Why do we dream?

Eve RedheadPosted oninScientia Team ArticlesLeave a comment

We dream around 6 times a night, and with sleeping being approximately a third of our lifetimes, understanding the purpose and meaning of these hallucinations has become a complex and fascinating debate. Whilst many theories try to explain why we dream, little is known about the way they materialise throughout our sleep cycle. 

Older theories

Ancient civilizations believed that dreams were messages from the gods. In primal societies, such as those in Mesopotamia and Egypt, dreams were seen as oracles of the future. Early theories have little evidence but are some of the most widely known. In 1900, Freud proposed that dreaming is a form of fulfilment of repressed wishes, that have built up in normal life. They are a manifestation of the desires we have. Other early theories such as those of Jung in 1963, agreed on the psychological origin of dreams but conversely suggested that they are there for reflection and to consider solutions to problems that our waking selves encounter.

The Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis

More recently, technological advancements in the scientific world have allowed for progression of more complex and substantiated, theories. The simplest concept is something called the “activation-synthesis hypothesis”, which argues that dreams do not mean anything at all. The idea is that dreams are simply electrical brain waves that pull random images from memory. Once circuits in the brainstem are activated, areas in the limbic system such as the hippocampus and the amygdala become active and the brain interprets these signals. Interestingly, it has been found that when we wake, we try to make sense of this random memory generation by composing a storyline. The publication of the theory did stir up considerable controversy, as the idea seemed to infer that dreaming was meaningless, when many researchers had worked to understand the significance of them. Have you ever had a dream that makes no sense in everyday life? If so, do you strike this theory as over-reaching or sensible? Let us know what you think in the poll at the end. Furthermore, there is evidence of dreaming in organisms aside from humans, like mammals. This is shown by behaviour such as rapid eye and whisker movements and face and paw twitching: all found in cats, dogs, monkeys, rats and sheep. Theoretically, creating a storyline from dreamt images could be natural instinct in humans. However, animal’s brains are likely not intricate enough for a response like this.

The Threat-Simulation Theory

As well as the practical theories of dreaming, theories of their purpose have also been a hot topic, which has led to the idea that dreams serve an evolutionary purpose. This theory is known as the “threat simulation theory” which is the hypothesis that dreaming is an ancient biological mechanism that is able to heighten our awareness of potential dangers, which appear to materialise while we snooze. Revonsuo argued that dreams can repeatedly simulate threatening scenarios in order to enhance our cognitive ability to perceive and avoid them. A study in 2005 examining the dreaming patterns of traumatised and non-traumatised children supports the idea. The dream reports of severely traumatised children showed a significantly greater amount of dreams throughout sleep, which included greater numbers of traumatising events (65%) than non-traumatised children (55%). After experiencing trauma, children tended to experience aggression scenarios, such as being chased or escape events. The conclusion from this experiment was that dreams showing these terrible experiences could act as a way to prepare these children for a way to cope with the real-life situation and teach them the best way to survive.  

There are still important questions which haven’t been answered. What is the link between consciousness and actual brain activity during dreams? Why does the subject remain so disconnected from the environment they are in? What parts of the brain are active during the process? There has been little substantial evidence which shows a distinct neurobiological theory. Some studies do examine the role of deeper brain tissues, but there is not one well-known neural basis. 

Dreaming is important. We may not realise the benefits of them when our alarm blares, and the memories of last night’s sleep drift away, but they can significantly improve our waking social performance. They actually influence our ability to understand emotions. In one experiment, a cycle of REM sleep (the deepest stage of sleep, where dreams occur) significantly reduced negative emotional reactivity, like anger, and also increased ratings of happy emotions. Dreams can process our emotions from the day before, settle our negative emotions and heighten our awareness of others’ feelings. We may not realise this is occurring, but it happens all the same. 

Looking at all the theories, there have certainly been advancements in our understanding of these sleep hallucinations. However, there is not a clear-cut hypothesis. Many still believe they are representations of our emotions. Teeth falling out means a lack of self-esteem. Falling constitutes for a loss of control. Will we ever really know all the answers? Could dreams mean something different for every individual? However, defining a clear neurobiological theory could point us in the right direction. It could also show us what this may mean for our waking brains. Even now, dreaming is a mystifying phenomenon. 

What do you think? Are dreams meaningful or not? Have you had dreams that have affected you in a significant way? Let us know in the comments below!

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