2006-06-15 12:18:35 · 13 answers · asked by Pete Allison 6 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Why do we dream?
Two different schools of thought exist as to why we dream: the physiological school, and the psychological school.
Both, however, agree that we dream during the REM, or rapid eye movement, phase of sleep. During this phase of sleep, our closed eyes dart rapidly about, our brain activity peaks, and our muscles suffer temporary paralysis.
The physiological theory centers upon how our body, specifically our brains, function during the REM phase of sleep. Proponents of this theory believe that we dream to exercise the synapses, or pathways, between brain cells, and that dreaming takes over where the active and awake brain leaves off. When awake, our brains constantly transmit and receive messages, which course through our billions of brain cells to their appropriate destinations, and keep our bodies in perpetual motion. Dreams replace this function.
Two underpinning physiological facts go towards supporting this theory of dreams. The first lies in the fact that the first two or so years of ones life, the most formative ones for learning, are also the ones in which the most REM sleep occurs. It follows that during this time of the greatest REM sleep, we experience the greatest number of dreams. The second physiological fact that lends credence to this theory is that our brain waves during REM sleep, as recorded by machines measuring the brain's electrical activity, are almost identical in nature to the brain waves during the hours we spend awake. This is not the case during the other phases of sleep.
Psychological theorists of dreams focus upon our thoughts and emotions, and speculate that dreams deal with immediate concerns in our lives, such as unfinished business from the day, or concerns we are incapable of handling during the course of the day. Dreams can, in fact, teach us things about ourselves that we are unaware of.
Connections between dreams that the human psyche have been made by many people over thousands of years. The famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle wrote in his "Parva Naturalia," over 2,200 years ago, of a connection between dreams, waking experiences, and emotional needs.
Others have delved into more complicated explanations for dreams, such as the prophetic nature of dreams written of in the Bible, which was and is a belief held by many cultures. Sigmund Freud, one of the fathers of modern psychology, believed dreams to be symbolic of any number of things buried deep within our minds and our memories.
Until someone proves or disproves one of these theories, or poses an alternate one, we are left at square one. Our knowledge as to what causes us to dream is limited to the fact that we do dream, and that dreams occur during the REM phase of sleep.
2006-06-15 12:22:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
did u know dreams only last a few seconds do u dream in color
i do ever wake up in a dream i have its neat i've had a dream come true within 2 days. this all honesty. take a test think about
something u would like to dream about. and sleep on it. I'm a trucker I fanatize while I drive but i"m alert. everything goes more smoothly. miles count down to my delivery pt. very fast also time
flys for me.
2006-06-15 12:37:10 · answer #2 · answered by blackjack911 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a biological psychologist tell me that dreaming is our brains' way of integrating experience into long-term memory. But that doesn't explain why I once had a dream about giving birth to a cupcake and tried to take a paddleboat across the Atlantic. I honestly don't remember this experience in real life.
2006-06-15 12:22:33 · answer #3 · answered by psychgrad 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
howdy merry christmas. ouhh yeah i do sleep to dream a lovely international.. but if im worned out - i will simply sleep for the sake of resting.. anyhow i dont particularly don't forget my dream final night time however i will wholly keep in mind this dream which i had just lately concerning the cutest man giving me a kiss at the cheek, lol!
2016-09-09 03:50:31 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dreams are nothing more than random neurons firing from the brainstem. We dream during REM sleep when our minds are awake while our bodies are paralyzed. They don't have any hidden meaning.
2006-06-15 13:06:23 · answer #5 · answered by Eddie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your brain displays images on what your thinking about. Sometimes if u have nightmares that could be because u might have saw a scary movie and that makes an image in your head.
2006-06-15 12:23:04 · answer #6 · answered by xkid62@sbcglobal.net 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your brain is sorting out emotions and events for the day. Your memory is storing, and you get to see a movie. Cool!
2006-06-15 12:38:44 · answer #7 · answered by dagomithost 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we dream when we sleep so that the brain stays alive and continues to process thought.... least thats my understanding of it :)
2006-06-15 12:22:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because after a long day our spirit need rest and while we are sleeping it't s just our mind trying to work out during those hours.
2006-06-15 12:22:18 · answer #9 · answered by amy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
opens pathways to other realities,,,,our souls need more
than this one reality to be satisfied
this is why ppl literaly go insane when not able to sleep
over a long time
2006-06-15 12:33:00 · answer #10 · answered by enigma q 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋