately after how the session ends.

3. Gets rid of waste and toxins. As soon as the body falls asleep, the brain continues to work actively, ridding it of harmful substances. This fact is confirmed and supported by a series of research activities. But increased amount these elements can lead to many pathological conditions, so the benefit of the brain in this direction is undeniable.

4. Training in physical labor. During REM sleep, information about motor options is transferred from the cerebral cortex to the temporal region. This phenomenon allows you to carefully think through and flawlessly perform tasks associated with physical labor. Now it is clear which part of the brain is responsible for the execution exercise and daily activities.

As can be seen from the above, the functioning of the brain during sleep continues, and even when we sleep, it performs a large number of tasks.

The work of the brain in cycles

The whole process of human sleep at night consists of several cycles of "slow - fast process". According to the public theory, we sleep to ensure the processing of information received during the day or the previous day. Classical sleep includes 4 stages of non-REM and 2 stages of REM sleep. Information is transmitted in a reorganized form only after the completion of the third cycle. But the brain does not turn off in the next 1-2 cycles, but continues to work.

In the process of immersion in the world of Morpheus, the brain structures temporarily lose functional interconnections that promote wakefulness. This phenomenon can be tracked on electroencephalograms. Each of these structures closes in itself, and then tunes in the right way and is subject to regulation, which cannot be done during wakefulness, when the "gray matter" is in active interaction with the environment. A sleeping person's head works a little differently.

Even when we sleep, our brain is still working.

At the stage of slow sleep, the regulation of internal rhythms occurs with respect to each structure of the brain, while at the stage of the fast process, harmonic relationships are established between these elements. In general, sleep has one main task - to adjust the biorhythms of the body to the optimal mode, which is individual for each person. This standard is created in the process of wakefulness, and this or that behavioral program, laid down at the genetic level, acts as a base. If the model is formed and works well, a small amount of sleep is enough for rest. If there are failures, the person sleeps longer.

Interestingly, the need for sleep is inversely related to the amount of information received: the more it enters the gray matter, the less sleep is needed. This may be due to the fact that in the process of receiving an increased mental load, a person sleeps less than in the case when he spends most of his time watching TV.

Rest of the brain during sleep

Does our brain rest during sleep? The issue is the subject of controversy among many people. And this is not unreasonable. In fact, as soon as a person goes into the world of dreams, the brain is rebuilt to a different mode of operation. If during wakefulness he did not have the opportunity to analyze events and classify thoughts, then when a person fell asleep, she appeared. Therefore, in the first cycles, the brain is engaged in these tasks, and at the end of this work (usually closer to the morning) it has a little time to rest. But this does not mean that it completely “turns off” along with the body, we can say that it simply turns on the “economy” mode. Therefore, from the side of the brain, sleep is perceived differently than from the side of the body.

Brain function and dreams

When the brain structures function, they establish mutual connections with each other, as if talking. This fact is fully proved by various dreams. Also in this process, active training of nerve centers occurs: cells that were inactive during wakefulness begin to perform a kind of functional gymnastics in order to maintain optimal shape. It is for this reason that after stress a person sleeps “like a log”, because his cells have already received a shake-up and do not need additional information in the form of dreams.

Slow phase of dreams

In total, the slow stage accounts for about 75-85% of all sleep, and it includes several states:

• nap;
• sleep spindles;
• delta sleep;
• deep dream.

As a person sinks into sleep, many bodily functions change. In the first stage, called drowsiness, and also in the second stage, the pulse becomes more rare, blood pressure is subject to decrease, blood flows more slowly. As soon as the sleeper plunges into the state of delta sleep, his pulse noticeably quickens, and the pressure rises. Non-REM sleep is the phase responsible for regulating internal rhythms for each brain structure and every organ.

The work of the body in the fast phase

The way the brain works during REM sleep is somewhat different. Basically, the process of REM sleep can be divided into 2 main stages:

• emotional;
• unemotional.

They alternately come to replace each other and act like this several times, and the first stage is always longer.

How does REM sleep differ from slow sleep?

There are several points that distinguish one phase of sleep from another, and you should take them into account.

1. There are 4 stages in non-REM sleep and 2 in REM sleep.
2. During slow-wave sleep, eye movements are smooth at first, and at the end of the stage they stop altogether. In the fast phase, the opposite is true - the eyes move continuously.
3. The state of the vegetative nervous system: in the first case, a person grows faster, because there is a more active production of growth hormone.
4. Dreams are also different. When it comes to the fast phase, the pictures are saturated various actions, are brightly colored. In slow-wave sleep, the plot is more calm or may be absent.
5. Awakening process. If an individual is awakened during REM sleep, he wakes up much easier and subsequently feels much better than a person woken up in non-REM sleep.
6. The temperature of the brain on the approach to the slow phase of sleep gradually decreases, and in the fast phase due to the rush of blood and active metabolism, on the contrary, it rises. Sometimes it can exceed normal rate observed during wakefulness.

Another important question is which part of the brain is responsible for sleep. After all, until recently it was not known in which area of ​​the brain the work associated with dreams takes place. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin as a result of the study were able to make a sensational discovery. It was proposed to take part in the experiment 46 people who had registration of electric waves. High-density EEG was used to isolate regions of neurons responsible for dreams regardless of the sleep phase. The subjects were awakened several times and asked about their dreams. And then the received answers were compared with electrical activity.

The data obtained during the study showed that during the sleep state, a decrease in activity in the back of the cortex was directly correlated with the occurrence of dreams. Conversely, when an increase in low-frequency activity was observed in the same area, the subjects said that there were no dreams, that is, nothing was dreaming at that time.

Brain cleansing

American scientists in the course of some studies found that sleep is also needed to cleanse the brain of toxic elements. According to their observations, during sleep, the brain consumes the same or even more energy than during wakefulness. During tests on rodents, experts found that during sleep, activity does not decrease, but only goes into a different direction. At night when the cleansing takes place internal organs from accumulated toxins with the help of lymph, the brain is also cleansed.

Doctor from New York medical center reported that the resource of the brain implies certain limitations. Gray matter is capable of doing one thing: either actively processing thoughts, or ensuring the removal of toxins. If this process were observed during the daytime, no person would have the opportunity to make normal decisions. And if there was a gradual accumulation of toxins in the brain, there would be a huge likelihood of Alzheimer's disease.

What conclusion can be drawn

Thus, we studied how the human brain works during sleep, how much energy it consumes, and in what mode it functions as soon as we fall asleep. Our "gray matter" is the object of observation and debate by many scientists. When we are in the arms of Morpheus, he begins his work, unknown to us, solving a large number of problems. During wakefulness, he is also active, but acts in other directions. The human brain is a complex structure that requires detailed study and research.