Sleep, Mysterious Third Of Our Lives (1977)

[Music] each of us spends one third of our life sleeping and dreaming yet for centuries artists philosophers and others have struggled to understand and interpret this universal experience why do we fall asleep how much sleep do we need why can't we stay awake when we want to why can't we go to sleep when we want to and why do we have to sleep at all in fact a person who could escape the periodic need for sleep could add 20 or more productive years to his life [Music] by contrast medical surveys indicate that at least one-third of all individuals have suffered a type of insomnia or unwanted sleeplessness at some time in their lives other sleep-related health disorders are also widespread but often go undiagnosed becoming sources of both pain and self-torment only within the last 20 years have researchers begun to probe the scientific mysteries of sleep this report profiles some of the activities and findings of one notable study organization the sleep research and treatment center of the milton s hershey hospital at pennsylvania state university [Music] in the united states as well as mexico city quebec canada and other locations scientists and physicians are investigating the nature of sleep and dreams one leading facility the sleep research and treatment center of pennsylvania state university is organized around three inter-related activities a sleep research laboratory carrying out fundamental investigations into the scientific nature of sleep and of sleep related medical disorders a sleep disorders clinic providing diagnosis and treatment for people with sleep related health problems its test records and comprehensive case histories have also suggested new hypotheses about sleep behavior and extensive educational programs scientific exhibits audiovisual training aids symposia and workshops all aimed at providing physicians with conclusions and recommendations for use in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders the center both conducts scientific investigations of normal sleep and tries to find ways to better diagnose treat and cure sleep-related medical problems by thus studying all aspects of sleep the experts hope to better comprehend its total nature one major area of research is insomnia which includes difficulties in falling asleep staying asleep or waking too easily or too often about one-third of all people have suffered from one or more of these problems over long periods in their lives though sleeping pills are often prescribed for insomnia center studies have shown that patients may quickly develop a tolerance for them which can in time lead to even more serious problems such as drug dependency in response center experts have helped other researchers in perfecting sleep inducers for which acclimation takes much longer each case of insomnia however has its own underlying causes most often psychological unfortunately most individuals tend to deny that emotional factors may be causing their sleeplessness making their treatment more difficult until the personal problem is somehow understood meanwhile research continues on this major social loss and personal misfortune [Music] a second sleep-related medical disorder is sun-ambulism or sleepwalking this research film made at the university of california shows a child sleepwalking even though his eyes appear to be open perhaps fifteen percent of all children have at least one such sleep walking episode before they are sixteen if such a case of synambialism is suspected a physician should be contacted at once fortunately most individuals including this one eventually outgrow the problem [Music] a third notable sleep-related medical problem is narcolepsy repeated and uncontrolled sleep attacks which last for short periods these attacks may occur at any time or place without warning narcolepsy while relatively rare is more common than multiple sclerosis or muscular dystrophy this film sequence made at the pennsylvania state university sleep center shows a patient suffering from narcolepsy who is about to have an attack under controlled conditions this setting was chosen so her fall would be cushioned narcolepsy is a disease which may start in adolescence attacks are often triggered by strong emotion in this case happiness though its pattern of symptoms has been recognized it is still often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed with unfortunate results here is a second view of the same attack the american narcolepsy association recently formed in san francisco was organized to provide education and assistance to both physicians and stricken individuals this film segment made with a concealed camera shows another emotion-triggered attack and the reactions of the patient's family here is the same attack again this film begins to suggest how an undiagnosed narcolepsy case can lead a troubled and even tragic existence while putting a great emotional strain on his family and friends [Music] fortunately a suspected narcolepsy case can now be quickly verified and while no cure exists at present several types of chemotherapy are available narcolepsy exemplifies the need for increased medical education and research into sleep-related health problems besides its medical functions the center also carries out scientific studies to better understand sleeping and dreaming [Music] until the 1950s sleep was thought to be a simple unchanging resting state in 1953 however two researchers at the university of chicago charted periods of rapid eye movements during sleep their delicate sensors recorded the involved muscular activity even though the subject's eyelids were closed they also showed that this rapid eye movement sleep or rem or rem sleep occurs only during dreaming in addition they concluded that individuals dream at intervals almost every night they seldom recall these dreams however unless awakened immediately afterwards one key instrument of the pennsylvania researchers and other sleep experts is the multi-channel polygraph machine whose sensors record the body's electrical activity electrodes taped to the top of the head measure the brain's electrical activity its so-called brain waves other electrodes above below and at both sides of the eyes pick up eye movements chin electrodes test muscle tone or tension all data from the electrodes is automatically recorded and stored in a computer during each of the clinic studies the physicians and scientists explain every step in their investigations to the involved volunteer subjects and patients in a typical study it takes two days for a subject to become accustomed to the electrodes two more days to get the normal or baseline readings on the fifth day the actual research project can commence in some cases radio transmitters like this one are used to beam data from research subjects living away from the center studies have found that sleep consists of several different levels of awareness or consciousness rem or dreaming sleep and four levels of ever deeper unawareness on a typical night a person's sleep pattern starts with very light sleep which gradually deepens or dreaming sleep begins after an hour followed by more deep sleep then more dreaming the various levels alternating through the night this complex pattern of consciousness called a sleep cycle differs for each person and also changes as they grow older [Music] these three charts show typical sleep cycles for a child a young adult and an elderly person note that the amount of dreaming remains constant though dream content varies with age [Music] in general research suggests that dreams tend to be related to current emotional needs in young children for example many dreams are undisguised wish fulfillments [Music] this brief introduction to the pennsylvania state university sleep research and treatment center suggests some of the problems and potentials of this vast new scientific frontier for it is not oblivion that is being studied but rather some of the subtle unseen forces that shape and limit and govern each of our lives [Music]