Kirsten Rewey wrote:
>Why is it that we sometimes dream we are falling and, at the moment of impact,
>jerk awake?
Although he doesn't mention it in the context of dreaming, the sleep researcher
Peretz Lavie (1996) stated the following with regard to jerking awake:
"The muscle relaxation that signifies falling asleep is sometimes interrupted by
a sudden start called a 'hypnic jerk' for which we have no well-established
explanation, although we may assume that it results from a change in the brain to
decrease muscle tonus. Like the sudden forward jump a car makes after a clumsy
gear change, this could cause an 'error' in the activation of a group of muscles,
thus resulting in a sudden start." (p. 14)
When this happens to me, I often have that feeling that I am falling. This is how
I explain it to my students when they ask the question: "We really do not know,
but it probably has something to do with changes in brain activity as our muscles
begin to relax during light sleep. It probably is related to the smaller jerks
you typically see in people as they first fall to sleep. Dreaming is very
frequent in Stage-1 sleep (some estimates are as high as 50%). So it does not
seem unusual that the feeling is associated with a dream of falling."
Admittedly, this is speculative; but apparently there are no well-supported
explanations.
Jeff
P.S. I hope this gets to you. I sent off something yesterday that still has not
appeared (on my server, at least).
Reference:
Lavie, P. (1996). _The enchanted world of sleep_. New Haven: Yale University
Press.
--
Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213
9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
"The truth is rare and never simple."
Oscar Wilde
"Science must begin with myths and with the criticism of myths"
Karl Popper
"If you want to learn new things, you should try reading old books."
Richard Cytowic
