Why We Dream – What Research Knows Today

Symbolic image: the human brain (model) · Photo: CC0

⏱ 60 sec read

We spend around six years of our lives dreaming – and yet it is still not fully clear why. What is certain: most and the most vivid dreams occur in so-called REM sleep, a phase in which the brain is almost as active as when awake.

Science knows several explanations that don't rule each other out. One holds that during dreams the brain sorts the day's experiences and moves what matters into long-term memory. Another sees dreaming as a kind of nightly training: the brain rehearses dangers and social situations without anything real being at stake.

A third theory is more sober: dreams could partly be a by-product – the brain fires during sleep, and the mind weaves a story from it afterwards.

What is well established is that sleep and dreams matter for mental health. Anyone who chronically gets too little REM sleep is in a worse mood, less focused and learns with more difficulty.

What you can take from this: good, sufficient sleep is not lost time but your brain actively working on memory and emotions. Anyone who sleeps badly should take it seriously.

Good-advice standard: verified information only. Based on the publicly available state of sleep and neuroscience research. Not a substitute for medical advice.

Symbolic image · Photo: "The Human Brain Model", CC0, via Wikimedia Commons