By Sharmain Cornette. âAbout two percent of the patients who undergo open-heart surgery worldwide end up with a stroke.â This notion was amplified yesterday by Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI), Dr Gary Stephens, during an interview with this newspaper.
Dreams mainly occur in the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleepâwhen brain activity is high and resembles that of being awake. REM sleep is revealed by continuous movements of the eyes during sleep. At times, dreams may occur during other stages of sleep. However, these dreams tend to be much less vivid or memorable. The length of a dream can vary; they may last for a few seconds, or approximately 20â30 minutes.
launch interactive. During REM sleep (the stage of sleep most associated with dreaming) there is an increase in the firing rate of most neurons throughout the brain, as compared to non-REM sleep. In fact, the brain in REM sleep can even be more active than when we are awake. Patterns of brain activity during REM sleep are more random and variable, similar to during wakefulness. This pattern of brain activity during REM sleep probably underlies the intense dreaming that occurs during this state.