Thursday, February 3, 2022

REM Sleep DIsorder


What happens when the function of sleep paralysis fails?

There is a REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep Behavior Disorder where there is no paralysis. Likely that is due to a malfunctioning of brain nerve pathways that ordinarily cause atonia during the REM sleep state. If atonia (sleep paralysis) does not occur, individuals can kick, punch, flail their arms, or even jump out of bed acting out their dreams. That can be jarring to a person’s sleep partner—to say nothing of risking a black eye from a flailing fist. The mammalian or 2nd brain layer adds emotion to dreaming. Much of the 3rd brain layer is off-line during dreaming, taking an electrochemical nap—which may be the reason it is difficult to “read” material you may see in dreams. However, some critical thinking still occurs as the neocortex tries to help you make sense of your dream, especially when you remember what you dreamed when you awaken.

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