Question

A scientist has invented a pill that can replace sleep. It is organic, cheap, and the only side effect is the elimination of dreaming. People taking it would recover approximately 25 years’ worth of time that would otherwise be spent sleeping. Do you foresee any problems resulting from releasing this pill?

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, I foresee the problem of inability to process emotional issues caused by lack of dreaming.

Explanation:

Dreams are thought to occur during the REM (rapid Eye Movement) sleep, but can also occur in all stages of sleep. During this REM sleep that occurs at intervals during the night, characterized by rapid eye movements, more dreaming and bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing, there is an absence of anxiety-triggering molecule noradrenaline in our brain. Also, we experience atonia, which is believed to occur to keep us from acting out our dreams. During this REM sleep, research has shown that key emotional and memory-related parts of the brain are reactivated as we dream. This means that emotional memory reactivation is occurring in a brain free of a key stress chemical, which allows us to re-process upsetting memories in a safer, calmer environment.

We can infer from the statements above that, the elimination of dreaming by the drug might result in memory reactivation in an otherwise stressed brain. This might lead to memory fuzziness, inability to concentrate, and most importantly, inability to process emotional issues. This might eventually not be worth the 25 years saved by eliminating sleep.