Dreams might be your brain’s way of making sense of random neural activity
Why do we dream?
Even when you are sleeping, your brain is active.
The result: dreams.
Illustration by Jessica Olah, Verywell
What Happens in the Sleeping Brain?
So, what exactly happens in the sleeping brain?
As we slumber, a wide variety of neural activity takes place.
Brain Activity Plays a Role in Dreaming
How does brain activity during sleep lead to dreaming?
Common Characteristics of Dreams
Hobson also suggested that there are five key characteristics of dreams.
Are Dreams Meaningless?
Takeaways
The reasons and meanings behind dreaming have fascinated philosophers and researchers for centuries.
Boag S.On dreams and Motivation: Comparison of Freud’s and Hobson’s Views.Front Psychol.
2013;7. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00836
Hobson JA.Sleep and dreaming.
In:Companion Encyclopedia of Psychology.
American Psychological Association.AIM model.
Siclari F, Baird B, Perogamvros L, et al.The neural correlates of dreaming.Nat Neurosci.
2017;20(6):872-878. doi:10.1038/nn.4545
