15) Improved sleep and dreams...Moosey goes to Hawaii

The hypothalamus is also responsible for circadian rhythm and sleep.  Since Sasha's brain surgery, he has had disrupted sleep.  He used to have central and obstructive sleep apnea and used a BiPAP machine but luckily, he was able to have an adenoidtonsillectomy which greatly reduced his apnea and his need for a machine.  Sasha takes melatonin every night to go to sleep but even so, he reports that he typically wakes up 1 to 2 times during the night and has trouble falling back asleep.

Recently since starting oxytocin, he reports feeling more rested when he wakes up in the morning  and having fewer middle of the night wakenings.  Last night, he recalled having his very first dream since brain surgery!  In the dream, his beloved stuffed moose, Moosey,  takes a plane to Hawaii.  Sasha doesn't remember anything else besides this but he was pleased that he had this happy dream.  You don't have to be a Jungian analyst to analyze this one!

Here is a paper that explains the relationship between sleep and obesity:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/