{"id":1471,"date":"2019-06-03T00:48:22","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T00:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bedguard.com.au\/?p=1471"},"modified":"2019-06-03T00:48:22","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T00:48:22","slug":"why-do-we-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bedguard.com.au\/backup\/why-do-we-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we dream?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dreams are something we’ve all experienced, but have you ever wondered why we dream?<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

What are dreams?<\/h2>\n

Quite simply, dreams are stories or images that our brain creates while we are asleep. These stories can range from pleasant and entertaining, to strange and even frightening.<\/p>\n

Scientists still don\u2019t fully understand dreams \u2014 why we dream, what causes them and what they mean. However, they are beginning to discover some answers.<\/p>\n

When do we dream?<\/h2>\n

Whether you remember them or not, all of us dream every night. Dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM sleep is one of the five stages of sleep which occurs in short episodes about 90 minutes apart. During this time, our brain is almost as active as it is when we\u2019re awake. Our breathing can become fast and irregular and our heart rate increases. We may also exhibit rapid moving of the eyes, and twitching of the face and limbs.<\/p>\n

REM sleep usually lasts for around 10 minutes, with each stage of REM sleep getting progressively longer. It\u2019s believed that each dream can last between 5 to 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

How often do we dream?<\/h2>\n

It might be hard to believe, but each of us dreams between 3 and 6 times each night! However, it’s normal to forget around 95% of your dreams by the time you get out of bed in the morning. It\u2019s believed that we only remember our dream if we wake up while we’re dreaming. However, we can forget them quite quickly because they’re not laid down in a \u2018memory store\u2019, like events that occur while we\u2019re awake.<\/p>\n

Why do we dream?<\/h2>\n

Ah! This is a universal question. And while scientists have a few theories as to why we dream, no one is exactly sure. Some current theories include:<\/p>\n