Why do People Dream?

In the third millennium BCE, rulers in Mesopotamia documented and deciphered their dreams on tablets made of wax. A thousand years later, the ancient Egyptians compiled a dream manual containing over a hundred common dreams and their interpretations. Since then, our fascination with the purpose of dreaming has persisted. Despite extensive scientific research, technological advancements, and unwavering determination, we have yet to find definitive answers. However, we have developed some intriguing theories.

One theory suggests that we dream to fulfill our desires.

Sigmund Freud proposed in the early 1900s that our dreams, including nightmares, consist of images from our conscious lives and symbolically represent the fulfillment of our subconscious wishes. Freud believed that by analyzing these dream elements, we could bring our unconscious thoughts, urges, and desires to the surface, enabling us to address and resolve psychological issues stemming from their repression.

Another theory suggests that dreaming enhances memory retention.

In 2010, researchers discovered that individuals who took a nap and dreamt about a complex 3-D maze performed significantly better when navigating the maze compared to those who only thought about it while awake or napped without dreaming. This led to the hypothesis that certain memory processes occur exclusively during sleep, with dreams serving as a signal that these processes are taking place.

Dreaming may also serve the purpose of forgetting.

The human brain contains approximately 10,000 trillion neural connections, which are formed through our thoughts and experiences. The reverse learning theory, proposed in 1983, posits that during REM sleep cycles, the neocortex reviews these neural connections and removes unnecessary ones. Without this unlearning process, which manifests as dreams, our brains could become overwhelmed by superfluous connections, potentially disrupting essential thinking during wakefulness.

The Continual Activation Theory, according to the continual activation theory, dreams arise from the brain's continuous need to consolidate and create long-term memories, ensuring optimal cognitive functioning. When external stimulation declines, such as during sleep, the brain automatically generates data from its memory stores, which materialize as the thoughts and emotions experienced in dreams. In essence, dreams may be the brain's way of preventing complete shutdown, akin to a random screen saver.

Dreams can also be seen as a form of rehearsal.

Many dreams involve dangerous or threatening situations, and the primitive instinct rehearsal theory suggests that their content serves a purpose. Whether evading a bear in a forest or battling a ninja in a dimly lit alley, these dreams allow us to practice our fight-or-flight instincts, keeping them sharp and reliable for real-life scenarios. However, not all dreams are unpleasant; some may even provide opportunities to practice reproductive instincts or other beneficial skills.

Dreaming may contribute to healing as well.

Neurotransmitters associated with stress are notably less active during the REM stage of sleep, even during dreams involving traumatic experiences. This has led researchers to propose that one function of dreaming is to alleviate the emotional intensity of painful experiences and facilitate psychological healing. By reviewing traumatic events with reduced mental stress in dreams, individuals may gain clearer perspectives and greater ability to process these events in a psychologically healthy manner. Lack of dreaming has also been suggested as a potential contributing factor to mood disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Problem-solving is another potential purpose of dreaming.

Freed from the constraints of reality and conventional logic, dreams allow the mind to create limitless scenarios, aiding in grasping problems and formulating solutions that may elude us while awake. Renowned chemist August Kekule's discovery of the benzene molecule's structure famously occurred in a dream, highlighting the effectiveness of dreaming in problem-solving. Sometimes, the best solution to a problem is to "sleep on it."

These are just a few of the prominent theories surrounding the purpose of dreaming. As technology continues to advance, our understanding of the brain may eventually uncover the definitive reasons behind our dreams. Until that time, we will continue to embrace the mysterious realm of dreaming.