• Question: Why do we dream?

    Asked by naimasultana123 to Anna, Chris, Jane, Iain, Nick on 10 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by abi1505, , , , mastermind1, , .
    • Photo: Anna Middleton

      Anna Middleton answered on 10 Mar 2014:

      Hi @naimasultana123
      This is more my kind of question! From my counselling training (for when I worked with families with genetic disorders) I learnt that dreams are important for two reasons: a) they are part of a normal sleep pattern and even if you don’t remember your dreams they serve a purpose as they take you into a phase of sleep that you need for restoration and b) they provide a mechanism for helping your subconscious mind make sense of the world.
      I must admit I don’t pay too much attention to my dreams as I know they are just my brain doing the necessary filtering and processing so that I can function properly. However, if you believe in the work of Freud then dreams are very significant representations of the subconsious mind and there are all sorts of messages in them – I’m not sure I buy that though.

    • Photo: Iain Moal

      Iain Moal answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      This is a really good question. I don’t think anyone knows for sure, but there are lots of theories around. From what I’ve read, the idea that dreaming is a consequence of your brain ‘cleaning’ itself at the end of the day is a popular one.

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