Why Do We Dream?

Have you ever thought about why do we have dreams? No one has made a point-blank explanation for this situation, but there are various theories on the subject. Some theories focus only on the physiological aspect of the event and believe that dreams are simply the manifestation of our brain activity during our sleep. It has no more meaning to them, so our dreams have no real purpose.

Everyone dreams, although the content and effects of sleep vary from person to person. But despite the steady progress of science and the multitude of findings, there is still much unknown about both sleep and dreams. Even the most basic question and the subject of this article, why do we dream, still needs to be explained.

What Is Dream?

The dream is a set of emotions related to the auditory and visual perception that takes place in the REM stage of sleep. People can see all kinds of things in their dreams. It is quite common to have very logical or absurd dreams.

During sleep, many functions of our body are disabled. However, our brain is still working. Dreams are also a set of images in our subconscious. Although there are many different scientific studies on why do people dream, there is no proven fact yet.

The Role Of Dreams

Dreaming is not only a byproduct of sleep, but it also performs crucial functions in our well-being, according to research. Dreams are highly personal and of the greatest importance to the dreamer. However, dreams have psychological significance and can often be an unconscious reflection of our inner worries, fears, desires, hopes, and fantasies.

We can read almost anything into our dreams. Because they are built in our own minds, we can attribute certain ideas or thoughts to dreams or ideas held within them and make them mean we want them.

Dreams might reveal parts of our lives that require attention, essential connections, or aspects of ourselves that we are concerned about. The importance of dreams should not be underestimated and we should not ignore recurring themes. So, why we dream?

Reasons Of Why Do We Dream

There are different theories as to why do we have dreams when we sleep;

1. Realizing Our Desires In Dreams:

It is a theory put forward by Sigmund Freud. Answer to why do we get dreams according to Freud, people’s unconscious desires, which they do not realize, live in the dream environment. He saw dreams as symbols of our basic impulses and desires. He approached the event psychologically.(1)

2. For Emotional Reasons:

You see people in your dreams that you have not seen for a long time, that you miss, that you love, that you are interested in. The reason is said to be due to the emotional attachment to them.(2)

3. Confronting Fears:

In dreams we see things that we fear will happen to us; to be deceived, to die, to lose loved ones, to the terrible beings told in time, etc. are situations. In dreams, usually makes us experience the things that we fear will happen to us. Psychologically one of the reasons why do we dream at night, it is thought that our obsessions are the reflection of dreams.

4. Electrical Stimulation Of The Brain:

Showing the experiences and impressions stored in our memory as short stories with electrical stimulation. (3)

References

1: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-do-we-dream-the-verdict-on-freud-s-theory-a7178726.html

2: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/147470490500300106

3: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-are-dreams-related-to-your-health/