Why do we have dreams?

Different experts say different things about why we have dreams. One thing that experts say about why we have dreams is that dreams are our brains “twitching” because our brains are basically huge collections of information, feelings and pictures. When they twitch during the night all sorts of strange things come out and get thrown into dreams. Another thing that experts say about why we have dreams is that dreams are a way to process all of the events and emotions that go on during the day. This is important to our mental and physical health. Next, other people say that dreams exist to solve specific problems in our life. Lastly, the Harvard psychiatrists said that “dreams are made of random transmission impulses to and from the brain. Their theory, called the activation synthesis hypothesis was that the brain wants to make sense of what it has seen and experienced throughout the day and so when your sleeping  it digs into that vast of information and starts the processing.”

Why do dreams exist?

Many experts agree that dreams exist to help solve problems in our lives, to incorporate memories, and to process emotions.

What are the stages of dreaming?

Stage one: During stage one of dreaming sleep is very light and can be disrupted very easily. Your mental activity begins to slow down and your brain waves switch to a form called theta band activity. This wave pattern is often described as a deep meditative state that marks the threshold between consciousness and the subconscious. However intermittent bursts of alpha activity or quiet wakefulness, often give you a sense that you are still awake.

Stage two: During stage two your eye movement stops and your brain waves and your alpha activity shuts down entirely. The brain will begin to produce “sleep spindles” brief bursts of activity that last for about half of a second before dying down. An average adult spends most of their night in this stage.

Stage three and four: Stage three and four are very similar, in fact some people consider them to be the same. “Collectively known as a deep or slow wave sleep, these stages are characterized by extremely slow brain waves called delta waves. Deep sleep sets the stage for some pretty strange phenomena: nightmares, sleepwalking, and somniloquy or sleep-talking.”

Stage five: Stage five is also known as REM sleep or rapid eye movement. During this stage things start to get even weirder. Our breathing becomes irregular and very shallow. Our limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed and our eyes begin to jerk in various directions. This is also the stage where the dreams that we remember usually take place. REM sleep is very important and the brain will also send out “safety measures” to make sure that it is not interrupted. For example the sound of an alarm clock or phone may be put into a dream but transformed into something else.

Why do you have recurring dreams?

You usually have recurring dreams because there is something in your life that you have not acknowledged that is causing stress of some sort. This dream will repeat because you have not corrected the problem. Another theory that scientists believe about why we have recurring dreams is that you have had some sort of trauma in their past that they are trying to deal with. If this is the case the dreams tend to lessen with time.

Why do you usually not remember your dreams?

People differ on weather or not they can remember their dreams. Some people have lots of interest about their dreams, have very vivid dreams or their level of anxiety during sleep and their sleep quality usually remember their dreams more often then people who do not have those things. There are a couple of different theories about why we do not remember our dreams. “One possibility is that our brain neurochemicals during sleep are very different from during wake time and so they don’t allow us to combine memories. The other thing that’s quite possible is that we don’t pay attention to our dreams or are unable to do so during sleep. We are unable to remember what occurs to us during sleep. Even people with sleep apnoea who wake up during the night don’t know that that happens to them.”

What influences the topic of your dream?

Many different things can influence the topic of your dreams. For example, smells and sounds can influence the topic of your dream. If you have the sound of a whistle in your dream it could be from your clock or if you have a soundtrack of the ocean on you might dream about the ocean. Also smells that you like such as chocolate and roses tend to make happy dreams and if you smell a smell you hate like rotten eggs or dirty socks they lead to bad dreams. Next your sleeping position and state of mind can also influence your dreams. For example sleeping on your stomach increases the chance that you will have a dream about being persecuted. Also black and white dreams are a symbol that you are having depression and anxiety brings tornadoes but a calm mind set can cause sunny days in your dreams. Lastly quitting can influence your dreams. For example if you quit drinking or quit smoking you will dream about it. Also if you go on a diet then you will dream about the foods you are trying not to eat.

What goes on in your brain when you are dreaming?

The lower part of the brain known as the brain stem creates REM sleep. In 1977 Allan Hobson and R McCarly discovered that the brain stem created electrochemical pulses. These electrochemical pulses create the stage where most dreaming occurs (REM sleep.) The brain stem also creates the paralysis of all voluntary muscle groups except the eyes which is why you are so still when you are sleeping and dreaming. Scientists also believe that the electrochemical pulses that the brain stem produces are what causes random shifts of scenery in you dreams. The amygdala which is located in the middle part of your brain causes your dreams to be emotional. While you are dreaming the amygdala is one of the most active muscles in your brain. The most common emotions in your dreams are anger, fear, anxiety, confusion and sadness. Lastly, the higher part of your brain makes sense of it all. Since the higher part of your brain especially the prefrontal cortex which generates logic, language and critical thinking is not always turned on during your dreams your dreams can be confusing. That is the main reason why most of your dreams are random and do not make sense.

What chemical reactions go off in your brain while you are dreaming?

The two main chemical reactions that go off in your brain while you are dreaming are the “Reward” chemical of the brain called the Dopamine gets released during REM sleep. The other main chemical reaction that goes off while you are dreaming is called the Acetylecholine which is a memory molecule. The Acetylecholine also gets released during REM sleep.

What age do you start dreaming?

“REM sleep occurs in the fetus before birth and some kids report dreams as soon as they can talk” said Patrick McNamara a expert on dreams.

What is the most common topic to dream about?

“Most dreams are about social interactions …That is everyday common things that happen between you and your family and friends…We dream about conflicts with those we must interact with.” Stated Patrick McNamara.

Fun facts about dreams!!!

Some fun facts about dreams are that you can not read or tell time while you are dreaming. Also many inventions are inspired by dreams such as the idea for google, the sowing machine, the periodic table and many more. Next, lots of people dream about what is going to happen to them in the future. For example, Abraham Lincoln dreamed about his assassination, many people who got killed during 9/11 dreamed about it and many people who were on the titanic when it sunk reported that they dreamed about it. Also some people who have REM sleep disorder act out their dreams. This has caused many broken bones and furniture and in one case a burnt down house. There has also been some unbelievable sleep walkers. One person drove 22 miles and killed his cousin and another person walked out a window from the third floor and barely survived.

Some more fun facts are that there is such thing as a dream drug. The dream drug is a illegal drug that people take because they love dreaming so much and they never want to stop so this drug makes them never wake up. Also pets dream too and you always dream you just might not remember them. Next bling people dream to. People who were not born blind but later in life become blind still see images in their dreams. However, people who were born blind do not see images in their dreams but they are just as intense as anybody else’s dreams their dreams just consist of other senses besides sight. Another fun fact about dreaming is in our dreams we only see faces we know. Also you can have up to 7 different dreams per night depending on how fast your REM cycles are. Next, in boys dreams 70% of the people in their dreams are men but girls have 50% men and 50% women. Lastly, not everybody dreams in color. Up to 12% of people only dream in black and white.

Sources!

1. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/dreaming-overview#1

2. http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/emotions/dreams/article2.html, 

3. http://brainworldmagazine.com/inside-the-dream-mind-2/, 

4. http://www.medicaldaily.com/rem-dreams-and-brain-waves-explained-what-happens-brain-when-we-sleep-272580

5. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/dream8.htm

6. http://www.livescience.com/38856-why-people-recall-dreams.html

7. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/28/dream-facts_n_4003477.html, 

8. http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/why-you-remember-or-forget-your-dreams/

9. https://www.bustle.com/articles/71382-why-cant-you-remember-your-dreams-5-questions-about-dream-recall-answered

10. www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/why-cant-we-remember-our-dreams

11. http://www.salon.com/2015/05/03/why_cant_we_remember_dreams_the_neuroscience_of_ecstasy_and_sadness/  

12. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-memories-of-vivid-dreams/

13. http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/20-amazing-facts-about-dreams-that-you-might-not-know-about.html

14. https://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/patrick-mcnamara-phd

15. http://www.livestrong.com/article/78256-parts-brain-produce-dreams/

Thank you for reading our book about dreams. We hope you learned some cool facts.