Why Do We DREAM?

Dreams have always been a very fascinating subject for the scientists and researchers. Despite so many researches and studies we still don’t know why and how we dream. Although there are many theories explaining dreams, nothing can still be said with surety. It is a very baffling thought that we still know very less about something which is an integral part of our life, well most of us at least.  Some people claim that they don’t dream or dream very rarely but I find that very weird because I dream a lot… a lot really. While we remember a few dreams most of the dreams hide back into the mysterious places they come from. Dreams have always puzzled me. So, I try to recollect all the dreams I have during my sleep. Obviously I can’t recall all of them but some I do. Sometimes I randomly remember my dreams during my daytime even though I don’t try to recall them. My dreams could be about anything.. sometimes good sometimes bad and sometimes horrible.

Now the important question is "Do dreams make any sense?". Well I have a log of the dreams I have had during my sleep of a long time and I have always tried to find some pattern or pick any probable message during my dream as if I am in a movie with some unknown superpowers and if I could crack them I would be able to predict the future! Well sadly that was not the case. Sometimes I feel strongly about an important or disastrous incident to take place on a specific date but it has never happened till now.  Despite all my attempts I reached to the conclusion that dreams definitely don't carry any messages.

So dreams are totally useless and random? Actually not. Well I have observed that many a times I dream about things I fear from. For instance I have fear of height and I have numerous dreams of falling or about to fall from a cliff or a tall building but luckily enough I wake up just before crashing and experiencing a hell of pain. In the dreams I obviously try to save myself giving an indication that dreams prepare us for fight-or-flight moments. Many other such dreams experienced by people include being chased, drowning, fighting an enemy, being publicly naked, sinking in a quicksand etc. I feel the decisions we make during our dreams from a limited set available during such intense moments are very likely to be taken by us if unfortunately, we happen to be in that spot and we get trained for that moment.

Another theory about dreams say that dreams channelize our emotions and leads to mental stability.

If something significant happens with you and you think about it a lot, there is a high probability that you will dream about it. If you are worried about something you may dream about it. For instance if  you are very tensed about an upcoming exam you may dream about writing an exam. Dreams may also be related to your strong desires. If you have a huge crush on someone you may dream about being on a date with him/her or you may dream being married with the same person and having a family.

Our dreams can also be in response to external stimulus. If you are feeling cold/hot or you hear something from a distant music system it may reflect in your dream. Of course, there is another theory to explain dreams that they are totally random and mean nothing.

Can we understand dreams? Can we intemperate our dreams dreams? For that we need to believe that dreams actually mean something. I like to believe they do. Researches are being carried out extensively but nothing solid has surfaced yet indicating that our dream is a complex masterpiece. I can't believe something so complex and such an integral part of our life means nothing. I think our brain has something very sophisticated for us to still explore. So next time you go to sleep think once about the amazing capabilities of your brain.

We are all splendid artists. The dreams we have are beautiful imaginations of our brain.

Sweet dreams artists..  :)