Scientists Are Finally Figuring Out How and Why We Dream

Amaze Lab

Our brains are amazing machines,but there is still a whole lot we don’t know about how they work. One esoteric aspect of brain function is dreaming and while we’re still not 100% on how or why we dream, scientists are finally starting to hone in.

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00:00Our brains are amazing machines, but there's still a whole lot we don't know about how

00:07they work.

00:08One more esoteric aspect of brain function is dreaming.

00:11And while we're still not 100% on how or why we dream, scientists are finally starting

00:16to hone in.

00:17What we know is that dreaming takes place during the REM cycle, or the recuperative

00:20period of sleep.

00:21That accounts for around 25% of total sleeping time.

00:25During that period, our brains consolidate memories from short-term to long-term, and

00:29we process much of the information from the day.

00:31What's wild is that despite being a period of recuperation, REM more closely resembles

00:35wakefulness than other periods of the sleep cycle.

00:38Still, chemicals are released within the body, those like serotonin and norepinephrine, and

00:42histamines are blocked.

00:44During this time, experts say neural connections are strengthened, while some which are unneeded

00:48are discarded.

00:49The process can also embolden existing memories by integrating new ones into them, meaning

00:53sleeping and dreaming is critical for retaining and remembering new and old things.

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