TITLE

Why Dreaming May Be Important for Your Health

DESCRIPTION

No other topics musters the same kind of attention and questioning from students than sleep and dreaming.  This article, though a few years old, is a really great stand alone piece that covers sleep, dreaming, as well as the functions of REM sleep.  The entire article is devoted to explaining the stages of sleep, various REM sleep hypotheses, and problems encountered by the disruption of REM sleep.   “… REM sleep delivers unique benefits. Some experts even believe that it’s actually a lack of REM sleep and a lack of dreaming — rather than just poor sleep in general — that’s responsible for many of the health problems Americans suffer from today.”  There is a brief accompanying video to the article.  This article can be assigned with the sleep topic, and because it is so interesting it will engage the student to read it.

SOURCE

Time, October 27, 2017, by Amanda MacMillan

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://time.com/4970767/rem-sleep-dreams-health/

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/yatzvl8q

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•Describe the sleep cycle and stages.

•What is REM sleep?  Where does it fit with the other stages of the sleep cycle?

•What does research suggest that is going on during REM sleep?  List the various findings from research studies.

•Based upon research, what is believed to happen if REM sleep is disrupted for long periods of time?