Depends if you are dreaming or... Where do dreams come from? Why do I have bad dreams?

Almost every person experiences some kind of “visions” during sleep. We dream of people, places, events, some objects or phenomena. Most often, a person sees a dream in the first person and in the morning forgets most of the dream. Some dreams affect emotions and can be very realistic. Today, scientists cannot say for sure why dreams occur, but there are several good theories that explain this phenomenon.

Why does a person sleep

First, let's figure out why we need sleep at all.

Sleep is a natural state of the body that includes several cycles. During this period, brain activity is reduced, as is the reaction to external stimuli.

For a long time, the mechanism of the sleep state and the reason for dreaming were under a veil of secrecy, and scientists from different times made assumptions based on their conjectures. Modern technologies made it possible to study the human brain during sleep, and people received answers, although only to some questions.

Until now, many people believe that sleep is necessary for the rest of the brain and the body as a whole. But back in the 20th century it became clear that this is not entirely true: During sleep, brain activity is only 10-15% lower than during light sleep, and the muscles can easily rest simply by being at rest. So why do we spend almost a third of our lives on special condition sleep?

Today it is physiological phenomenon is considered not as just rest, but as a mechanism of self-regulation of the body. In the state of sleep, memories are systematized, the psyche is unloaded, stress levels are reduced, cells are renewed and toxins are removed.

What happens if you don't sleep

It is during the period of REM sleep that a person sees vivid dreams, some of which can be recalled in the morning. Each stage replaces each other several times, while their duration is uneven, and REM sleep gradually takes more and more time.

In ancient times, dreams were perceived as encrypted messages from the other world, containing information regarding a person’s future. “Knowledgeable” people () helped decipher these messages. Over time, dream books appeared, which are still popular today.

However, with the development of psychology and physiology, new views on this phenomenon began to appear, reflected in several theories.

Theory 1: Dreams are images of human desires

The famous psychotherapist Sigmund Freud suggested that in dreams a person sees repressed desires and hidden aspirations. The subconscious seems to communicate with us through dreams. Sometimes this is an exact image, and sometimes it is veiled in some symbols (images).

Freud believed that discussing dreams with a psychotherapist could help resolve internal psychological problems person. He even wrote a book, The Interpretation of Dreams, where he talks about typical symbols in dreams that can have similar meanings for different people.

Theory 2: Features of the brain

But the eminent psychiatrist John Hobson, on the contrary, said that dreams do not carry any meaning. He studied exactly how dreams arise from a physiological point of view. It turned out that random signals from the brain stem lead to a vision of a plausible reality.

The brain tries to somehow interpret random impulses and puts them into certain plots. He often takes memories as a basis.

Interesting fact! It has been experimentally proven that mammals such as cats and dogs also experience dreams.

Theory 3: Constant activation

Psychiatrist Zhang Jie agrees that dreams are caused by nerve impulses. But in her opinion, they are not accidental.

During sleep, the brain systematizes memories, and at the moment they move from short-term memory to long-term memory, they can be partially activated, and we see dreams.

Theory 4: Threat Modeling

This is a rather unusual explanation for why we dream. It is believed that this ability was inherited by man from ancient ancestors, who, with the help of dreams, could imitate potentially dangerous situations.

In fact, dreams are protective. biological mechanism, allowing you to “train” to survive threats. U modern man not like that dangerous life, like our ancestors, so it is believed that the functions of dreams have changed a little. Hence the next theory.

There was a period when it was believed that sleep was painful condition, arising due to accumulated poisons in the human body.

Theory 5: Natural selection of thoughts

Psychologist Mark Blancher suggests that situations that the brain models during sleep, allowing it to choose the best emotional reactions. He remembers them and uses them already in real life.

That is, in this case, we also train, but taking into account what most often happens in our modern life.

Interestingly, a special type of sleep is lucid dreaming when a person realizes that he is dreaming, and sometimes even controls the dream. Some researchers are convinced that anyone can master this with proper preparation.

The question of why people dream every day is more often asked by people who believe that they rarely see them. Some people worry about whether it will interfere with their night's rest, while others worry about recurring dreams or nightmares.

Despite the fact that sleep occupies a decent part of our lives, some of its mysteries have not yet been solved. Scientists still cannot accurately answer the question of why we have dreams and why they are needed. However, they can already tell how often we should see them and what their meaning might be. frequent occurrence or, conversely, absence.

There is nothing abnormal about a person constantly having dreams. Some people feel that they see them rarely or not at all, and therefore are surprised when dreams begin to visit them too often. In fact, we all have dreams every night, and more than once.

Dreams occur during REM sleep.

At this moment, the brain begins to work more actively, and this affects the entire body:

• the eyes begin to move quickly and change position chaotically;
• heart rate increases;
• breathing rhythm changes;
• the body can make involuntary movements;
• the sleeper may begin to talk, moan or scream.

Any of these signs indicates that the person had a dream. If you wake him up in the active phase, he is likely to remember the dream in detail. But if you do this after entering the slow phase of sleep, he is likely to forget what he saw.

Physical activity the person seeing the dream depends on its content. So a nightmare can cause screams and tossing in bed, and an erotic dream can end in a waking orgasm.

The phases of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (also called the rapid movement phase - REM) constitute a single cycle lasting one and a half hours. During 7-8 hours of sleep, it manages to repeat itself 4 - 5 times. And at the end of each cycle, a person has a chance to have a dream. However, he may simply not remember this.

Why do some people have dreams every day, while others are absolutely sure that they don’t see them at all? It all depends on the psyche of the person himself, his physical condition, lifestyle and temperament.

Who often dreams and why:

Nightmares or recurring unpleasant dreams may be a cause for concern, but complete absence dreams - much more warning sign. If a person really does not dream, it means that there is no REM phase in his night cycle, and the body does not receive normal rest.

If the reason why you often have vivid dreams is overload nervous system, will help relieve excess stress good vacation. You can also get rid of excess stress through relaxation practices such as meditation and autogenic training.

Some theories about the origin of dreams claim that they are needed to process and sort information entering the brain. The necessary data is stored in long-term memory, and everything unnecessary is deleted. According to these hypotheses, forgotten dreams are discarded informational garbage.

There are suggestions that the brain specifically produces information in the form of certain images in order, based on the reaction to them, to decide what needs to be saved and what to discard. Thus, our consciousness is freed from the data accumulated during the day.

If you want to remember your dreams, there are several ways to do this:

If you often begin to have dreams, do not worry ahead of time. Most likely, the reason lies in your condition or the influence of external circumstances.

Dreams may contain a hint or warning from the subconscious; you can try to interpret them using a dream book. In case of recurring nightmares, it is worth visiting a somnologist.

Each of us sooner or later thinks about why we dream? This question has worried humanity for many centuries.

The question of where dreams come from does not arise now. Our ancient ancestors, including the most illustrious minds, asked them. According to Aristotle, during sleep human body plunges into a state of peace and finds harmony with the surrounding world. The soul has the gift of foresight.

Scientists of the 20th century believed that dreams every night are associated with physiological processes occurring in the body during rest. Some have put forward the theory of the dispersion of various chemical substances, accumulating in the brain throughout the day. A plausible version says that a person can dream so that his brain can free itself from unnecessary information and “reboot”.

The question of why we dream does not have a 100% accurate answer. However, scientists have long proven that during REM sleep blood pressure on the brain increases sharply. Main body begins to work actively, and a person awakened in this state can accurately retell the entire plot. In other words, every dream well remembered by a person was dreamed in the rapid phase. If people don't remember their dreams, it means they simply don't remember them. This may be the answer to the question why dreams are rare, it’s all about forgetting them.

In the question of where dreams come from, the observations of the famous scientist Pavlov are very important. It was he who first proved that the bark cerebral hemispheres brain is responsible for how dreams occur. Her nerve cells control signals transmitted to all organs and are highly reactive. If a person is overtired, then the cells turn on protection - they begin to slow down, as a result of which all the information accumulated in them during the day is processed and deleted. It would seem that in this way we can explain that due to the process of inhibition of parts of the brain, we have dreams every day.

But there are many dreams to which the highest nervous activity cannot have relations, for example, prophetic, erotic or not related to reality in any way. According to psychologist Sigmund Freud, a person has strange dreams because of his subconscious. The cerebral cortex receives information that was previously unknown to it.

Scientists have long come to the conclusion that everyone dreams, rarely or often. Some are simply not stored in memory. And if you suddenly start having “night visions,” don’t worry. They were there before, and always, but unmemorable.

Who dreams of bright scenes?

Why do people dream? This question can be answered based on who sees them most often:

• People with vivid perceptions and an active psyche constantly dream about night stories, i.e. dreamers. During complete relaxation and rest, they simply think out the events and stories they know.
• One of the reasons why a person dreams is constant mental work. If you think intensely all day, your brain will continue to be active at night. He will come up with something that was not obvious to consciousness when you were awake.
• Creative people often say: “we dream.” This happens because even during rest they subconsciously strive to create something.
• Impressionable people, melancholic people, people who keep their own or other people’s secrets - they will all sleep and see different scenes.

Scientific explanations

Every day the brain remembers and reacts in a certain way to a huge number of events. You go to bed, but only your body is completely at rest. And the brain continues to repeat and consolidate the information, making it a kind of script.

The scenario can be a repetition of the events of the past month, recent or current situations. Anxieties, thoughts and dreams form additional information that can lead to completely unrealistic stories, ridiculous visions and nightmares. What is sleep from a scientific point of view? Nothing more than a generalized picture of internal experiences and reality.

Psychologists' opinions

Psychologists say that every dream reflects a person’s psychological state. Beautiful and positive visions will come to those who are happy and carefree. Nightmares appear to those who suffer from phobias and fears. Since the brain has so many negative emotions that it simply cannot cope with them in any other way. Psychology experts are sure that black and white dreams appear precisely because of various and frequent experiences in reality.

Why do people suffer from nightmares?

Nightmares are formed and reflected by the brain for several main reasons. They are usually an emotional response to some grandiose situation. The brain processes and experiences them over and over again. Have you experienced a turning point? Then be prepared for terrible visions to come to you in your sleep.

Nightmares are vital because they allow the brain to cope with real horror and process information about it. Otherwise, mental problems are possible. If you have nightmares regularly or constantly, you simply cannot cope with all the negativity in your life. It stays in your head and torments you even while you are resting. It is best to seek help from a sleep specialist or psychologist.

List of used literature:

• Kovrov G.V. (ed.) Quick Guide in clinical somnology M: “MEDpress-inform”, 2018.
• Poluektov M.G. (ed.) Somnology and sleep medicine. National leadership in memory of A.N. Vein and Ya.I. Levina M.: “Medforum”, 2016.
• A.M. Petrov, A.R. Giniatullin Neurobiology of sleep: modern look (tutorial) Kazan, State Medical University, 2012.

While psychologists around the world are trying to understand the meaning of dreams, scientific minds are conducting research into their origins. We have collected latest facts about dreams that you might not know: why some people see night visions every day and others don’t, and whether you should trust dream books.

Photo bymuratdeniz/E+/Getty Images

Most people probably often wonder: why and why do we see certain dreams? Unfortunately, scientists still cannot answer this question with certainty. There are only a few hypotheses. Thus, the famous Russian and Soviet scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov suggested that night visions are a protective reaction of the brain to fatigue, which is caused by a large flow of information accumulated during the day. At the same time, the mechanism of dreams, in his opinion, is regulated by the cerebral cortex, its nerve cells are responsible for signals received in all organs. Due to their overwork, inhibition occurs, as a result of which all accumulated information for the day is deleted, and the person sees certain images.

Not a bad hypothesis. And most dreams do indeed fall under this explanation. But what to do with prophetic or fantastic dreams that each of us could see at least once in our lives? It is unlikely that this can be attributed to the work of the higher nervous system. And here it is worth remembering the theory of the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud. He believed that in a dream, the cerebral cortex receives information that was known only to the subcortex and was located in the person’s subconscious.

Meanwhile many modern scientists who are actively studying the mechanism of dream occurrence come to the conclusion that this is just a chaotically created picture formed as a result of flashes electrical activity randomly selected stimuli by the brain.

There is also an opinion that dreams are psychological garbage thrown out by our brain. And it definitely makes no sense to interpret them. And even more so, you should not remember night visions immediately after waking up. It just doesn't make sense.

Why do dreams come every night?

By falling asleep, we give our body the opportunity to relax and gain new strength. But the brain is responsible for the functioning of all organs, so it cannot completely switch off and fully relax. The brain works constantly, even when we sleep. At night, he continues to analyze the information received during the day, but can present it in a different form. Therefore, we get the opportunity to dream every day.

Considering all of the above, we can conclude that healthy people they have dreams every day, but they remember them only when they wake up in the fast phase. If a person claims that he does not dream, then most likely he is simply waking up in a long phase.

By the way! Even blind people have dreams. However, if a person was born blind, then there will be no images in his dreams, instead smells and sensations come.

So, daily night visions are the absolute norm; to make them pleasant, try to rest before going to bed and think only about pleasant things.

How to improve your sleep quality

neurologist medical center"Atlas", candidate of medical sciences, associate professor

Sleep is necessary to restore body functions. The hormone melatonin is responsible for the quality of sleep. To produce enough of it in the body, you need to follow several tips:

You should sleep in absolute darkness. In the bedroom, you need to turn off all electrical appliances; even small light bulbs and indicators interfere with the production of melatonin. If the curtains allow light to pass through, then it is better to buy blackout curtains.

Take care of the silence and temperature in the sleeping area. The temperature should be 18-20 degrees.

A few hours before bedtime, switch your gadgets to warm, yellow light mode or try not to use them, and dim the lighting in the room. It is also better to use lamps in the yellow spectrum rather than blue.

Play sports. Physical activity promotes the production of the hormone serotonin, which is a precursor to melatonin. In addition, stress hormones are utilized during exercise - eternal companions wakefulness. Boost your serotonin levels and reduce your stress hormones for restful, deep sleep.

Follow the regime. It is important to go to bed at approximately the same time.

Fall asleep before 12 o'clock at night.

Every day in a person’s life many events occur that are remembered by the brain and cause certain reactions. During sleep, only the human body is at rest. During this period, the brain repeats and consolidates all the information received, which can become a so-called scenario for a dream.

In a dream, a person can see the events of the past day, recent situations or the distant past. Under the influence of our thoughts, anxieties and dreams, a Additional Information, which can cause nightmares, ridiculous visions and completely implausible situations. A dream is a generalized picture of reality and internal experiences.

Sleep from a psychological point of view

From a psychological point of view, a dream is a reflection of a person’s psychological state. If you are happy and your life is not overshadowed by negativity, then in your sleep you see beautiful, positive dreams. If you have fears or phobias, they will definitely appear in dream scenarios. This means that the brain cannot cope with the negative emotions that you experience in real life. Dreams become black and white, and dream situations cause even more anxiety.

Why do dreams stop happening?

If you begin to notice that you have stopped having dreams, take a moment to Special attention to his psychological state. Such situations usually happen to people who are regularly exposed to stressful situations or have an unbalanced character. In rare cases, the inability to remember a dream may be a sign of a mental disorder.

There is another point of view, which is confirmed by scientific research. The fact is that sleep consists of several phases, each of which has special meaning while waking up. Dreams are not remembered if a person is in deep sleep. This usually happens when sleep is interrupted by loud noise, attempts to wake the person, or when sleeping for too long.

Fatigue can also cause lack of dreams. People who sleep little and work very hard have their brains oversaturated with information. During sleep, they flash through our consciousness so quickly that they are practically not stored in memory.

Mystical reasons for dreams

The great scientist Aristotle was a proponent of the opinion that during sleep a person finds harmony with himself and nature. The soul at this time is able to show the future through dreams. This hypothesis became the basis for conclusions about the gift of clairvoyance. According to Plato, sleep is a source of creative energy and inspiration.

The mystical rationale behind dreams is very common. Surely, every person, seeing horrible dream, will definitely look at its interpretation in the dream book. The explanation of certain symbols has been evolving throughout almost the entire existence of mankind.

There is no consensus on