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When you wake up, some people might have a dream that makes them think, "That was a happy dream, I wish it would continue." But surely everyone has had the experience of being jolted awake by someone shouting, realizing "Oh, it was just a dream," after a nightmare-like experience.
When you have a dream, questions like "Why did I have that dream?" or "Did I dream or not?" might come to mind.
In this article, we'll delve into the mysteries of dreams, explaining why we dream while we sleep. Additionally, we'll cover the differences between dreams in REM and non-REM sleep, and whether it's possible to intentionally have good dreams.
While much about dreams remains unexplained, let's take this opportunity to deepen our understanding of them.
1. Why do people dream when they sleep?
When you wake up from a good dream, do you feel happy? When you have a bad dream, do you feel fear? And when you have a strange dream, do you feel like you've been in a fairytale world since morning, wondering what that was all about?
When you have a dream, you sometimes wonder, "Why do people dream?"
While there are various theories as to why people dream, it is said that humans dream in order to organize the events that occurred in their daily lives and all the information accumulated in their brains.
Past memories and recent memories accumulated in the brain connect, and these are processed during sleep and visualized as a story, which is a "dream."
Dreams are a combination of countless pieces of information and memories, and they reflect the internal state of the mind and body while sleeping.
Since the memories in the brain are randomly linked, sometimes incomprehensible situations, such as dating someone you don't even want to be involved with, are depicted in dreams.
1-1. Nothing conclusive is known at the present stage.
The current situation is that we don't actually know the answer to the question, "Why do people dream?"
Although scientific research into dreams began about 80 years ago, much remains unexplained.
It has been proven that we dream during each cycle of "non-REM sleep" and "REM sleep" that repeats throughout a night's sleep.
It is already known that dreams remembered upon waking are dreams seen during REM sleep, and during this period, autonomic nervous system activity that causes fluctuations in breathing and heart rate occurs as part of physiological activity.
Furthermore, during REM sleep, processing activities related to vision, emotion, and memory are carried out, and it has been observed that various parts of the brain are actively engaged.
However, at present, much about dreams remains unexplained, so the true nature of dreams is still largely a mystery.
1-2. Hypotheses about why we dream during sleep
There are various theories about why we dream during sleep, including the organization of what we've learned, simulations, and the encoding of memories.
Research on dreams is called Oneirology, and it has explored the mechanisms of dreams with the aim of "dream interpretation" and "dream control."
However, much remains unknown in psychology, neuroscience, and other fields, and even among researchers, the "reason for dreaming" is still in the hypothesis stage.
One prominent hypothesis was proposed in the early 20th century by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.
After analyzing people's dreams, Freud hypothesized that dreams are an expression of a desire for satisfaction.
This research is still supported by many researchers today, and it suggests that dreams, including scary dreams, might reflect something people desire. In other words, according to Freud's hypothesis, dreams are people's desire for fulfillment.
From this perspective, Freud, when thinking about dreams, hypothesized whether there might be a way for dreams to help with hidden emotions, memories, and so on.
2. At what point during sleep do you dream?
Whether you remember a dream or not depends on when it occurs.
It is generally recognized that dreams seen during REM sleep are vividly remembered, and when someone in REM sleep is woken up, they invariably say, "I was just dreaming."
Recent research shows that humans dream during both "non-REM sleep" and "REM sleep" cycles, so while non-REM sleep dreams are not remembered, it is believed that humans also dream during "non-REM sleep."
Whether a dream is remembered or not depends on the timing of the sleep cycle. Let's look at the differences between the two.
2-1. The difference between "REM sleep" and "non-REM sleep"
Human sleep is broadly divided into REM sleep and non-REM sleep, and this sleep cycle repeats throughout the night, with each cycle said to take 90 to 120 minutes.
Therefore, with the generally required 6 to 8 hours of sleep, there are 4 to 5 sleep cycles.
It has been said that dreams occur during REM sleep. Since REM sleep tends to increase as waking time approaches, people often wake up with a dream in the morning or have dreams when their sleep is not very deep.
This REM sleep was discovered in 1953 by Professor Kleitman of the University of Chicago and his graduate student Aserinsky. In this experiment, they measured human brain waves during sleep and stated that REM sleep has three characteristics. *2
- Eye movements during REM sleep
- Muscle tension loosens, and the body stops moving
- When external stimuli were applied during REM sleep, approximately 80% of people reported dreaming
Especially due to the third characteristic, REM sleep gained recognition and became known as "dreaming sleep," but it is actually said that dreams also occur during non-REM sleep. Similarly, when subjects were stimulated and awakened during non-REM sleep, 20-60% of them reported dreaming.
Based on these studies, it is said that dreams occur during both "REM sleep" and "non-REM sleep."
2-2. Dreams remembered after waking are often from "REM sleep"
As explained in the research results above, the timing of dreaming during sleep is mainly during REM sleep. Even though dreams have unreal content, when you wake up in the morning, the memory remains vivid, and you may feel fear or a sense of unease.
On the other hand, there are times when you forget the dreams you had during sleep when you wake up.
It is said that humans have many dreams regardless of REM or non-REM sleep, but what remains in memory are dreams from "REM sleep" when one awakens.
Even if you have several dreams, the ones not remembered are during "non-REM sleep." If you don't remember your dream when you wake up, it means you woke up during "non-REM sleep."
In addition, there may be reasons such as starting activities immediately after waking up, or being forced awake by an alarm, which caused consciousness to be erased by external stimuli.
Furthermore, it is known that most dreams appear as visual images, and sensations like sound and touch rarely appear.
This is because brainwave research has shown that when dreaming, activity from the brainstem to the occipital lobe is active, and due to the function of the occipital lobe, which processes vision, dreams appear as visual image information.
3. Is it possible to see the dreams you want? Tips for having good dreams.
Have you ever wanted to see the continuation of a dream? Have you ever thought, "Just one more time, even if it's just in a dream," because you felt so comfortable in your dream?
Good dreams are hard to forget, allowing you to start your morning feeling happy.
To avoid forgetting a good dream, it is said that if you write down the content in a memo or record it as audio the moment you wake up, there is a possibility that you can see the same dream again.
However, it is still said that it is difficult to consciously control dreams, so it is not clear what exactly should be done. It is also true that the induction methods are currently uncertain.
3-1. It is difficult to consciously control dreams
It is now known that humans dream at various stages, but whether they can consciously control them is still unclear at this stage.
Research is progressing in various countries, and since dreams during sleep can bring happiness or terror, mixing many emotions, they are being studied from neurological and psychological perspectives.
In fact, Dr. Denholm Aspy, who conducts lucid dream research in Australia, announced that lucid dreams may allow conscious control of dream content. *3
According to his research, dreams can help clarify the relationship between mind and body and the subconscious. Consciously training in dreams can improve physical ability, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
In addition, it is expected to be applied to the treatment of nightmare disorders.
At present, concrete induction methods for lucid dreams have not been established, and effective and stable methods have not been elucidated. Therefore, it can be said that it is difficult to control dreams at will at this stage.
3-2. Tips for having good dreams during sleep
Many people would like to have good dreams and wake up feeling good.
Perhaps, as many people around you have experienced, simply imagining what kind of dream you want to see before going to sleep might have led to a happy dream.
On the other hand, watching a scary horror movie before bed increases the possibility of having frightening dreams while sleeping, where situations from the movie are replayed as visuals.
In other words, to have happy dreams during sleep, the first step towards pleasant dreams is to imagine the dream you want to see in your head before going to sleep.
In addition, it is important to get into bed with a calm mind and body. If you get into bed feeling irritated, you will have difficulty falling asleep.
To relax and get good sleep, take a bath at about 40 degrees Celsius before bed to warm your body, or drink hot milk or plain hot water to regulate your body temperature.
Consciously adjust your pre-sleep routine, such as listening to relaxing music to put your body in a relaxed mode.
Make sure to take a bath properly before bed, and stretch to relax your body before getting into bed.
4. If you want to know the meaning of your dreams, refer to Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams"!
If you want to interpret or understand the meaning of your dreams, refer to "The Interpretation of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychiatrist.
Freud is considered a pioneer of modern psychoanalysis, and his ideas have greatly influenced people.
This book covers the content of various prominent figures' research on "dreams," which is said to have begun in earnest in the 1950s, as well as questions and interpretations of dreams that are still unexplained, such as waking states and dream memories. still-unanswered questions and interpretations regarding dreams.
This book compiles information about "dreams," much of which remains a mystery even today, so please pick it up and read it.
Summary: Much about dreams is still a mystery!
Why do people dream? Much about dreams is still a mystery, but has this cleared up some of your questions?
We have dreams every day, whether they are momentarily remembered or still vivid in our minds.
Here's a summary of the points covered in this article:
- Dreams are a collection of memories.
- Dreams remembered are from "REM sleep."
- Dreams occur during both "REM sleep" and "non-REM sleep."
- It may be possible to consciously have good dreams.
- If you want to know about dreams, read Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams."
We daily obtain a lot of information from the internet, magazines, and TV.
However, we often don't have time to organize and process the information we get from them. It is believed that dreams play a role in processing and organizing this information while we sleep.
On this occasion, why not confront the impact of dreams and change how you spend your time before bed?
[References]
※1 Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Health and Physical Fitness Foundation
※2 Issue 16: The myth of "dreams occur during REM sleep"
※3 Reality testing and the mnemonic induction of lucid dreams: Findings from the national Australian lucid dream induction study.
