Re: Sleep

Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
01 Nov 1999 11:49:06 +0100

Robert Owen <rowen@technologist.com> writes:

> Has anyone considered the hypothesis suggested by sleep research
> and Hamlet that we sleep in order to dream? The peer-reviewed
> research finding that it is possible to induce psychosis in subjects
> if they are persistently awakened when REM states are detected
> implies, but does not prove, that dreaming is the necessary and
> sufficient condition for socialized cognition when awake.

Which studies do you refer to? Some of the old REM deprivation studies have been questioned due to problems with set and setting, as well as the deprivation methods. Of course, going without REM is almost certainly bad for you anyway. There are some elegant rat studies (with control rats awakened exactly as often as the REM deprived ones) that show that selective REM deprivation is indeed quite nasty over the long term.

-- 
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Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/

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