Why do we dream?

0:01SPEAKER_07:Hey parents! Welcome back to Orbit. One favor to ask: Could you leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts? It helps other parents know that orbit is safe, fun, and valuable for their families. Thank you. Now, let's get into the episode. Who goes there? Oh, hey there, orbiters. Sorry you had to see that. I was sound asleep in my favorite Axolottle pajama pants, snuggled up with my dog Hank and my favorite stuffed animal, a squishy rabbit named Sir Fluffington IV.

0:47SPEAKER_07:Whatever you do, don't ask Hank what happened to Sir Fluffington I, second, and third. You know, right before I woke up, I was having the weirdest dream. I dreamed I was floating through space in a giant bubble bath, wearing a scuba suit. The rubber duckies were astronauts giving me directions. For some reason, one of them kept shouting, TO Infinity and Scrub Beyond. Anyways, there's a lot I don't understand about dreams. And about sleep. And about astronaut rubber duckies.

1:23SPEAKER_07:You orbiters have some pretty interesting questions too.

1:26SPEAKER_05:What happened to the ring while we are sleeping?

1:30SPEAKER_04:Why do we sleep? Why do we dream? And why do some dreams get like kind of scary and bad?

1:38SPEAKER_07:And we have just the expert to help us out. We're joined by Dr. Danny, who is a pediatric neurologist at Texas Children's Hospital. That's a fancy way of saying he's a medical doctor who knows a lot about children's brains. We'll meet Dr. Danny in a few minutes. But first, let's check in with our pal Mylam. Mr. Mylam, here we go. Welcome back to orbit. Hi. Mr. Milam is doing karate moves. Mylam, are you in karate?

2:14SPEAKER_05:I was in karate class when I was two.

2:16SPEAKER_07:Oh, you were you were a martial artist when you were two, but not anymore. Hey, Mylam, what's been going on lately in life?

2:25SPEAKER_05:Um, I learned how to make mac and cheese.

2:28SPEAKER_07:Wow. This sounds very sophisticated. So Mylam is officially a chef. How do you make mac and cheese? Teach me.

2:36SPEAKER_05:Um, you boil water and then get add pasta and then drain it, and add butter, milk, and cheese, and then add back in the pasta.

2:51SPEAKER_07:Oh, very interesting. Was this your first time making mac and cheese?

2:56SPEAKER_05:No.

2:57SPEAKER_07:No? You've done this. You're like uh you're a mac and cheese expert.

3:00SPEAKER_05:Yes.

3:01SPEAKER_07:Can you imagine opening a mac and cheese restaurant?

3:05SPEAKER_05:No.

3:05SPEAKER_07:What are some what are some weird ingredients that we could put in mac and cheese?

3:10SPEAKER_05:Bacon.

3:11SPEAKER_07:Okay. Bacon.

3:13SPEAKER_05:Inchworms.

3:15SPEAKER_07:That is a weird ingredient. Um what are what are some other weird ingredients? We could put pineapple.

3:21SPEAKER_05:Pepperoni.

3:22SPEAKER_07:Ooh, pepperoni kind of sounds good. What about anchovies or tuna?

3:28SPEAKER_05:Um, that would be weird. Stinky socks.

3:36SPEAKER_07:Okay, so we're gonna put Mylam's stinky socks and inchworms and pepperoni in uh in your mac and cheese.

3:44SPEAKER_05:Yucky! Yucky. Yucky.

3:48SPEAKER_07:What's the single most delicious part of mac and cheese?

3:54SPEAKER_05:Olive.

3:59SPEAKER_07:It's like a it's like a cheese flavor explosion in your mouth.

4:04SPEAKER_05:Yes, I love it.

4:06SPEAKER_07:And what kinds of noodles do you use? The little macaroni noodles? Or are these like spaghetti noodles?

4:11SPEAKER_05:I like spaghetti. Spaghetti spaghetti mac and cheese. Cause I think it takes tastes better whenever it's something weird to make mac and cheese with.

4:20SPEAKER_07:Oh, so Mylam has essentially cheesy spaghetti with pepperoni and bacon. So well, I can't I can't wait to try it. Hey Mylam. Well, today we are gonna talk with Dr. Danny about our brain and body when we sleep. What do you think about that topic?

4:43SPEAKER_05:I think it's good because I don't know much about it.

4:45SPEAKER_07:What are some of the questions that you have?

4:47SPEAKER_05:Um, what is my drain brain doing when I'm asleep?

4:52SPEAKER_07:Yeah, what do you think? What do you think your brain's doing?

4:55SPEAKER_05:Making up the dreams.

4:56SPEAKER_07:Yeah, it's probably like thinking about things. Anything else that you want to learn about dreaming?

5:02SPEAKER_05:How do you sleepwalk?

5:04SPEAKER_07:That's a great question, and we're definitely gonna learn about that. Well, hey, Dr. Danny is from Texas Children's Hospital. You wanna welcome Dr. Danny to the podcast?

5:15SPEAKER_05:Hi, Dr. Danny. Welcome to orbit. What do you do for work?

5:24SPEAKER_08:Hello, hello, orbiters. My name is Dr. Danny Davila Williams. I'm one of uh pediatric neurologists that work at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. Neurologists are usually doctors that are in charge of studying how our brain works. Our brain is a very important organ of our body as it's the control center that controls everything that we do when we move, when we think. So at our hospital, we take care of children and adolescents that may have any issues with the way their brain works.

5:56SPEAKER_05:Hey Dr. Danny, what were you like as a kid?

5:59SPEAKER_08:So I would describe myself as a child, as a very curious kid. I was always trying to find explanations, trying to find the way that things were working. I remember that whenever my parents would give me any presents, there would usually be something to do an experiment or discover something new or something that I could use my hands to work on. Hey Milo, you ready to get started to learn about sleep?

6:23SPEAKER_05:Uh-huh. Oh yeah.

6:25unknown:Okay.

6:28SPEAKER_07:I think that means yes. Let's let's jump into the episode. Hey parents! Do you have a curious little one who wants to send questions for episodes? It's free to participate. Just visit the link in the show notes, cumbrakids.org slash questions, and fill out a form. We'll add you to a WhatsApp group where we notify you of the upcoming episode topics so that you can send your kids questions. Okay, let the learning begin. Take it away, orbiters.

7:01SPEAKER_05:Hello, my name is Josh, and I'm three years old, and I live from Houston, Texas. And my question is, why do we go to sleep? Hi, I'm Naya, and I'm four years old, and I live in Minneapolis, and I want to ask why do we sleep?

7:19SPEAKER_02:Hi orbit, my name is Igrid Mostaho. I live in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I'm nine years old, and my question is why do we need to sleep? Thank you, bye.

7:36SPEAKER_08:Orbiters, that's a great question. I mean, it's a question that we as doctors ask ourselves a lot. So sleep is basically the special state in which our brain and our body rests. So after a day when we're very busy working and learning, we need that rest. So our brain takes charge and tells the rest of our body that it's time to sleep. Even when we sleep, our brain continues to work but in a more silent way.

8:05SPEAKER_07:Ooh, that sounds very interesting. I bet we'll learn more about the work that our brain is doing in a little bit. But for now, we should remember that sleep is a state in which both our brain and our body rest.

8:18SPEAKER_03:Hello, my name is Sylvia. I'm a gear sold and I'm between Maya Costain. And my question is, why we feel tired?

8:30SPEAKER_07:That is such an interesting question. I don't think I've ever asked myself that. Hey, Dr. Danny, why do we feel tired? Why aren't we just always super energetic?

8:42SPEAKER_08:So, Iria, the reason that we feel tired before we sleep is because we spend the whole day turning, moving, doing stuff with our brain. So by the time the night comes, our brain has an internal clock that goes through the whole day, and this clock is called the circadian rhythm. This clock then sends a signal to the rest of our body to tell us that it's time to sleep, take a nap, or just rest. It's almost like we're running out of battery by the end of the day and we just need to recharge.

9:16SPEAKER_07:Hold up a second. There was a big word in there. Actually, two words. Circadian rhythm. Can you say that with me? On the count of three. One, two, three. Circadian rhythm. Nice job. Your circadian rhythm is kind of like a 24-hour clock inside your brain. Don't worry, it's not a real clock. But just like a clock, your circadian rhythm keeps track of your day. It helps your body know when to wake up, when to feel sleepy, how much energy you have, and even when to digest your food.

9:55SPEAKER_07:One super cool thing is that sunlight is very important for your circadian rhythm, which is why most of us wake up when the sun comes up and we start to feel tired when it goes down. Pretty awesome, right? Hey, Dr. Danny, what happens when our internal clock says it's time to go to sleep? We breathe slower.

10:17SPEAKER_08:Our heart rate gets slower, our muscles relax, our eyes get droopy, so all of that in combination that basically tells our body it's time to get some rest.

10:28SPEAKER_07:Isn't that cool, orbiters? Did you know that when you're getting ready to sleep, all those things are changing in your body? Like your breath, your heartbeat, and your muscles.

10:40SPEAKER_00:Hi, my name is Victoria. I'm four years old. My question is why when people go to sleep and when I go to sleep, they can't have lights on.

10:57SPEAKER_08:Great question, Victoria. I think there are several things that could help us fall asleep. There are things within our body, and there are things outside of our body. I would say that within our body, in our brain, there's a special substance that is called melatonin. And that substance or hormone basically tells us that we need to be more calm, we need to be relaxed, and we need to get ready to get some rest.

11:25SPEAKER_07:So a substance in our brain called melatonin sends a mysterious signal to our body to say, Hey, quiet down there. It's time to get some sleep.

11:36SPEAKER_08:And then outside of our body, there are certain things in our environment that can make us fall asleep. Some of those are being in a quiet place, being in a dark place, having cold temperature, actually having our routine before we go to sleep, and making sure we're not exposed to screens or very bright lights several hours before going to sleep.

12:04SPEAKER_07:Make sure I'm in a quiet place. Turn out the lights, keep the temperature cool, do my nightly routine of reading a bedtime story to Hank and my stuffed rabbit, Sir Fluffington the fourth.

12:34SPEAKER_05:Hi, my name is Victoria. I am five years old. I live in Mexico. And my question is, what happened to the bin while we are sleeping? Thank you. Hello, I'm Carolina from New Mexico lava crooking. I have six years old and I wanna know what happens to our brain in our body when we sleep. Hi, my name is Luna. I live in New York and I am six years old and my question is why are uh are our body still will sleep.

13:28SPEAKER_08:Orbiters, there's an awesome question. Both our brain and our body need to rest. So what happens in our brain while we sleep is that it stays active. It's more like a quiet, active phase. There's several things that occur while we're resting. One of them is that our brain cleans up after working all day. There's some waste products that accumulate. So we want to make sure that the cells in our brain clean those up.

13:57SPEAKER_07:So it's kind of like your room after you play with your toys. Toys everywhere. Then you go to sleep, and your brain organizes the toys, vacuums the floor, and takes out the trash.

14:17SPEAKER_08:Also, as we learn throughout the day, we need our brain to organize those memories and put them in our big backpack. We secrete hormones and special substances that help us repair and grow. And finally, we also dream, which is an important part of sleep. So the brain is also organizing our memories while we sleep. And then in our body, we also need to relax. And that may include other organs like our hearts, our lungs, our muscles and bones. So when we are in a sleep state, our heart gets slower, our breathing can get slower, our muscles relaxed and become more stable.

15:03SPEAKER_08:And all of this is so they can grow, they can repair, and they can be ready for the next day.

15:09SPEAKER_07:Cool! So the whole body is recovering, and that helps us grow strong and healthy. I asked Dr. Danny why our body doesn't move while we sleep. He said that our muscles need to relax in order to recover and to keep us safe while we dream. For example, if I'm dreaming about hopping through a field alongside Sir Fluffington IV, it's probably a good thing that my body is still. Otherwise, I'd probably hop straight into a wall or something. Hey, Dr. Danny, I have another question.

15:44SPEAKER_07:I heard that we have different types of sleep during the night. Is that true?

15:49SPEAKER_08:So far we've identified four different stages. Throughout the night, we go through this sleep stages four to six times per night. The four stages are light sleep, bit level sleep, deep sleep, and what we call ran sleep. That stands for rapid eye movement sleep.

16:10SPEAKER_07:Okay, orbiters. Dr. Danny said there are four stages of sleep. Do you remember what they are? Here he is again. Pay super close attention.

16:19SPEAKER_08:The four stages are light sleep, bit level sleep, deep sleep, and what we call ran sleep. That stands for rapid eye movement sleep.

16:29SPEAKER_07:Dr. Danny told me that light sleep is right when we fall asleep, and we can still wake up really easily. In mid-level sleep, he said we're moving from light sleep into deeper sleep. Then, in deep sleep, our muscles relax a lot, and we enter the deepest, most restful part of sleep. And finally, in rim sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep, our brain becomes very active, and this is when we dream. Here's a fun fact: it's called rapid eye movement sleep because while we're dreaming, our eyes are zooming back and forth, super fast, under our eyelids, while our eyes are still closed.

17:11SPEAKER_07:Isn't that cool? Let's learn more about dreams. But first, how about we stretch a little bit and guess the mystery sound? We'll play it three times. You can move around and wiggle while you think about what the sound is. Think you got it? I'll give you a hint. It's a type of bird. Do you think it's an eagle, a macaw, or a goose? Stick around to the end for the answer. Okay. More questions, please.

17:50SPEAKER_05:Hello, my baby is Abilia. I am from Bitwe back, Colombia. I am digestol. My question is why do we dream we split? Hello, my name is Marsha Win, and I live in Houston, Texas. And my question is, what is dreams?

18:14SPEAKER_08:Dreams are just so important because it's the way of our brain to communicate with us while we sleep. We are in a very deep state of sleep. Our brain continues to be active and can use dreams to organize our memories, process our emotions, and even solve problems.

18:34SPEAKER_07:So when we're dreaming, our brain is actually hard at work storing our memories and processing the emotions that we felt during the day, like excitement or anger or sadness. Okay, Margaret has a super important question.

18:51SPEAKER_04:Hello, my name is Margaret. I'm seven years old and I live in North Carolina. My question is: why do we dream? And why do some dreams get like kind of scary and bad?

19:07SPEAKER_07:I'm glad you asked, Margaret. The other day, I had a nightmare where a giant carrot was chasing me and Sir Fluffington IV. I was terrified. Why does that happen, Dr. Danny?

19:19SPEAKER_08:Great question, Margaret. And we really still don't understand how all of these work and why some are fun and some can be scary. But that's basically what nightmares are, right? Are scary or sad dreams. But it's the way that our dreams kind of deal with all of these emotions that we could have. And emotions again could be sadness, they could be scary, and that's why we could also have nightmares.

19:47SPEAKER_07:Oh, so maybe I had a strong emotion during the day, and the nightmare was my brain trying to process it. Okay, go ahead, orbiters.

20:01SPEAKER_05:Hello, I am Riz Mario. I am five. Okay, what happens if we don't sleep? Hello orbit, my name is Amiga, I am eight years old. I live in Venezuela, and my question is What happens if we don't sleep? Thank you, goodbye.

20:27SPEAKER_07:Dr. Danny taught us that sleep is super important for remembering things, kind of like putting books in the right place in a library so that we can find them when we need to. But sleep doesn't stop there. It also helps our body grow strong and healthy.

20:43SPEAKER_08:So if we don't sleep, unfortunately, some of these important functions are not completed. So by the next day, when you wake up, you may feel tired, you may feel like you have to pay more attention in order to concentrate, you may feel like you want to take a nap all day, and that decreases overall our happiness, it decreases the way we work, and it decreases the way we learn and school.

21:11SPEAKER_07:Hey, Dr. Danny, you sure know a lot about sleep. How do scientists study sleep?

21:18SPEAKER_08:Scientists have developed different ways to study their brain while we sleep. We currently have one tool that is called polysomagram, or an easy way to put it, it's called sleep study, where we have different sensors that we connect with all body parts involving sleep. Remember, these are the brain, our muscles, our heart, and our lungs. So we can monitor all of those things while a kid or an adolescent uses sleep.

21:47SPEAKER_07:One of the coolest parts of science is how scientists use technology. So if you're an orbiter who likes tinkering or building things, or maybe you like computers, maybe someday you can design the machines that scientists. Use, like the polysomnagram. You know, Dr. Danny told me a super cool story about a scientist, but to learn, we have to hop in our super orbiter time machine. I'm bringing Sir Fluffington IV with me this time. Okay. Three, two, one, here we go.

22:29SPEAKER_08:I would love to tell you the story about Dr. Nathaniel Fleetman. He was a doctor back in the 1930s who is known as the father of sleep medicine. He wanted to understand why people think that our brain shuts down when we sleep. He actually thought that our brain was active.

22:51SPEAKER_07:Hmm. If my brain were not active, how did I dream about unicorns made of gumdrops playing the violin last night? So he gathered a bunch of his own students. Hey, students, everyone, get into this room and lie down.

23:08SPEAKER_08:It's NAT time. While they were sleeping, he recorded their brain activity and discovered that our brain is actually very active while they were sleeping. Eureka!

23:19SPEAKER_07:Their brain is active even though they're asleep. I bet they're dreaming about gumdrop unicorns too.

23:25SPEAKER_08:After these, several of the students and all their colleagues, other scientists continue to make great discoveries in sleep medicine to the point that we know what we know today.

23:39SPEAKER_07:That is so cool. I love how Dr. Clytemon's discovery started with his curiosity. One more question.

23:49SPEAKER_01:Hi Orbit, my name is Leonel. I'm from Mexico. And that's my question. Why some people speak when they're sleeping? Goodbye.

24:03SPEAKER_07:Our friend Milam said he sleepwalks too. Why do some people sleepwalk and sleep talk, Dr. Danny?

24:14SPEAKER_08:There are several studies, and lots of people want to understand the reason why some people can sleepwalk. Some of the literature says that people can walk while they're still asleep. They can have their eyes open, but their brain is in a sleep state. So they can walk, they can talk, they can move around. But we don't have a specific reason as to why this happens.

24:42SPEAKER_07:Dr. Danny also told me that sleepwalking runs in families, which means if your mom and dad walk in their sleep, it's more likely that you will too. Interesting, right? Maybe one of you curious orbiters can figure out why someday. Hey, let's go check in with our pal Mylam. Hey, Mylam, you ready to take a break and move around a little bit?

25:09SPEAKER_05:Yes.

25:10SPEAKER_07:We're gonna want a couple things from you to help our audience move around. Let's start with a part of your body.

25:16SPEAKER_05:Finger.

25:18SPEAKER_07:Okay, which finger? I've got ten.

25:20SPEAKER_05:Anyone.

25:21SPEAKER_07:Any one of them. Alright, so I'm gonna choose my left ring finger. Um, and what is a shape that listeners should make?

25:30SPEAKER_05:Spiral.

25:31SPEAKER_07:Ooh, that's a fun shape. And how should they do it?

25:35SPEAKER_05:Like a robot.

25:40SPEAKER_07:Like start, stop, start, stop, start, start, start. And if this is their second or third time listening to the episode, how should orbiters change it up?

25:52SPEAKER_05:Um, running or dancing.

25:55SPEAKER_07:Ooh, what kind of dancing do you want to do?

25:58SPEAKER_05:Any kind.

26:00SPEAKER_07:Any kind? My favorite kind of dancing is salsa dancing. Do you have a favorite kind of dancing?

26:05SPEAKER_05:No, sir.

26:07SPEAKER_07:No. Well, maybe we can put on some salsa music for orbiters to dance to. And while we're making spirals and dancing salsa, let's recap what we've learned. Sleep is a special state where both the brain and the body rest, clean up, and recharge so we're ready for the next day. Our internal clock, called the circadian rhythm, helps us know when to feel sleepy or to wake up. We also learned that a quiet, dark, cool environment makes it easier to fall asleep.

26:40SPEAKER_07:While we sleep, the brain organizes memories, processes emotions, and creates dreams. And while our brain does this, our body slows down so it can grow and repair itself. Finally, we learned that scientists study sleep using tools like sleep studies. And they've learned that sleep is essential for learning, focus, and feeling happy. Hey, Dr. Danny. Thanks so much for answering our questions today.

27:10SPEAKER_08:Absolutely. It's been such a pleasure and a joy to share some of my knowledge about sleep and about how our brain works. There's so much to discover, so much to study, so I will encourage each one of you to continue learning, and maybe one day you'll be able to discover what is currently unknown and we can work together.

27:34SPEAKER_07:Hey parents, Dr. Danny's full name is Dr. Danielle Davila Williams. He's a pediatric neurologist at Texas Children's Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatric neurology and developmental neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. He also serves as the medical director of the Pediatric Stroke Center and sees patients in the Neurology, Epilepsy Center, and Pediatric Stroke Clinic. Dr. Davila Williams is a great expert for things like pediatric stroke and neurovascular disorders, neurocritical care, and pediatric epilepsy care and diagnosis.

28:09SPEAKER_07:If you would like to get in touch, we'll leave his webpage for Texas Children's Hospital in the show notes. Okay, orbiters. Before we wrap up, I bet a few of you are curious about the mystery sound. Do you remember it? If you said it's a macaw, you were right. Way to go. Let's go check in with Mylan one last time. Hey Mylan, did you enjoy learning with Dr. Danny?

28:38SPEAKER_05:Yes.

28:39SPEAKER_07:Okay, let's test your knowledge. I'll give you three true and false statements, and you respond. Okay. True or false? Your brain stays active while you sleep.

28:56SPEAKER_05:True. The brain is cleaning up waste, organizing memories, and more.

29:03SPEAKER_07:Ding ding ding ding ding. Well done, Mylam. He's one for one. Alright, second question. True or false? There are seven stages in the sleep cycle.

29:16SPEAKER_05:What do you think, orbiters?

29:19SPEAKER_07:Ooh, orbiters, what do you think? Mylam is saying false. Why is it false, Mylam?

29:24SPEAKER_05:There are four, there are four light sleep, mid-level sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep.

29:32SPEAKER_07:Do you remember what REM sleep means? It means rapid eye movement sleep. And that's where we dream. Okay, true or false? Scientists already know everything there is to know about sleep and the brain.

29:51SPEAKER_05:Let's see. False. Dr. Danny said scientists are still trying to understand things like dreams and how the body falls asleep. Me, me, me, me, me, me.

30:11SPEAKER_07:Mile Nazette, me. Is that the sound that you make when you're sleeping?

30:15SPEAKER_05:Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me.

30:17SPEAKER_07:Or maybe that's the sound that your little brother makes when he's asleep.

30:21SPEAKER_05:No, I do it.

30:23SPEAKER_07:Oh, you do it. Is your brother is your brother quiet when he sleeps to let you sleep?

30:27SPEAKER_05:No. It's so annoying to hear him snore.

30:30SPEAKER_07:He's like just I'm not sure Wells is gonna agree with that. Alright, Milo. Well, this has been a ton of fun. Any last messages for our audience?

30:46SPEAKER_05:I hope no.

30:48SPEAKER_07:No. Should they remember to brush their teeth?

30:52SPEAKER_05:Yes.

30:54SPEAKER_07:Don't forget to brush your teeth, right?

30:57SPEAKER_05:Yes.

30:58SPEAKER_07:Okay. Alright, we'll catch everybody later. Bye-bye.

31:02unknown:Bye.

31:04SPEAKER_07:This episode is also available in Spanish on our sister podcast, Craneo. Siencia para niños curiosos. Orbit is a podcast produced by Cumbre Kids. This episode was written by me, Robert Carpenter. The producer is Catherine Aguilar. Artwork for the episode by Moises Monsalde and Jorge Wake. And don't forget to check out our podcasts in Spanish, Craneo. Siencia para Ninos Curiosos, Camaleón, Animales para Niños Curiosos, and Buenas Noches Craneo. We'll see you in the next episode of Orbit.

31:37SPEAKER_07:The next one is all about rocks. It's gonna be so fun. Ciao!

31:42SPEAKER_05:The important thing is not to stop questioning Albert Einstein. The end.