Why Do People Dream?
by: Dillon Finley 1st block
What is a dream?
Dreams are visual "movies" about things we've seen, heard, and thought about, but cannot act on in the real world. Most scientists believe that dreams are biological functions based off of the things we want to do but would be frowned upon in real life society. ("In Your Dreams")
Dream Tight? You Might. But you won't remember.
Every night, a person has an average of 4-6 dreams, however we don't recall most of them. ("How Often Do We Dream?") However most kids our age only remember 20%. This is linked to REM and Non-REM sleep.
REM sleep
Most of the time, when students alarms go off, they're in the middle of REM sleep. That's why it feels like a shock to the nervous and brain system when you have to wake up.
What are the stages of falling asleep?
1. Alpha and theta (this is when you usually feel as if you're falling and your muscles tense up)
2. Sleep Spindles (body temp drops, heart slows)
3. Delta Waves (when your body slowly eases into deep sleep)
4. REM (this is where you actually begin dreaming)
(Walcutt)
What is insomnia?
While there are several different types of insomnia, they all base of one thing: "the inability to sleep."
Why Don't I Remember my dreams?
When a student from the University of Chicago was studying brains and eyes during sleep, she discovered that when people were awoken during REM (rapid eye movements), they were able to describe vivid details of their dreams. However people who were awoken while their eyes were motionless (Non-REM sleep) could not recall their dreams. ("In Your Dreams")
So Why do I dream?
Dreaming is a way that our body uses what we've learned and processed in our lives and puts it out on the big screen. You dream because it's a natural bodily function that humans have adapted to over time. Think of it as a way of keeping you from getting bored while sleeping!