What are dreams?

[anwesha]

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/sleep/dreams/what-are-dreams.htm
Extract from the link[QUOTE] So what are dreams? Strictly speaking, dreams are images and imagery, thoughts, sounds and voices, and subjective sensations experienced when we sleep. This can include people you know, people you've never met, places you've been, and places you've never even heard of. Sometimes they're as mundane as recalling events that happened earlier in the day. They can also be your deepest and darkest fears and secrets, and most private fantasies. There's no limit to what the mind can experience during a dream and really no rhyme or reason to what you end up dreaming about.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/sleep/dreams/dream.htm

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“Dreams" - This was a topic that I had done a presentation in middle school. I took notes from “Children’s knowledge bank” book from the schools’ library, summarized few points and read it out to the class. That was my pathetic presentation; not out of interest on the topic, but out of mere compulsion from my teacher. :e


Ever since, this subject has intrigued me immensely. : ) Some questions that I have not found answers to –
- The conversations that happen in a dream, what language is it carried out in? I can’t seem to remember, it is too fuzzy.
- From your experience, do these dreams mean anything? Is it a reflection on one’s personality or contrast to their persona?
- Why do we dream? Is that another outlet for our emotions?

Responses need not be limited to scientific, geeky ones. Feel free to share funny/weird dream sequences if any. :)

[boca]

- From your experience, do these dreams mean anything? Is it a reflection on one?s personality or contrast to their persona?[/quote]
It is a belief that dream provides a meaningful insight of oneself.

I have a belief that reading about Virgo in the horoscope section of some newspaper provides a meaningful insight of myself, though I am not a Virgo. :) Sometimes, I get similar insight when I read Taurus as well.

The attributing of such meaningful insight is more likely to be based on prior beliefs, experiences, or desires.

I do believe that the act of dreaming has a purpose for the brain function and it may just be a result of evolution. The basis for my belief is that brain is the costliest energy consumer and it ain't a spend thrift. It is not going to waste energy on some function that is of no use.

I also believe that there is a common underlying reason for both sleep and dream. Just as "Why do we dream?", there is no clear answer on "Why do we sleep?". They both effect and affect memories, a key component for effective information processing.

The brain is a complex information processing engine. Why it does what it does, will be hard to figure out. It is more powerful than God, as it is the creator of God. :)

I hope the above was neither geeky, nor scientific. :)

[anwesha]

Have you recalled and examined your dreams? I’m curious to know the medium in this subconscious state. I wonder how a person using sign language dream would be.
I tend to revisit the ones I remember and have found them to be of ‘almost’ the same theme. Those that I do not think about much in reality, perhaps mull over it subconsciously tells a lot about me (don’t know if that’s good or bad) :)

[cabo]

I also believe that there is a common underlying reason for both sleep and dream. Just as "Why do we dream?", there is no clear answer on "Why do we sleep?".

Sleep is important physiologically- for harmone surges. Though harmones are regulated by stimulating and inhibiting harmones released by the Hypothalamus, the balance is also maintained by nutrition, exercise and sleep. Most harmones have a sleep surge- the more famously talked about one is the growth harmone. It is said that babies sleep as much as they do- because of the growth harmone needed for the greatest growth spurt of their life.

I forget the details of sleep physiology- but the REM ( rapid eye movement phase- the first couple of hours of sleep, i think) and the NREM (NOn rapid eye movement) phases of the sleep- are associated with different harmonal release phases . These also go in cycles as the night progresses ..... It is also said that you have a memory/recollection of the dreams in Non REM phase, but not the REM Phase- or something like that!! That means, dreams in certain phases of our sleep or stored, while others aren't and perhaps explains why we cannot recollect some dreams, but do some others.

PS- IMHO, this belief that the dreams give a meaningful insight to one self is all nonsense that psychologists seem to sell people!...but certain medications seem to be associated with nightmares- an uncommon side affect!!

[layman]

I hate dreams. The problem with dream is that we feel it is real. I dream sometimes weird things. Even though it is a dream, the strange thing is I feel very bad. The dream makes the parts of my brain react such that it has happened in real life. If that connection is not there I would enjoy the dreams as though I am watching a movie.

[hope4best]

Dreams - Mind projecting (on it's own) something, that you want to achieve or something you scared about, to be real when it's a myth.

BTW, did I say this definition only applies to dream while sleeping and there are people who are day dreaming and it doesn't apply to them :)

[dbs]

Is there a difference in dreaming in colour or in balck and white?
I sometimes dream in colour and some times in black and white. Most of the dreams are not recallable after waking up but some do linger.

[Sid]

Our brain is constantly forming new neuron connections and breaking old ones. There is also a daily cleaning up process going on (just like hard drive defragmentation), for efficient data optimization and retrieval. This process can happen only during sleep, as when we are awake, brain is busy processing all the data sent in by eyes, ears, skin, and other body organs. The blurry pictures and incidents during the dream are a result of this cleaning up process. That is why often a sleep with a dream is considered a good sleep.

Another aspect of dreams is what we call Deja Vu. That feeling of being in a place/situation before is usually true. Its just that it last happened during a dream, because of which we don't remember it correctly. Its the re-emergence of an old neuron connection that used to be there earlier, but was cleaned up, and due to circumstances, has reemerged.

Am I dreaming!!

(all of the above is my hypothesis and does not have any scientific basis)

[rajradio]

Is there a difference in dreaming in colour or in balck and white?
I sometimes dream in colour and some times in black and white. Most of the dreams are not recallable after waking up but some do linger.

yes there is if you are dreaming about katrina kaif it would be in color, if you are dreaming about madhubala it would be in black and white with the notable exception of 1 song.

RK

[dbs]

if you are dreaming about madhubala it would be in black and white with the notable exception of 1 song.

Yes, that had too many reflections.
Sadly, neither agrees to appear in my dreams.
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Follow your dreams,
except the one where you're naked at work.