What Causes Dreams?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Causes Dreams? Do we really Know

 

Human beings are blessed with the wonderful gift of being able to dream. Most of the time we enjoy our dream world and dream experiences, and sometimes we do not. But what causes dreams? Is that burrito you had last night before you went to bed really the culprit behind your dream world?

 

It is true that dreams serve a purpose. It is also known that all mammals have the capability of dreaming. Given this, it can be reasoned that there may in fact be some biological basis to the cause of dreaming. Research has concluded that the state of dreaming occurs in the REM cycle of sleep which is the deepest part of our sleep. This REM cycle is common to all mammals and is a neurological function that we need for proper sleep, and the REM cycle is a primary component in what causes dreams. 

 

It is not known at this point however where dreams physically start in the brain. In fact, it is not even known if there is only one starting point of dreams in the brain, or if several parts of the brain play a role in dream formation. Though dreams to have a biological basis, there is no conclusive evidence that indicates where that basis is, other than REM sleep.

 

The general purpose of dreams is to give the body a chance to rebalance and recycle itself throughout the sleep period. Dreaming allows us to balance out the experiences we lived during the day, week, or recent past. Studies do indicate that interrupting the dream period or REM cycle will lead to extreme disruption for humans. We will act irritable, anxious, angry, and some studies even report psychotic like experiences as a result of dream sleep.

 

So, while we know that dream sleep restores and maintains our mental balance, it is not unwise to think that the emotional centers of the brain play a major role in the causes of dream formation. Unfortunately, science has not been able to come up with the precise cause of dreams, but we do know that in all mammals, it is biologically based.