Dreams are unique in that everyone loves to tell other people about the dream they just had, but no one likes to listen to other people’s dreams. Unless, we guess, you’re a dream analyst.
(In which case, can you please tell us what repeatedly dreaming about being in a Hunger Games-type scenario means? Just curious, no reason.)
We already know some common culprits of weird dreams, and we wanted to poosh our knowledge even further to figure out why the heck dreams are so important in the first place.
For that, we tapped Jean-Baptiste Beau, founder and CEO of the dream app Oniri. Learn more about dreams, below.
First off, what even are dreams?
“Dreams are experiences we have during sleep,” Jean-Baptiste says. “They may take many forms, but the most common ones are stories that may last from a few minutes to a few dozen.”
“They are usually associated with a strong visual component and a rich narrative. Those kinds of dreams happen during REM sleep, which stands for “rapid eye movement”. REM sleep is one of the phases we go through during sleep, and it’s mostly concentrated at the end of the night.”
What’s going on while we dream?
“Our brains create a very special cocktail of chemicals when we dream,” Jean-Baptiste says. It’s quite complicated, but, “to put it simply, some chemicals that make us alert and aware decrease, while those that improve learning and memory increase,” he explains.
The two most important benefits of dreaming:
1. Emotional Processing
“The most important benefit of dreams, in our current understanding, is emotional processing. Dreams are crucial in helping us get over things and process them,” Jean-Baptiste explains. “You may have heard the expression ‘Time heals all wounds.’ Well, it’s not time. It’s dreams,” he says.
(Ooooh, we did not have a showdown between time and dreams on our 2024 bingo card.)
“The more you dream of a difficult event (like a breakup or the loss of a relative), the better you process it. In the case of PTSD, there is a direct link between people’s trauma and dream dysfunction.”
So the recurring dream you keep having about your toxic ex is not a sign to contact them. Delete that text, and stay strong, girlie.
2. Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills
“Did you ever wake up with a solution to a problem or a new insight into a situation? That’s also because of dreams,” Jean-Baptiste says. “Dreams are a way for our brains to connect knowledge and spark new ideas. They play an important role in helping us solve problems and improve our cognitive skills.”
So, if we can’t figure out a problem at work, should we go take a nap long enough to get into REM sleep and dream? We don’t think that’s quite what he’s saying, but it couldn’t hurt to bring it up.
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