Why Do We Dream?
There are many theories on what dreaming really means…Is it something that has further purpose or just a regular part of our sleep schedule or maybe both? Dreams are stories or visuals that can’t be remembered very well but can be thought of as very vivid. Most of the time you can actually feel emotions in your dreams like happiness, sadness or fear. Dreams can be of anything! So what are they, really?
When Does Dreaming Occur?
Dreaming occurs anytime while you are asleep but the most remembered dreams can occur during REM (rapid eye movement). We actually dream multiple times per night. Most dreams we tend to forget over time but the ones that do not usually leave an emotional or meaningful impact on us.
Dreaming of the Future or Past?
When we dream of the past or about something that recently happened it may be connected to the hippocampus area of the brain. This site sits in the center of the brain and plays an important role in storing our memories. Dreaming of the future could be helping us prepare for the future by “practicing” how to think or something more…
When you are sleeping you only have one dimension of alertness. Although you are able to focus your attention on your emotions and your environment in your dream. Your state of consciousness in your dream feels real when it is taking place and even after you wake up it may still feel “real”. Intense dreams usually take a big toll on us even though it didn’t really happen.
The reason why you experienced what you did in your dream is hard to define. Scientists usually think it can be linked to helping emotional problems, fears, memories, processing emotions, unconsciousness desires, thoughts, and motivations. In the end, everyone is different when dreaming. A vivid dream is unique and different for all of us because the experiences in the dream are meaningful in a different way for each individual life.