Images Repeating

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1, 2. Freddy's Coming For You

One, two. Freddy's coming for you.
Three, four. Better lock your door.
Five, six. Grab your crucifix.
Seven, eight. Gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten. Never sleep again.

The new A Nightmare on Elm Street comes out on Friday. I don't think it will hold a candle to the old one - but I will go see it for sure.

Look at the difference between the Freddys. Weird.

Old Freddy: [Image via]

New Freddy: [Image via]

Don't fall asleep!

Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.

Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.

We have all heard the nursery rhyme, but what are the origins (besides the obvious).

According to a staff reporter from The Straight Dope, the phrase "sleep tight" has two possible origins.

1. Beds used to have square frames and ropes were tied across the frame in a weave-like pattern and thus sleep tight - don't let the mattress sag. Mattresses also used to be made out of natural materials such as straw, and thus could potentially be a breeding ground for bugs, possibly bedbugs.
2. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, tightly in this sense refers to "soundly, properly, well, effectively"
   

(I like the first explanation better)

P.S. I would attach a photo of a real bedbug, but I find them disgusting and thus, I chose to include the following - a much happier thought. Click here if you want to see a photo of a real bedbug in a mattress.

[Image via]

Chronic Nightmares

Lately, I've been having a lot of nightmares and I'm exactly sure why so I started to do some research. I started to look reasons why, and those are pretty boring but I found an interesting article on ABC on how to combat nightmares and I was intrigued.

Scientifically there is a difference between a bad dream and a nightmare: a nightmare wakes up in all sweaty panicked in the middle of the night, while a bad dream you remember in the morning, but you sleep the whole night through.

Since dreams are "emotional thermostats" (so says the article), bad dreams can be a good thing - bringing things to your attention that may have been hidden, but nightmares can be a sign of too much stress.

According to Ross Levin, a psychologist, if you have a recurring nightmare, the patient needs to relive the dream while they are awakes so that they can rescript it and hopefully change it forever.

For information on changing dreams and controlling your dreams, check out my post on lucid dreams.

I find this all very fascinating - the idea that you are in control of your dreams and thus, your subconscious to some degree.

Lucid dreams

Lucid dreams. I think in one point or another we all have them, but some of us can make ourselves dream things every night. In an article titled Living in Dreamworld, researcher Stephen LaBerge teaches people how to lucid dream, or have control over your dreams at night.

[Image via.]

To do this is quite simple, according to LaBerge. All you have to do is make yourself aware that you are asleep, and thus, you can control your dreams. (Okay, I' believe him - LaBerge spent more than a decade researching lucid dreaming at Stanford University). He invented a special sleep mask called a NovaDreamer to help alert you in your sleep.

Dreams are important - you can live out all your fantasies if you have control over them. Apparently, according the the article, many people contact LaBerge to find out how to have vivid lucid sex dreams. Interesting.

What are your thoughts?

Also, there is a video accompanying the article with Dr. LaBerge teaching people how to take control of your dreams.

Cat naps

I started thinking of the phrase cat nap and how it came to be. According to dictionary.com, the term cat nap originated from around 1815–25 and is an American in origin.

So cutesy schmutesy time. (I couldn't help myself).

Here are some cute photos of cats, etc... sleeping.
ENJOY!

[Image via]

[Image via]

Homework means little sleep

As the semester draws to a close, all of the final projects and finals are piling up. I have a ten page paper to write and many final projects. On top of that - all of my finals are on the Tuesday of finals week. *blergh*

My Finals Schedule: Tuesday, May 11
8-10 - Online
10:30 - 12:30 - Holocaust
1 -3 - Anthropology

This means little sleep for Jen in the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, this also means fewer posts. I will have more interesting sleep deprivation stories (and I will try to share them), but I will be hardpressed for time. I am also considering finding a way to connect an IV of Starbucks directly in my vein to get through these weeks.

Wish me luck!