Inception: How Accurate Is It?

Inception: How Accurate Is It? 

    Clearly, the concept of inception, or planting an idea in someone else's mind and having them believed they were the creators of the idea is impossible. But as I was watching Christopher Nolan's masterpiece the other night, I couldn't help but notice how many things were totally inaccurate based on what we learned the other day in AP Psych class. I will try not to spoil the plot because I know Mrs. Perl hasn't seen it yet. 

    We learned that there are several stages to sleep in the 90 minute sleep cycles. There are 4 stages, and one period known as REM sleep. Each stage entails a new concept. Stage 1 is really light sleep, and the pattern is a tight and short line when looking at EEG scans. Only until stage 4 do we get to deeper sleep. We also know that REM sleep is where you dream and are paralyzed. Let me take down two myths of the movie that have to do with REM sleep. 

    In the movie, when one of the characters is dreaming, he is constantly moving and shaking. We know that when one is dreaming, they are in REM sleep, and REM sleep is accompanied by paralysis, so shaking would be impossible. Only in the other 4 stages is shaking possible. Another myth I would like to shoot down is that when something happens to you when you are sleeping, it won't necessarily happen in the dream. What I mean is the following: Often, characters in the movie fall asleep, and those who are awake will often splash them with water. In the characters dreams, it will automatically start storming and raining intensely. While this is possible, it is based on the unconscious drive, and is not automatic. A third thing I want to debunk is that when the characters fall asleep in the movie, they go straight to dreams. We know that this is impossible, and that one will certainly face the Non-REM sleep first. I think it is also obvious to say that you can't create a dream or determine what the dream will look like. One last thing: In the movie, a dream within a dream is a common occurrence. I don't see that as being possible, though I could be wrong.