During waking hours our brains build up proteins and other waste. During sleep, brain cells shrink and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) washes and rinses brain cells. The importance of sleep to maintain brain function is critical to life itself. Without sleep we die after a few days. Alzheimer’s and every other disease linked with dementia have one thing in common—sleep disorders.
During sleep our brains are flooded with CSF. Changes in brain cells size and debridement of unwanted toxins are flushed of beta-amyloids to maintain healthy function. During this time we are susceptible physically and mentally. Sleep is defined “a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended”
Microsleep is also fairly common, especially during monotonous times of work, driving, or periods of sleep deprivation. Dreams and revelations can be heard as well as audible voices and other sounds, right in the daytime without the knowledge of the subject having fallen asleep. I had an old packing buddy that would have these episodes frequently. It was amusing that he never recalled falling asleep.
One of the most popular LDS revelations came from Lorenzo Snow during a time of financial difficulty. The revelation on tithing came to the 85 year old leader after an exhausting trip to southern Utah in 1899. He went into trance at the pulpit while speaking, and that is the backbone of the Mormon tithing commitment. It all fits a microsleep scenario and dream.
Every day comes and goes and nearly a third of it is spent unconscious for the sole purpose of rejuvenation and cleaning. During this time of washing, or lack of cleansing due to irregular sleep patterns, we are physically and mentally susceptible. Flies can rest on your face and intruders can enter your home. During cerebral cleansing, unwanted waste is flooded over shrinking brain cells, stimulating all areas of the brain inducing dreams, nightmares, and visions. If you want to trust your dreams in this state and call it god, know that even people blind from birth often dream visually. Spectral Evidence (if you missed it) is the backbone of religion, and even people that have never seen, can see things that were never there. Trust that to revelation or a calling from a god? I think not. More like recalling a B horror movie in a nightmare.
Transition in and out of sleep often produces a wide variety of sensory experiences from several to one modalities. Most frequent, as in the case of my spouse, is auditory sounds. People will frequently hear their name called out or hear a loud clashing sound or a mild whisper. Knocking and loud bangs are also fairly common.
TheCommonAtheist 