Why Do People Dream
From LoveToKnow Sleep
After a lucid and moving dream, people often wonder, "why do people dream?" Scientists are not sure why dreams happen. They are a sequence of images that often include feelings and sounds. They can be very vivid. People have wanted to know why dreams happen throughout time, as is evident in historical findings. People have such a fascination with dreams that the study of dreams, called oneirology, has become popular.
How Dreaming Happens
During sleep, the brain moves through five stages of sleep continuously. The most vivid dreams take place during the rapid eye movement (REM) portion of the sleep cycle. During this time, the brain's activity is heightened and often nearly as active as in wakeful hours. Dreams during this time are the most likely to be remembered, especially if you are awakened during them. Dreams do happen during other portions of the sleep cycle, but are not as intense and are often dull in comparison.
Most people dream each night for a total of about two hours, but most dreams are not remembered. For most people, individual dreams only last a few minutes, just as the REM cycle only lasts a few minutes.
Scientists are unsure of where dreams originate in the brain, but many believe that several portions of the brain can contribute to dreams. Doctors don't know what the purpose of dreams has on the brain, but they do know there are changes in the brain during sleep. For example, neurotransmitters are suppressed from release during REM sleep. When this happens, motor neurons in the brain aren't stimulated. This keeps the body from moving in dangerous ways while sleeping.
Why Do People Dream
While there is no official consensus on why dreams happen, there are some concepts that are universally accepted. For example, everyone dreams, even those that don't remember dreaming. Babies in particular dream more, spending almost 70 percent of their sleep dreaming.
Doctors also believe that dreams are a response to the things that happen to you during your wakeful hours, including the sensations you have, the activities you partake in and even the thoughts you have. In some situations, they are a direct reflection on your experiences as well as what your mind absorbed during your day.
Another important part of dreaming is actually noticeable when an individual doesn't dream. In some studies, doctors have stopped dreams by stopping the REM stage of the sleep cycle. In these people, there were noticeable differences in the individual's personality, including more anxious and aggressive behavior.
Most doctors believe that dreams are a way for the subconscious mind to exercise itself. It is a way for your thoughts and feelings over the last several days to be expressed. Most dreams are an interpretation of your experiences over the last two days. They are a way for your mind to express the way you see these experiences.
What to Know about Dreams
You should know several things about dreams. Keep these facts in mind:
- Doctors warn that dreams are not necessarily a premonition of the future, but are more likely the result of experiences you've already had.
- Most people only remember their last dream, especially when they wake from it.
- You dream for between 90 and 120 minutes per night, depending on how long you sleep.
- Dream meaning is very speculative. Dream meanings are very different from one source of meaning to the next.
- Dreaming seems to be an important part of daily life. For that, remember that dreams are something you want to have and are normal to have.
When you ask the question, why do people dream, you have to keep in mind that fact that dreams are just part of everyday life. Even some animals, including birds and dogs, have been found to be dreaming. While many would like to believe it, dreams are less about the future as they are about the recent past.
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This page has been accessed 2,645 times. This page was last modified 17:40, 13 November 2008.
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