understanding the science of dreams

The purpose of dreams have never been fully understood, while some argue that dreams help us better prepare for what is coming ahead, others say that dreams are just randomly occurring streams of images and sounds in our minds.

Despite these arguments one cannot deny the power behind dreams. In dreams we can fly, teleport and do those things that are not possible in real life. We can find ourselves main characters in a movie or in a place that we would like to be in real life. There is no denying that our subconscious can spin a very complex reality.

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what are dreams and why do we have them? what are the significance of dreams? are they warnings that help prepare us for incoming dangers, or are they just meant to entertain us while we sleep. Well, we will look at some of those today's article.

What are dreams

According to the online dictionary:

a dream is a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

The study of dreams is called Oneirology, and this area did not exist until the 20th century, and this is because of how in tangible dreams are. One cannot hold, touch or even smell dreams, they remain in the realm of the abstract.

We tend to forget our most of our dreams soon after we wake up and this is due to neurochemical conditions that occur in our brain during REM sleep. During this phase of sleep our eyes begins to move and we begin to dream.

The electrical activity of a person's brain during REM sleep is similar to the way the brain acts when we are awake. The major difference is that certain chemicals like norephinephrine, serotonin, and histamin are not produced during REM sleep, and this makes the muscles to stop moving thereby causing us to remain stationary while we sleep.

There are instance when people move while they are asleep. This condition is known as REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), in this case paralysis which is associated with REM is absent. People suffering from RBD tend to act out that dreams, thereby moving their arms and legs and in some cases they even sleep walk.

The cause of REM sleep behaviour disorder is unkown, although the disorder may occur with various neurological disorders multisystem atrophy, Shy-Drager syndrome and parkinson's disease. According to webmb.com:

In 55% of persons the cause is unknown, and in 45%, the cause is associated with alcohol or sedative-hypnotic withdrawal, tricyclic antidepressant (such as imipramine), or serotonin reuptake inhibitor use (such as fluoxetine, sertraline, or paroxetine) or other types of antidepressants (mirtazapine).

So in other words the cause of RBD in 45% of people can be due to alcohol abuse, use serotonin inhibitors and antidepressants.

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Lucid dreaming

Lucid dreaming is a state where you are in a dream and you know you are dreaming. In lucid dreaming you can make conscious decisions while you are in a dream. You can fly to the moon and back if you want, you can even change the state of your dream, in lucid dreaming you are in control.

Lucid dreaming is accompanied by increased brain activity on those parts of the brain that are normally inactive during sleep. It is a state between REM sleep and being awake.

Lucid dreamers can determine the way their dream plays out, but in most cases researchers advice that it's better to allow your dreams to occur naturally. Since we don't really know the purpose of dreams, its better not to distort it.

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In conclusion

Dreams can be disturbing, entertaining, or even bizarre. We all dream even when we don't usually recall our dreams the next day. I must confess lucid dreams are the ones I enjoy the most, because they give me the opportunity to become anyone I choose, and even go anywhere I want. But why do we dream? And what do our dreams mean? I don't have the answers to this question but all I can say is that dreams represent another layer of reality.

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Further reading

Why do we dream?
Dream
Why Do Memories of Vivid Dreams Disappear Soon After Waking Up
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Facts About Dreaming

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