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Asked by lmcginley to Adam, Chris, Eleanor, Jessamyn, Sinead on 11 Nov 2013.
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Adam Murphy answered on 11 Nov 2013:
No one’s entirely sure why we dream, it’s an awesome question.
Dreaming is kind of weird when you think about it, we hallucinate vividly several times a night and it’s perfectly ok.
There are a few theories as to why we dream.
Some people think it’s so your brain can sort out what happened that day, which might be why it helps to “Sleep on it” when you have a big descision.
Some people think it’s to poke at your long term memory, so nothing goes too far away (have you ever dreamt of something you haven’t thought of in years?)
And some people think it’s your brain trying to tell you what you really want, which explains that we all have similar types of dreams, because people all want the same things, like to be happier.
Those are just some of the ideas, but they’re my favourites
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Eleanor Holmes answered on 20 Nov 2013:
I like the idea that dreams are what you see while your brain is sorting out everything it needs to get done while you are asleep.
It’s like a screensaver made of all the mad thoughts that have ever crossed your mind. It’s a space with no rules or logic that can be great for figuring out problems, though the answers you get there don’t always make sense! And dreaming also allows for you brain to test you eye function while you are asleep. Have you ever dreamt entirely in black and white? It’s weird. And I wear glasses so sometimes in my dreams I can’t see very well!
Another interesting thing is lucid dreaming. Where you realise you are having a dream while you are still asleep and you can suddenly control what is happening. I’ve had a few of those and I always take advantage of the time by flying. I am so disappointed when I wake up and I’m not able to fly at all.
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