The funniest questions about sleep

The funniest questions about sleep. During the recording of a TV programme that ended up not being broadcast due to technical circumstances, viewers asked me a number of questions about sleeping. Since the questions are too fun not to share with you, I decided to put them on the website anyway.

When do I fall asleep? I can never remember exactly with moment between being awake and the moment I actually fall asleep. How can that be?

During our sleep, working memory is switched off. This is the memory we use during the day to remember what we are doing, what we have just done and what we want to do next. You don't need this memory during sleep, so the moment you fall asleep, you can let go of everything from that moment. Your brain automatically switches off working memory the moment you (almost) fall asleep, so even afterwards you cannot remember that you fell asleep at that moment.

Why can't I hear what's going on around me when I sleep? I'm not suddenly deaf or something, am I?

Still. During our REM sleep, certain parts of our brain are switched off to be completely at rest. This is the reason why we don't see, hear or smell anything from the environment during our sleep! (That's why fire alarms are so important!)

Every now and then I sleep with my eyes open, however, I have no idea what I saw during such a sleep session. How can that be?

The reason your eyes are sometimes open is a malfunctioning optic nerve or muscle that causes your eyelid to crawl up during sleep. You often see this in babies and animals as well. Furthermore, the same thing happens in your brain as when you sleep with your eyes closed; part of the brain is switched off, so you don't perceive anything from your surroundings despite one or two open eyes. You look, but you see nothing.

To what extent can you blame your partner if he tortures you during his/her sleep?

Actually, no. In addition to working memory, the brain also partially disables our ability to move. This is to prevent us from actually performing the movements we make in our dreams (sitting, standing, walking, running, etc).

Kicking, punching, stomping, kicking, flailing and other unwanted behaviour during sleep is often caused by a temporary disturbance in the brain that causes the movements made in the dream to actually occur. This also happens during sleepwalking.

The person in question is unaware of this. Exhibiting such behaviour during sleep may have a neurological cause, but may also arise from taking certain medication such as antidepressants or during withdrawal from alcohol or drugs. Heredity may also play a role.

Could it be that while dreaming, you might be in the extraterrestrial?

I personally don't think so. During sleep, everything in our brain that allows us to perceive things in our environment is switched off. In contrast, our long-term memory, our imagination and the part that enables us to visualise are running at full speed. For this reason, you can assume that everything you see during your dreams comes from your own subconscious.

Because during our sleep, our sense of logic, justice and self-reflection is also switched off (because: as well as working memory not needed!), it can happen that we have the strangest dreams about things we would never do, dare to do or think of at all in everyday life!

Our brain is the best film director there is. From all the images stored in our subconscious - combined with our own hopes, fears plus everything else that concerns us in our daily lives - a unique film is produced every night. That is why dream psychology also so interesting!

In a woman, does a wet dream mean the same as in a man?

Yes.

What does the position of the moon, have to do with dreams?

Here, opinions are divided. Dreams are mainly influenced by one's own experiences, thoughts, feelings and memories. Still, many people claim to dream more intensely during a full moon. However, there is no scientific evidence for this (yet), although a Swiss study indicates something else out....

Since when is a piece of string around a ring, a dream catcher?

Dreamcatchers have been used for centuries by a North American Indian tribe to protect their children from nightmares. According to this tribe, the bad dreams are caught in the web and the beautiful dreams are let through. New Age culture only introduced this ornament to the Netherlands in the 1990s.

How do you get rid of your nightmares ? Are there certain rituals for this?

You can overcome a nightmare by reliving the nightmare as much as possible during the day so that you get used to the images, with the result that you are less frightened by them at night.

Reliving the nightmare during the day and making up your own ending is also an option. There is then a good chance that the dream will go that way at night too.

It also often helps if you are completely relaxed before going to bed and avoid too many impressions an hour before bedtime. So no TV and mobile (scrolling, Facebook/Insta timeline: restlessness!).

Sleep baby sleep, out there walks a sheep......How about a sheep!

It rhymes with 'sleep'. And it's a restful animal, a sheep. Familiar too. Everyone knows the image of a sheep grazing peacefully in the meadow. 'Monkey' could also do, but that's too crowded. And not usual; outside, a monkey climbs. Then the child is immediately awake.

Can animals dream?

Yes. We only dream during REM sleep and several studies have shown that animals too have a REM phase. Dogs also sometimes actually bark in their sleep. A bit restrained, like humans often mumble in their sleep. They then also jerk their paws, as if they were running while lying down. Even rats appear to have REM sleep.

So what is true about déja-vu's? Because I'm sure sometimes I experience something I've dreamt before.

People who are very creative, have a higher than average IQ, read a lot, study or travel a lot, are more likely to have déja-vu than people with smaller perceptions. Simply because more active people take in more impressions and therefore have more conscious as well as unconscious memories. As a result, they also dream more and are more likely to recognise something from a dream during the day.

Even if you can't consciously remember that dream, it is definitely stored in your subconscious. Whenever you see or do something during the day that you once dreamt about, your brain immediately makes the link with this (subconscious) memory, giving you the feeling: hey, I've seen this before! Our brain is always looking for recognition and constantly making connections; also in view of memories we have of dreams!

What dreams have you had tattooed on your body

None. However, it is my dream to have a lot more getting tattoos added.

From this recording, these were the funniest questions about sleep, but of course there is much more on this interesting topic to tell!