We do it every night, and yet scientists still have no idea why we dream. But, a new study has given researchers some new conclusions as to why we dream overnight.
Neuroscientist at the University of California have found that dreaming can act like a kind of overnight therapy, helping us cope with painful memories and stressful situations. For the experiment, the scientists showed emotionally provocative pictures to their test subjects. While the subjects were snoozing, they conducted brain scans that showed that the part of the brain that handles emotion powered down while they went into a deep, dreaming sleep. When the participants woke up, the same images had less of an effect on their emotion than they did the day before.
Overall, the study suggests that dreaming in a deep sleep helps people handle difficult situations that we face while we’re awake, better if we had no sleep. Besides that, it’s been proven that the body heals itself while asleep. Why do you think parents tell you to get a “good nights sleep” when you’re sick?
Also the term “let’s sleep on it” helps, too, because deep, dream-filled sleeps help stabilize emotions so we can make decisions easier and more clearly.
So, if you ever find yourself in a stressful situation, don’t let your stress cut into your sleeping time! First laughing, now dreaming, what else will these scientists find?