General Article Why do we dream?

Topic Selected: Sleep Book Volume: 389
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Jason Ellis, Northumbria University, Newcastle

Although science knows what dreams are, it is still not known exactly why we dream, although plenty of theories exist.

Dreams are patterns of sensory information that occur when the brain is in a resting state – as in asleep. It is generally assumed that dreams only occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – this is when the brain appears to be in an active state but the individual is asleep and in a state of paralysis. But studies have sh...

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